In this MEA, students will rank pets from most family friendly to least family friendly by considering data such as purchase price, cost to feed, cleanliness, etc. as well as notes regarding the physical description of the pet. In the twist, students will be given information on additional pets as well as information on cleanliness and life expectancy. Students may need to make trade-offs in regards to cost to adopt, feed, and house along with life expectancy, ease of clean up, etc.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.