Mathematics Grade 6
Educational Links

Strand: RATIOS AND PROPORTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS (6.RP)

Understand ratio concepts and use ratio reasoning to solve problems (Standards 6.RP.1-3).

Standard 6.RP.3

Use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real-world (with a context) and mathematical (void of context) problems, using strategies such as reasoning about tables of equivalent ratios, tape diagrams, double number line diagrams, or equations involving unit rate problems.

• Anna in D.C.
  The purpose of this task is to give students an opportunity to solve a multi-step percentage problem that can be approached in many ways.
• Bag of Marbles
  The purpose of this task is to help students develop fluency in their understanding of the relationship between fractions and ratios. It provides an opportunity to translate from fractions to ratios and then back again to fractions.
• Baking Bread 2
  The primary purpose of this task is to represent ratios of two or more quantities with parallel tape diagrams. Note that the solution to this task assumes that students have already studied equivalent ratios and understand that when you have a context with 8 units of one quantity and 2 units of another quantity, you can say the ratio is 4:1 because it is an equivalent ratio.
• Chapter 1 - Mathematical Foundations (UMSMP)
  This is Chapter 1 of the Utah Middle School Math: Grade 6 textbook. It provides a Mathematical Foundation for Ratio Relations.
• Chapter 1 - Student Workbook (UMSMP)
  This is Chapter 1 of the Utah Middle School Math: Grade 6 student workbook. It covers the following topics: Ratio Relations.
• Chapter 2 - Mathematical Foundations (UMSMP)
  This is Chapter 2 of the Utah Middle School Math: Grade 6 textbook. It provides a Mathematical Foundation for Percent, Division with Fractions, and Measurement Conversion.
• Chapter 2 - Student Workbook (UMSMP)
  This is Chapter 2 of the Utah Middle School Math: Grade 6 student workbook. It covers the following topics: Percent, Division with Fractions, and Measurement Conversion.
• Constant Speed
  The purpose of this task is for students to learn to reason about whether or not ratios are equivalent using a diagram.
• Converting Square Units
  Given the dimensions of a rectangular board, students must convert inches to feet, find the area of the board, and critique the reasoning the student in the problem uses the find the area.
• Currency Exchange
  Given a scenario of a man traveling to another country and converting money students must determine the amount of the foreign currency he gets in exchange for his US dollars.
• Dana's House
  In this task students are given the size of a lot on which a house is to be built. Given the square footage of the house, they must determine which percentage of the lot will be covered by the house.
• Data Transfer
  This task asks the students to solve a real-world problem involving unit rates (data per unit time) using units that many teens and pre-teens have heard of but may not know the definition for. While the computations involved are not particularly complex, the units will be abstract for many students.
• Exam scores
  The goal of this task is to show how to apply ratio reasoning to calculate a percent. In order to do this task, students must know the meaning of percent, that is they need to know that a percent is a rate out of 100. The teacher may wish to encourage students to work with three different representations for the calculation: diagrams, ratio tables, and double number lines.
• Examining California's Prison System: Real-World Ratio
  Using an infographic students look at such factors as age, gender and race to examine how the prison population in California compares to the general population. Students then apply an understanding of how they can find the value of a part by using a whole and a percent in order to look at how that can lead to recommendations for how to prevent crime. NOTE: You have to create a Free PBS Account to view this web page, but it is easy to do and worth the effort.
• Fizzy Juice
  The goal of this task is to provide an engaging context for students to work with ratios.
• Fraction Conversion 2 (with percents)
  When completing this lesson students will understand how to convert fractions, decimals, and percentages.
• Friends Meeting on Bicycles
  Given a story about two friends who ride bikes to meet each other and the rate at which they travel, students must calculate the distance between them at specific times.
• Fruit Salad
  The purpose of this task is for students to solve a contextual problem where there is a multiplicative relationship between several quantities in the context. These relationships can either be represented in a ratio table or with a linear equation.
• Gianna's Job
  The purpose of this task is to apply reasoning about ratios to solve a rate problem. This problem introduces a rate whose units are dollars per hour of work. Using this information, students need to make two separate calculations, one with units of dollars and the other with units of hours.
• Grade 6 Math Module 1: Ratios and Unit Rates (EngageNY)
  Students begin their sixth grade year investigating the concepts of ratio and rate. They use multiple forms of ratio language and ratio notation, and formalize understanding of equivalent ratios. Students apply reasoning when solving collections of ratio problems in real world contexts using various tools (e.g., tape diagrams, double number line diagrams, tables, equations and graphs). Students bridge their understanding of ratios to the value of a ratio, and then to rate and unit rate, discovering that a percent of a quantity is a rate per 100. The 35 day module concludes with students expressing a fraction as a percent and finding a percent of a quantity in real world concepts, supporting their reasoning with familiar representations they used previously in the module.
• Grade 6 Unit 2: Rate, Ratio, and Proportional Reasoning Using Equivalent Fractions (Georgia Standard
  In this unit, students will gain a deeper understanding of proportional reasoning through instruction and practice, develop and use multiplicative thinking, develop a sense of proportional reasoning, develop the understanding that ratio is a comparison of two numbers or quantities, find percents using the same processes for solving rates and proportions and solve real-life problems involving measurement units that need to be converted.
• Grade 6 Unit 4: One Step Equations and Inequalities (Georgia Standards)
  In this unit students will: Determine if an equation or inequality is appropriate for a given situation. Solve mathematical and real-world problems with equations. Represent real-world situations as inequalities. Interpret the solutions to equations and inequalities. Represent the solutions to inequalities on a number line. Analyze the relationship between dependent and independent variables through the use of tables, equations and graphs.
• Grid and Percent It
  This lesson plans provides a 10 x 10 model so that students can understand how to solve percent problems.
• Hunger Games versus Divergent
  This is an engaging introductory lesson for a unit on ratio and proportional relationships.
• Inverse Proportions and Shadows in Practice
  in this interactive a figure's shadow is projected on to a screen. Students then observe how the shadow changes as the figure moves farther away . Students also complete a chart that shows the distance of the figure from the light source and the height of the shadow helping them understand inverse proportions. NOTE: You have to create a Free PBS Account to view this web page, but it is easy to do and worth the effort.
• IXL Game: Ratios, proportions, and percents
  This game helps sixth graders understand ratios, proportions, and percents, specifically percents of numbers and money amounts. This is just one of many online games that supports the Utah Math core. Note: The IXL site requires subscription for unlimited use.
• Jim and Jesse's Money
  This task reads "Jim and Jesse each had the same amount of money. Jim spent $58 to fill the car up with gas for a road-trip. Jesse spent $37 buying snacks for the trip. Afterward, the ratio of Jims money to Jesse's money is 1:4. How much money did each have at first?"
• Kendall's Vase - Tax
  For this task students are given this problem: "Kendall bought a vase that was priced at $450. In addition, she had to pay 3% sales tax. How much did she pay for the vase?"
• Living Wages in CA: Ratio and Rate in the Real World
  The use of infographics helps us understand the costs of basic living expenses. The classroom activity has students look at real-life examples and data to calculate whether the minimum wage in their state can be a living wage. NOTE: You have to create a Free PBS Account to view this web page, but it is easy to do and worth the effort.
• Mixing Concrete
  Given that the ratio of sand and cement of 5 : 3 is needed to make concrete, students must determine how many cubic feet of each are needed to make 160 cubic feet of concrete mix?
• One-Dimensional Scaling To Find Unknown Heights
  An interactive activity helps students understand real-world application of ratios and asks them to scale a model of a T-Rex for a diorama. In the classroom activity students are asked to draw scale models. NOTE: You have to create a Free PBS Account to view this web page, but it is easy to do and worth the effort.
• Overlapping Squares
  In this task students are given a drawing showing two overlapping congruent squares. They must determine the area of the overlap.
• Painting a Barn
  Given the dimensions of a barn, the square footage covered by a gallon of paint, and the price of the paint, students must find the cost of painting the barn and explain their work.
• Party Planning
  The goal of this task is to provide a ratio problem which can be solved efficiently with a wide variety of techniques. While it could be used at many points in a ratio unit (with or without additional instructions on which technique to apply) one possible use of the task is as a summative assessment.
• Pennies to Heaven
  The goal of this task is to give students a context to investigate large numbers and measurements. Students need to fluently convert units with very large numbers in order to successfully complete this task.
• Perfect Purple Paint I
  The goal of this task is to provide a good context for engaging students in reasoning about ratios.The teacher may wish to use this task to demonstrate or introduce some of the different representations of ratios (ratio table, double number line, graphing points in the coordinate plane). The numbers are small so that the focus can be on the methods and not performing arithmetic.
• Ratios and Proportional Relationships (6.RP) - 6th Grade Core Guide
  The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) and educators around the state of Utah developed these guides for Mathematics Grade 6 - Ratios and Proportional Relationships
• Real World Ratio and Rate Problem: Bianca's Fifty Percent Solution
  Viewers follow Bianca as she's drawn into a store by the discounts advertised in this video from Cyberchase. While shopping she understands that while discounts are nice they still can add up when shopping. The classroom activity asks students to calculate the savings on an item when various discounts are applied. NOTE: You have to create a Free PBS Account to view this web page, but it is easy to do and worth the effort.
• Real-World Proportional Relationships: Gender Wage Gap
  Students use an infographic to understand how wages of today compare with those of 50 years ago in this lesson plan. The classroom activity helps students understand and calculate the wage gap using media salaries for men and women. NOTE: You have to create a Free PBS Account to view this web page, but it is easy to do and worth the effort.
• Riding at a Constant Speed, Assessment Variation
  Riding at a Constant Speed addresses aspects of 6.RP.2 "Understand the concept of a unit rate a/b associated with a ratio a:b" and 6.RP.3 "Use ratio and rate reasoning to solve real-world and mathematical problems." The numbers are chosen so that it would be easy to implement this task as a fill-in-the-blank item.
• Running at a Constant Speed
  The purpose of this task is to give students experience in reasoning with equivalent ratios and unit rates from both sides of the ratio when given information about a runner and their pace.
• Same and Different
  The purpose of this task is to analyze some very common contexts that can be represented by ratios and to motivate the idea of equivalent ratios for different kinds of contexts. It can also be used to introduce students to double number line diagrams.
• Security Camera
  Students are given the scenario of a shop owner wants to prevent shoplifting. They are shown the shop floor plan and the rotation ability of the camera. They then must answer questions about which parts and percentages of the shop are now seen by the camera.
• Shirt Sale
  In this task students are given the scenario of a student who buys a shirt at a percentage of the original price. They must calculate the original price and explain and show their work.
• Similar Figures and Unknown Heights in Practice
  Students will learn about proportional reasoning in this interactive and how it can help find an unknown height as well as exploring proportional relationships among similar triangles. The classroom activity uses the interactive as a catalyst into a discussion of these math concepts. NOTE: You have to create a Free PBS Account to view this web page, but it is easy to do and worth the effort.
• Similar Figures in the Real World
  A visit to the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory shows students how measurement and engineering are involved in the creation of new baseball bats. The math skills of proportional reasoning and equivalent ratios are used in the classroom activity involving an oversized bat and a player. NOTE: You have to create a Free PBS Account to view this web page, but it is easy to do and worth the effort.
• Simple Unit Conversion Using Ratio Reasoning
  The purpose of this instructional task is for students to use rate and ratio reasoning to solve unit conversion problems. In grade 6, unit conversion should be approached as a case of ratio reasoning, rather than a separate procedure to learn, and this task is an example of what that might look like. This task should come after students have spent time building up their understanding of equivalent ratios and are comfortable with some different representations of equivalent ratios.
• Speed Conversions
  The goal of this task is to perform a unit conversion in the context of speed while also focusing on the precision of the conversion factor. Because the conversion rate is a decimal, this task should be used after students have gained some familiarity with ratio and rate reasoning.
• Ticket Booth
  The goal of this task is to compare unit rates in a real world context. In addition to solving the problem by finding unit rates, students could also make a ratio table.
• Unit Conversions
  The goal of this task is to study conversion between some volume and weight units. The focus of this task is understanding the relationship between multiplication, linear measurements, area, and volume.
• Voting for Three, Variation 1
  In this first problem of three, students define the simple ratios that exist among three candidates in an election. It opens an opportunity to introduce unit rates.
• Voting for Three, Variation 2
  In this problem, the total number of votes in the election and the number of votes for individual candidates is not provided. It provides the ratio of John's votes to Will's votes and enough information to compute the number of votes for Marie.
• Voting for Three, Variation 3
  This is the last problem of seven in a series about ratios set in the context of a classroom election. Since the number of voters is not known, the problem is quite abstract and requires a deep understanding of ratios and their relationship to fractions.
• Walk-a-thon 1
  In this task, students are given information about a context where there is a proportional relationship between two quantities in a table that has missing values. Students need to fill in the missing values, plot the corresponding points in the coordinate plane, and find the two unit rates that are associated with this proportional relationship.
• Which detergent is a better buy?
  This purpose of this task is to provide a context for comparing ratios by using the example of laundry detergents, their costs, and how many loads they can do.

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These materials have been produced by and for the teachers of the State of Utah. Copies of these materials may be freely reproduced for teacher and classroom use. When distributing these materials, credit should be given to Utah State Board of Education. These materials may not be published, in whole or part, or in any other format, without the written permission of the Utah State Board of Education, 250 East 500 South, PO Box 144200, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-4200.