Activities Summary

In this activity, students will:

• Interview two people to collect information about the application of Numeracy as an Essential Skill in the workplace.
• Collect, if possible, authentic workplace resources that show the use of these skills.
• Work in groups of 2 or 3, to create five problems, using ratio, rate, proportion and percent based on the information collected.
• Provide solutions to the problems created.

Prior Knowledge

• Working knowledge of ratio, rate, proportion and percent
• Essential Skills including a detailed description of numeracy

Teaching Planning Notes

• Review assignment including prior knowledge required and assessment and evaluation tools
• Instruct students that a community member can be anyone they have contact with in the community, such as a pastor, postman, scout leader, etc. and that an employer is someone who hires people to work for them such as a store manager, business owner, etc.
• Assign the interview task well in advance of the time you will need the data for the proportional reasoning unit to ensure that students have collected the data.
• Book time in the computer lab for students to use word processing software (for problem questions not solutions) (optional)
• Provide students an opportunity to present one of their problems and its solution to the class or create a poster to display a problem and solution. (optional)
• Alternative #1: Teachers may take the data collected by the class and collate it for the students prior to students creating their questions.
• Alternative #2: Have students work with one of the people they interviewed to create a problem based on an authentic workplace scenario and provide its solution.

Note 1: The authentic workplace resources (if collected) may also be incorporated into future
learning opportunities.

Assessment and Evaluation of Student Achievement

Activities

• It’s Everywhere Assignment Sheet
• Tell Me About It - Interview Sheet (2 per student)
• Creating Problems and Solutions: Checklist and Rubric