8th Grade
  • Project
  • 1 week

Dream Trip Math Quest

Sofia Reyes
CCSS.Math.Content.8.EE.B.5
CCSS.Math.Content.8.F.A.3
CCSS.Math.Content.8.F.B.4

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to engage students in a practical application of proportional and linear relationships by planning a budget-friendly trip to a dream destination. Students will research real-world travel costs and use mathematical concepts to create a detailed itinerary, including transportation, accommodation, and meals. This hands-on project allows students to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills while meeting key math standards in a collaborative and interactive environment.

Learning goals

Students will develop skills in graphing and interpreting proportional relationships, understanding unit rates as slopes, and comparing different representations of these relationships. They will learn to construct and interpret linear functions, identifying rates of change and initial values from real-world travel data. Through planning a budget-friendly trip, students will apply mathematical concepts to make informed financial decisions, enhancing their ability to model linear relationships and analyze data from graphs and tables.
Standards
  • CCSS.Math.Content.8.EE.B.5 - Graph proportional relationships, interpreting the unit rate as the slope of the graph. Compare two different proportional relationships represented in different ways.
  • CCSS.Math.Content.8.F.A.3 - Interpret the equation y = mx + b as defining a linear function, whose graph is a straight line; give examples of functions that are not linear.
  • CCSS.Math.Content.8.F.B.4 - Construct a function to model a linear relationship between two quantities. Determine the rate of change and initial value of the function from a description of a relationship or from two (x, y) values, including reading these from a table or from a graph. Interpret the rate of change and initial value of a linear function in terms of the situation it models, and in terms of its graph or a table of values.

Products

Students will create a detailed travel itinerary and budget plan for their dream destination, showcasing their ability to apply proportional and linear relationships. They will develop graphs and tables that illustrate the cost breakdown for transportation, accommodation, and meals, using linear equations to model these expenses. At the end of the project, students will present their findings at a 'Travel Fair,' where they will explain their budgeting strategies and demonstrate how they used mathematical concepts to optimize their trip plans.

Launch

Begin the project with a virtual tour of various dream destinations using online resources or videos. After the tour, hold a brainstorming session where students list potential costs involved in traveling to these destinations, such as airfare, hotel stays, and meals. Encourage students to think about how they might use math to manage these costs effectively. This activity will spark curiosity and set the stage for using proportional and linear relationships in their trip planning project.

Exhibition

Students will host a 'Travel Fair' where they showcase their meticulously planned trips to peers, teachers, and invited guests. Each group will create an interactive display featuring their destination, budget breakdown, and itinerary, highlighting how they used proportional and linear relationships in their planning. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback, allowing students to articulate their understanding and application of mathematical concepts in a real-world context.