Introduction
Introduction
This lesson was constructed as a way to show students how the math they have learned in the classroom can be applied to the real world. Ideally used for an 8th grade algebra class, the lesson incorporates entertainment and equations, where students will be planning their dream road trip and will use algebraic expressions to calculate the cost of their excursion. Students will be talking about units of measurement, money, and distance. They will be expected to calculate totals such as miles travelled, rates of room rental, and cost of gas used. This is supposed to be a fun lesson where students can see the practical cost of going out on a road trip.
Task
Task
As a future high school graduation present, your parents have agreed to let you go on a road trip with 2 friends to celebrate your achievements. However, in order to convince your parents to let the three of you go on the trip, you have to show your parents that you can stick to their budget for the three of you: $1,500. The three of you must plan your trip, including where you are travelling to and where you will stay. Your goal is to do the following:
1) Chart out your road trip from the beginning point (Los Angeles) through each city to the final destination
2) Chart out your route back from the final destination to the original starting point (Los Angeles)
3) Find a hotel for all three of you to stay at after every day's drive
4) Calculate how much gas you have used for the trip between each driving segment
5) Calculate the total cost of gas used on the trip based on gas costs in each state
6) Calculate the total cost of the hotel stays
7) Evaluate if your costs are within your budget
Process
Process
Use the attached packet to record your group information and to submit your answers. Since you are most likely travelling large distances everyday, you want to chart out the information based on your start and stop points per day. Travel is limited to 500 miles per day.
Step 1: Find 2 partners with whom you will venture out on your road trip. Together you will form a group of 3.
Step 2: Each person in the group will have a role. You will collectively decide who will play what role. There are three roles each group must have:
1) Driver
2) Navigator
3) Accommodations Agent
Step 2: You must decide what vehicle you want to take. The Driver will decide on the vehicle. Input may be received from the Navigator and Accommodations Agent.
Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 19mpg
Subaru BRZ 29mg
Chevrolet Camaro 25mpg
Step 3: After all, since this is a road trip, you must decide on where you want to go. The Navigator will decide where the group is going, with input from others. You will start from Los Angeles and decide on an end point based on your desired destination, fuel costs, and hotel costs. The following links are for distance and destination locating.
For finding a destination and for city-to-city distances use: www.maps.google.com
For finding the distance between two cities either before or after choosing where you want to go, use: http://www.worldatlas.com/travelaids/driving_distance.htm
You can’t go anywhere without gas! The driver will use the following links to help you find the average gas prices for the state(s) you travel to. Use either the city price or average state gas price for your calculations. The formula for calculating the cost of gas based on miles travelled is on your worksheet.
If you’re going for city specific gas prices, check here. Use the price for Midgrade gas: http://www.gasbuddy.com/
If you’re going for state average gas prices, check here. Use the price for Midgrade gas: http://fuelgaugereport.aaa.com/todays-gas-prices/
Every night after you finish driving for the day, your group will need to spend the night at a hotel to recharge for the next day’s travels. The Accommodations Agent will be responsible for finding the group a nice place to stay every night. To find a hotel click on the following link to Kayak’s hotel website. Here you will input the name of the city you are staying in, tomorrows date for the check in, the day after’s date for the check out, 1 room, and 3 guests. Then click find hotels. Please make sure your hotel is rated 3 stars or better so your group members aren’t sleeping on cobwebs.
Click here: http://www.kayak.com/hotels
Step 4: Once you have figured out your destination, hotel costs, and gas costs, sum up the total costs for gas and hotel stay on the last sheet of the packet. Once you have done that, add up the total costs for the two to find your total road trip cost.
Step 5: Your target cost should be under $1,500. If it’s not, don’t worry. Attach a lined sheet of paper to the packet and based on the following criteria, respond to the prompt:
If your group went over the $1,500 budget, explain why you think your costs may have gone beyond the limit imposed
If your group’s total cost was under $1,300, explain why you think your costs may be so far under the limit imposed.
If your group’s total cost was between $1,400 and $1,500, explain why/how you think your group was able to fit the budget so well.
Step 6: Turn your packet in.
Evaluation
Evaluation
| CATEGORY | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Working with Others | Students were engaged partners, listening to suggestions of others and working cooperatively throughout lesson. | Students were engaged partners but had trouble listening to others and/or working cooperatively. | Students cooperated with others, but needed prompting to stay on-task. | Students did not work effectively with others. |
| Mathematical Concepts | Explanation shows complete understanding of the mathematical concepts used to solve the problem(s). | Explanation shows substantial understanding of the mathematical concepts used to solve the problem(s). | Explanation shows some understanding of the mathematical concepts needed to solve the problem(s). | Explanation shows very limited understanding of the underlying concepts needed to solve the problem(s) OR is not written. |
| Strategy/Procedures | Usesd an efficient and effective strategy to solve the problem(s). | Used an effective strategy to solve the problem(s). | Sometimes used an effective strategy to solve problems, but does not do it consistently. | Rarely used an effective strategy to solve problems. |
| Completion | All problems are completed. | One of the steps is not completed. | Two of the steps are not completed | Several of the steps are not completed. |
Conclusion
Conclusion
Your parents are very proud of you for finishing 8th grade strong and for graduating. High school is going to be done soon as well, and if you planned out your trip right, they promise to fund your road trip 4 years from now. Your practical application of math to the real world has shown you that going places is not cheap and it comes as no surprise that people consider vacations a luxury. You were able to calculate the cost of driving to new places, staying overnight in new cities, and how realistic it is to spend money to travel. Now you're ready to go out on a trip with the knowledge of how your math skills can come in handy in everyday life.
Credits
Credits
About the Author: Amaan Kerawala
Amaan is a first year gradate student at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles California. He currently is pursing his Secondary Teaching Credential in Foundational Level Math and a Masters in Secondary Education. This WebQuest was created for classroom assignment purposes.
