standard_description: Write, read, and evaluate expressions in which letters stand for numbers.
problem_activity: Optional activity
In this activity, students calculate benchmark percentages. Students are likely to calculate the answers quickly They are to spend the majority of the task time discussing how they reason about the questions.
Launch
Give students quiet think time to complete the activity and then time to share their explanation with a partner.
Representation: Internalize Comprehension.
Provide appropriate reading accommodations and supports to ensure students access to written directions, word problems and other text-based content.
Supports accessibility for: Language; Conceptual processing
Student Facing
Match the percentage that describes the relationship between each pair of numbers. One percentage will be left over. Be prepared to explain your reasoning.
7 is what percentage of 14?
5 is what percentage of 20?
3 is what percentage of 30?
6 is what percentage of 8?
20 is what percentage of 5?
4%
10%
25%
50%
75%
400%
Student Response
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Student Facing
Are you ready for more?
What percentage of the world’s current population is under the age of 14?
How many people is that?
How many people are 14 or older?
Student Response
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for free access to Extension Student Response.
Anticipated Misconceptions
Because 5 goes into 20 four times, students may answer that 5 is 4% of 20. If this happens, explain that 5 is really
\(\frac14\)
of 20 and ask them what percentage represents one quarter.
Activity Synthesis
Invite students to share their mental math strategies. If needed, consider illustrating the relationship between of
\(B\)
and
\(C\)
(where
\(A\%\)
of
\(B\)
is
\(C\)
) using tape diagrams or double number line diagrams to help students visualize the association between the benchmark percentages and fractions.


aligns: no