Join Now
View Cart
NCTM Store

Name Letters

  • Name Letters

    Grade: 3rd to 5th, 6th to 8th, High School

    Miss Spelling bought chocolate letters so that her students could spell their names. However, the total cost for each student's name varied greatly, since some letters cost more than others. If you were one of Miss Spelling's students, how much would your name cost? Full details can be found in the Exploration section below or by viewing the Name Letters Activity Sheet.
    pdficonName Letters Activity Sheet

    When you think you've cracked the code and can determine the cost of your name, check your answer using the form below.

    Activity

    Your Name:

    Cost:

    Results:

    Instructions

    • Enter in your name and the total cost you think your name costs in chocolate.
    • Then, click the Check Answer button.
    • The results will tell you whether you are correct or not.

    Exploration

    There are 29 students in Miss Spelling’s class. As a special holiday gift, she bought each of them chocolate letters with which they can spell their names. Unfortunately, some letters cost more than others — for instance, the letter A, which is in high demand, is rather pricey; whereas the letter Q, which almost no one wants, is relatively inexpensive. The price of the chocolate letters for each student in her class is shown in the table below.

     

    AIDEN – 386ARI – 209ARIEL – 376BLAIRE – 390CHARLES – 457
    CLARE – 334DEAN – 317EARL – 307FRIDA – 273GABRIEL – 410
    IVY – 97KOLE – 249LEIA – 317LEO – 242MAVIS – 246
    NADINE – 453NED – 236PAUL – 167QASIM – 238RACHEL – 394
    RAFI – 231SAM – 168TIRA – 299ULA – 148VERA – 276
    VIJAY – 179WOLKE – 272XAVIER – 346ZERACH – 355 

     

    How much would it cost to buy the letters in your name?

    Objectives and Standards

    NCTM Standards and Expectations
    • Algebra
    • 3-5
    • 6-8
    • High School (9-12)
    • Algebra