Illuminations: Planning a Trip

Planning a Trip

Choosing the Best Option

During this lesson, student groups use data collected in the previous lesson to select a plan for a trip to Disneyland or Disney World. Using skills they developed in the previous lessons, students determine not only elapsed time and distance, but extend their problem solving to figuring meals, lodging, air travel, and incidentals in order to select the best option.

As students tackle this more complex task, teachers have opportunity to observe students’ growing competence with methods and tools for computation, estimation, problem posing and solving, interpretation of graphical representations, measuring with standard units, and responding to investigations that require the comparison of data sets.

Learning Objectives
 
Students will:
  • select appropriate methods and tools for computing with whole numbers from among mental computation, estimation, calculators, and paper and pencil
  • use charts to draw conclusions
  • become familiar with standard units

Materials
 
Computer and Internet connection
Resources for trip planning from previous lessons

Instructional Plan

To begin this class, ask students to return to the groups they were in for the previous two lessons. Then they will refer to the data collected in the previous lesson. Remind students that the task for today is to select the best plan for their trip including costs of food, lodging, travel, tickets, and incidentals. Have available resources from the previous lesson so students might refer to them as they select the best option.

Explain that each group should select an option for a trip to one of the Disney attractions. In this phase, students use the data for all the variables using the trip plans recorded on chart during the previous lesson. Be certain that students compare information about lodging, meals, air travel, ground travel, and incidentals. You may wish to review the concepts that are not well understood by the students.

When all groups have finished, discuss with students the factors they considered in making choices. After all groups have reported, invite the students to compare their data to determine similarities and differences. You may want to call attention to the variety among the costs and ask each group to defend its rationale for the “best option”.

Questions for Students
 

How did you determine how long the trip would take? What did you need to take into account as you planned the departure time? The return time?

How did you determine how much the trip would cost? How will you decide what each person will pay?

Did other groups consider things your group did? Did other groups consider things that you did not?

How did you determine the best selection of hotel, restaurants, airline, and ticket option?

How could you defend this trip to the school board as an educational experience?

Assessment Options
 
  1. At this stage of the unit it is important to know:

    • which variables students attend to
    • if students can use Internet resources to research options
    • if students are able to identify similarities and differences among various plans
    • if students can compare costs to select best options
    • if students compute flexibly and fluently using a variety of strategies
    • if students can connect a trip of choice to curricular goals
    • if students can prepare a convincing argument to defend their participation in this trip

Extensions
 
  1. Additional challenges might include creating a list of activities, a timeline and list of persons to be responsible for each activity. They should include a plan for organizing and monitoring the distribution of responsibilities.
  2. Groups might also create an advertising brochure for the option they thought best. Actual brochures from a travel agency or advertisements from the local paper might be made available as models.

Teacher Reflection
 
  • Which groups worked together most effectively? Have they developed the ability to work together as the unit progressed?
  • Did students in each group contribute equally to the project? Did some students exhibit special strengths?
  • Which students met all the objectives of this lesson? What extension activities are appropriate for those students?
  • Which students are still having difficulty with the objectives of this lesson? What additional instructional experiences do they need?
  • What information did students provide in their written reflections that you had not observed before? How do you frame a prompt to elicit information that will help you understand what students know about data and their ability to display and interpret data sets?
  • What would you do differently the next time you teach this lesson?

NCTM Standards and Expectations
 
Data Analysis & Probability 3-5
  1. Represent data using tables and graphs such as line plots, bar graphs, and line graphs.
  
1 period   

NCTM Resources

Principles and Standards for School Mathematics
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Thinkfinity Verizon Foundation
More and Better Mathematics for All Students
© 2000 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms of Use

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics is a public voice of mathematics education, providing vision, leadership, and professional development to support teachers in ensuring mathematics learning of the highest quality for all students. The views expressed or implied, unless otherwise noted, should not be interpreted as official positions of the Council.