Challenge your students to problem solving and communicate their thoughts regarding purchasing school supplies.
Kindergaten – 2nd Grade:
- How many crayons are in the image?
- Jill has a box of 24 crayons. Nancy has a box with 32 crayons. How many more crayons does Nancy have?
- Each student needs to bring 10 pencils to start the school year. There are 30 students in the class. How many total pencils are there if every student brings the correct amount? Use words and numbers to support your answer.
3rd – 5th Grade:
- Mark needs 12 folders. Each folder cost 10¢. Mark has 3 quarters, 4 dimes, and 3 nickels. Does Mark have enough money? Use words and numbers to support your answer.
- Jermaine is buying new school supplies. Table 1 provides a list of the supplies and their cost. What is the total cost to purchase all the items Jermaine needs? Use words and numbers to support your answer.
3. Sarah needs 5 binders each filled with 100 sheets of paper. One binder cost $2.00 and 1 pack of 100 sheets of paper cost 20¢. What is the total cost for the binders and the paper? Use words and numbers to support your answer.
6th – 8th Grade:
Selecting the correct notebook can be challenging. Table 1 shows the notebook options at a local store.
- Jackie needs 7 notebooks each with at least 200 sheets of paper. Jackie claims it would cost the least amount if she purchased 7 of the 1-Subject Notebooks. Do you agree or disagree with Jackie’s claim? Justify your decision.
- Robert needs 7 notebooks as well, but he needs a minimum of 400 pages for 4 of his classes and a min of 200 pages for the other 3 classes. Which notebooks do you recommend Robert select to minimize the cost. Justify your answer.
- Laura has a coupon of 20% off any 3- or 5-Subject notebook. Laura needs 6 notebooks each with a minimum of 300 pages. Laura claims that the least expensive option is to purchase 2 of the 5-subject notebooks and then modify where the dividers are located. Do you agree or disagree with Laura’s claim? Justify your answer.
High School:
Selecting the correct notebook can be challenging. Table 1 shows the notebook options at a local store.
- Paul needs 5 notebooks. He does not like to have all the notebooks combined. How much more will it cost for Paul to purchase 5 of the 1-Subject Notebooks rather than 1 of the 5-Subject Notebook? Justify your answer.
- Heather wonders why anyone would purchase the 3-Subject Notebook. She claims the cost per page is significantly more than any other notebook option. Do you agree or disagree with her claim? Justify your answer.
- Janice found a surplus store that she can purchase a box of 20 of the 5-Subject Notebooks for $35. However, she must purchase the whole box. Janice keeps 6 of the notebooks for herself and younger siblings. How much should she charge for each of the remaining notebooks to make a profit? Is this fair to the people buying her notebooks? Justify your answer.