Education Technology

What's My Ratio?

Subject Area
Math: Elementary Math: Geometry
Level
K-5
Activity Time
60 Minutes
TI Calculator
TI-15 Explorer™/TI-10
Other Materials
    This is Activity 19 from the EXPLORATIONS Book:
    Uncovering Math with Manipulatives, the TI-10, and the TI-15 Explorer

    The following materials are required for this activity:
  • Ruler, string or measuring tape
  • Larger paper
  • Pictures with enlarged or reduced copies
  • Pencils and markers
Resource Types
Lessons

What's My Ratio?

Activity Overview

Students use linear measurement and calculators to investigate proportionality and determine the constant ratio between similar figures.

Before the Activity

  • See the attached PDF file for detailed instructions for this activity
  • Print student activity sheets pages 92 - 93 from the attached PDF file for your class
  • During the Activity

    Distribute the pages to the class.

    Follow the activity procedures:

  • Draw a picture on centimeter grid paper
  • Decide to either increase or decrease the size of the picture, predict the dimensions in the increased or decreased version, and discuss reasoning
  • Draw the increased or decreased picture on grid paper, keeping the picture's original shape, to test the predictions
  • Discuss the use of ratio (comparing the measurements of corresponding parts) to describe how the picture has been increased or decreased
  • Divide students into groups
  • Give each group an interesting picture and a reduced or enlarged copy of the same picture
  • Ask each group to measure several pairs of corresponding parts on the two pictures, record their data on the recording sheet, and make some conclusions about copies of pictures
  • After the Activity

  • Review student results
  • As a class, discuss questions that appeared to be more challenging
  • Re-teach concepts as necessary
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    Subject Area
    Math: Elementary Math: Geometry
    Level
    K-5
    Activity Time
    60 Minutes
    TI Calculator
    TI-15 Explorer™/TI-10
    Other Materials
      This is Activity 19 from the EXPLORATIONS Book:
      Uncovering Math with Manipulatives, the TI-10, and the TI-15 Explorer

      The following materials are required for this activity:
    • Ruler, string or measuring tape
    • Larger paper
    • Pictures with enlarged or reduced copies
    • Pencils and markers
    Resource Types
    Lessons
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