Activity Overview
Students learn to solve a real-world problem comparing automobile travel in the early 1900s and travel today. They follow the route taken by Alice in 1909 from New York City to San Francisco and determine how long the trip would take today.
Before the Activity
See the attached PDF file for detailed instructions for this activity
Print pages 23 - 29 from the attached PDF file for your class
Review the four steps of problem solving with the students
During the Activity
Distribute the pages to the class.
Follow the activity procedures:
Read the book to understand the facts given and the task to be done
Note down the miles traveled, route taken, car used, the average speed, and the total time taken by Alice
Create a plan to repeat the trip using a current model car
Find the total time the trip will take
Create a display in which is marked - the actual route taken, the mileage for each section, the total distance traveled, the average speed for each section, and the average speed for the entire trip
Write an explanation of the team's solution
Using stored operations with a constant
Use the stored operations with a constant function on the calculator to solve problems
After the Activity
Students show the marked map and graphics they created to solve the problem.
Review student results
As a class, discuss questions that appeared to be more challenging
Re-teach concepts as necessary