Percents are used in labels on food and medicine, in weather reports (for example: "There’s a 50% chance of rain today…”), in advertising ("Save 20% if you act now!") and when your parents prepare their taxes (“We are in the 25% tax bracket”). You’ll find percent written wither the entire word PERCENT or using this symbol %.
We're also going to cover important Business Math concepts. We'll be doing a lot of practical applications of percent, decimals and fractions during this 7-week block.
This program is designed for you to work through at your own pace, on your own schedule. You do not need to "keep up" or "catch up" with the live class schedule.
I will continue to publish new content every week following the live class schedule, and this new content remains up all year long for you to use at any time. You may do as many of these projects, activities, labs, games, challenges and workbooks as you choose.
Use this program to support your educational goals for your student and enjoy the learning adventure!
Trouble logging in? Try clearing your cache & cookies,then exit and restart your browser. If that doesn’t work, click here to report it and we’ll fix it ASAP.
Percent Session #1
Intro to Percents & Personal Finances
Uses Percent Workbook #1
First we introduce the idea of Percentage and how it relates to both fractions and decimal numbers. We'll discover numerical patterns and explore how to represent words with numbers so we can solve simple equations. Students will also focus on practical application of arithmetic, fractions, decimals and percent by diving into the world of Personal Finances. You'll need to have a firm grasp of all operations (adding, subtracting, multiplying dividing) as well as converting between fractions, decimals and percent in order to go through this content.
Personal Finance/Business Math: Our goal is for you to be comfortable with handling money so you have plenty for the things you need, enough stored away for the future, and know how to spend your money appropriately. This week we're going to learn a basic structure for how to handle your income (no matter what size it is) and learn how to allocate the money you have into the right areas, and really understand where your money goes so you can make solid, logical financial decisions about how to handle your money.
Skills: Percent: writing numbers as percentages, fractions, and decimals; using words to represent percentages; common fractions as percentages. Personal Finances: accounting basics, bookkeeping and ledgers, expense tracking, budgeting, bucketing and money allocation, and money flow fundamentals.
Percent Session #2
Percent Proportion
Uses Percent Workbook #1
Discover the power of proportion using percent to scale numbers! This is one of the most useful tools in math: correlating one thing with another in order to figure out something you don't know, like which bag of popcorn or box of candy is really the best deal. We'll spend time playing math games while practicing converting decimals, fractions, and percent; weaving our way through through mazes by solving problems; finding the best buy for planning our Taco Party, and more!
Personal Finance/Business Math: This week we're going to explore different career options based on your personal preferences (what you really enjoy doing) and what kind of lifestyle you'd like to have, and also discover the power of investment accounts and compound interest, so you have more money available to you in your future, no matter what career you choose.
Skills: converting decimals to percent, fractions to percent, percent to both a fraction and decimal; ratios, unit rate, and percent proportions; modeling; word problems; making financial decisions based on personal finance analysis and future projections; learning how to pick career options based on preferences like lifestyle and income levels.
Percent Session #3
Multi-Step Percent Calculations
Uses Percent Workbook #2
This week we learn how to handle real-world percent questions that have multiple steps in their calculations. Learn how to leave just the right amount when you tip a waiter when you have a discount coupon, and know how to calculate gratuity and sales tax so you don't overpay your bill the next time you eat out at a restaurant. We'll also learn how to unit price items like tickets, snacks and beverages to help you decide which theater is really the better deal when it's more complex to evaluate.
Personal Finance/Business Math: This week is about handling debt: how to avoid it, how to handle it, and how to keep it from happening in the future by setting up good financial structures for money. You are a financial advisor, and you are helping three different families get out of debt as quickly as possible using your math skills. You'll teach them sustainable skills they can actually use, eliminate their debt in record time, and save thousands of dollars in interest that they would have otherwise paid. (These three cases are based on actual real life situations!) You'll also learn how to buy a car without going into debt.
Skills: Converting fraction and decimal numbers to percent, multi-step percent and ratio calculations; unit pricing and ratio comparisons; calculating and comparing discount and sale prices; determining totals using discount coupons, sales tax, gratuity, and tip calculations.
Percent Session #4
Percent Change & Intro to Business Math
Uses Percent Workbook #2
This week is all about measuring change using percent. If you grew three inches since last year, how do you know if that's a lot or a little change in your height? How much does pasta grow when you stick it in water? How much water does a grape hold (hint: you can calculate the percent change in mass when you compare it to a raisin). Percent change is used by scientists, engineers, business and finance analysts, and this week, you will also!
Personal Financed/Business Math: This week we're going to learn how to set up a business designed to support the lifestyle that you want, and also have room to grow. Too many people start out because they are passionate about a product (or service) and have absolutely no idea how to figure out if it's something that you can build a business around and generate a steady income. That's what we're going to focus on this week. Parents are highly encouraged to participate with your student in the Advanced Labs for the next four weeks.
Skills: Percent change; absolute value; rational numbers; percent increase and decrease; converting between numbers expressed as decimals, fraction and percent; ratio comparisons; proportionality computations; taking data during science experiments; accounting basics and financial forecasting.
Percent Session #5
Percent Error
Uses Percent Workbook #3
This week, we'll focus on percent error, which is a measure of how far off your measured or observed value is from the true (exact) value. For example, if you count 117 candies in your bag of M&Ms, but the bag has it printed that it should have 120 candies inside, there's a discrepancy. The more the difference, the greater the percent error.
Scientists use this idea a lot in their experiments when they make their measurements and observations. In fact, they work really hard to make sure their errors are as small as possible. Scientists can spend months modifying their experiments and calibrating their instruments to get that percent error as low as possible.
Personal Financed/Business Math: This week we continue learning how to set up your small business that is designed to support the lifestyle that you want. We covered the foundational concepts of running a small business last week, this week you'll actually put together and start up your small business. Next week, we will learn how to evaluate how effective your small business is. (This is the second in a four-part series.) Parents are highly encouraged to participate with your student.
Skills: percent error; rational numbers; percent increase and decrease; converting between numbers expressed as decimals, fraction and percent; ratio comparisons; proportionality computations; taking data during science experiments; accounting basics and setting up and growing a small business from scratch.
Percent Session #6
Simple & Compound Interest
Uses Percent Workbook #3
At some point, people figure out that they can earn more money by opening an account at a bank than they can using a piggy bank under the bed. Interest in the money you earn from an investment or bank for allowing them to hold on your money for you. Simple interest is the amount of money earned on a sum of money over a certain period of time at a particular interest rate. Compound interest is when you earn interest on the original money you deposit and also the interest you earn on it.
This week is jam-packed with fun math activities and projects, including puzzles, mad libs, flipbooks, mazes and foldables you can paste inside your math journal for quick-reference. If you're new at calculating interest, just complete the simple interest activities to start with.
Personal Financed/Business Math: This is our third week in setting up our own business and learning key entrepreneurial skills to making sure your business has the best chance of being profitable. We'll discover how to evaluate the the current state of your small business and learn how to make changes to get it on the right track.
Skills: Using proportional relations to solve multi-step ratio and percent problems involving simple and compound interest; order of operations; handling exponents; converting between numbers expressed as decimals, fraction and percent; ratio comparisons; accounting basics and making financial decisions based on mathematical analysis for a small business.
Percent Session #7
Percent Unit Review
Uses Percent Workbook #3
We've covered a lot in this month! We discovered how to use proportional relationships to solve multistep ratio and percent problems, like simple and compound interest calculations, tax, tip, markups and markdowns, gratuities and commissions, fees, percent change (both increase and decrease), and percent error.
This week, you'll find a complete study packet that includes a unit review, study guide and a test. Work your way through each one, and when completed, you can select the bonus percent session you'd like to do: one of the two Mini Escape Rooms or a Mini-Mystery (or all three!)
Personal Financed/Business Math: This is our final week in setting up our own business and learning key entrepreneurial skills to making sure your business has the best chance of being profitable and growing to support your lifestyle.
Skills: Use proportional relationships to solve multistep ratio and percent problems; simple and compound interest; tax, tip, markups discounts, and commissions; percent change; percent error; all four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) on rational numbers expressed as fractions, decimals, and percent; order of operations.
Math Quick Checks
These Math Quick Checks are Common Core aligned. They are exactly what you need to quickly check for understanding or assess student learning. They can be used as assessments, homework, or to help reteach a skill in case your student has gaps.
Do you have a calculator that will work for class?
Texas Instruments TI-30Xa Scientific Calculator. Your student will be able to use this calculator for all math classes, including upper level units like Algebra and Geometry.
- Easy for your child to READ THE DISPLAY
- Screen shows at least 10 digits
- Must-have buttons: inverse (labeled as 1/x or x-1), exponents (labeled as yx or xy or 'EXP')
- Your calculator must have the ability to do square roots (if it doesn't have a square root button, you can use the exponent button).
- Intermediate and Advanced students must have the ability to do trig functions (SIN, COS, and TAN).
