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Ratios Rock!

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Lesson Plan

Ratio Recipe Ruckus

Students will be able to identify, write, and simplify ratios, and apply proportional reasoning to scale recipes up or down.

Understanding ratios and proportions is essential for everyday tasks like cooking, shopping, and even understanding maps. This lesson makes these concepts fun and relevant by using a delicious context!

Audience

7th Grade Students

Time

70 minutes

Approach

Hands-on cooking activity and guided practice.

Materials

Whiteboard or projector, Proportional Power Slide Deck, Scale Up Your Recipe Activity, Ratio Problem Practice Worksheet, Ratio Reflection Cool-Down, Recipe cards (provided in activity), Measuring cups and spoons, Mixing bowls, and Ingredient sets (e.g., flour, sugar, salt, oil, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, milk, eggs - can be playdough/pretend ingredients or real if cooking is feasible)

Prep

Teacher Preparation

20 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up: Sweet & Savory Ratios (10 minutes)

10 minutes

  • Display a simple ratio problem related to food on the board (e.g., "If a recipe calls for 2 cups of flour and 1 cup of sugar, what is the ratio of flour to sugar?").
    - Ask students to discuss in pairs and share their answers.
    - Introduce the concept of ratios and how they are used in everyday life, especially in cooking.

Step 2

Introduction to Ratios & Proportions (15 minutes)

15 minutes

  • Use the Proportional Power Slide Deck to introduce and explain ratios, different ways to write them, and how to simplify them.
    - Discuss the concept of proportions and how they relate to scaling recipes.
    - Provide examples and check for understanding using quick questions.

Step 3

Activity: Scale Up Your Recipe! (30 minutes)

30 minutes

  • Distribute the Scale Up Your Recipe Activity and recipe cards to each group.
    - Explain the task: students will work in groups to scale a given recipe (e.g., doubling it, tripling it, or halving it).
    - Students will use measuring cups and spoons with their ingredients to physically represent the scaled recipe (or pretend to measure if using playdough).
    - Circulate to assist groups and ensure they are correctly applying ratios and proportions.

Step 4

Practice: Ratio Problem Practice (10 minutes)

10 minutes

  • Hand out the Ratio Problem Practice Worksheet for individual practice.
    - Students will work independently to solve problems involving ratios and proportions.
    - Review answers as a class or have students peer-check if time allows.

Step 5

Cool-Down: Ratio Reflection (5 minutes)

5 minutes

  • Distribute the Ratio Reflection Cool-Down.
    - Students will write a brief reflection on what they learned about ratios and proportions and how they might use this knowledge in the future.
    - Collect cool-downs as an exit ticket.
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Slide Deck

Ratios Rock! Proportional Power

Get ready to cook up some math fun!

Welcome students and introduce the lesson's exciting theme!

What's a Ratio?

A ratio compares two quantities.

Think about a recipe: 2 cups of flour for every 1 cup of sugar. That's a comparison!

Explain what a ratio is using simple, relatable examples. Ask students for their own examples.

Ways to Write Ratios

  1. Using a colon: 2:1
  2. Using the word "to": 2 to 1
  3. As a fraction: 2/1

They all mean: "2 parts of the first item for every 1 part of the second item!"

Show the three common ways to write ratios. Emphasize that they all mean the same thing.

Simplifying Ratios

Just like fractions, ratios can often be simplified.

Example: If you have 10 red apples and 5 green apples, the ratio of red to green is 10:5. Both numbers can be divided by 5, so the simplified ratio is 2:1.

Walk through an example of simplifying a ratio, similar to simplifying fractions. Encourage student participation.

What are Proportions?

A proportion states that two ratios are equal.

Example: If 2:1 = 4:2, then these ratios are proportional.

This is super important when we want to SCALE things – like recipes!

Introduce proportions as equal ratios. Explain that scaling recipes is a real-world application of proportions.

Scaling Up (or Down)!

Imagine a recipe for 1 batch of cookies:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar

If you want to make 2 batches (double it), you need to keep the ratio the same!

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup sugar

You multiplied both ingredients by 2! That's using proportions!

Demonstrate how to scale a simple recipe (e.g., doubling it). Show the original and the scaled quantities. Ask students what would happen if we tripled it.

Time to Cook Up Some Ratios!

Now it's your turn to be a master chef (or baker)! You'll get a recipe and need to scale it using your new ratio and proportion superpowers!

Briefly introduce the activity. Explain that they will be applying what they just learned.

Key Takeaways

  • Ratios compare quantities.
  • They can be written in different ways (2:1, 2 to 1, 2/1).
  • Proportions are equal ratios.
  • We use proportions to scale things, like recipes, keeping the relationships consistent.

Summarize key takeaways. Ask students if they have any questions before moving to the activity.

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Activity

Scale Up Your Recipe! - Culinary Ratios in Action

Objective: Work with your group to scale a recipe up or down using your knowledge of ratios and proportions.

Materials:

  • Recipe Card
  • Measuring Cups & Spoons (or pretend ones)
  • Mixing Bowls
  • Pretend Ingredients (or real, if applicable)
  • Your brain!

Instructions:

  1. Form Your Culinary Crew: Work in groups of 3-4 students.

  2. Choose Your Challenge: Your teacher will provide you with a recipe card. As a group, decide whether you want to:

    • Double the recipe (make 2 batches)
    • Triple the recipe (make 3 batches)
    • Halve the recipe (make 1/2 batch)


  3. The Ratio Calculation Station: For each ingredient in your recipe, calculate the new amount based on your chosen scaling factor. Show your work!

    • Original Recipe Name: ____________________


    • Scaling Factor Chosen: (e.g., x2, x3, ÷2) ____________________


    • Ingredient 1: ____________________

      • Original Amount: ____________________
      • Calculation (show your ratio!):


      • New Amount: ____________________



    • Ingredient 2: ____________________

      • Original Amount: ____________________
      • Calculation (show your ratio!):


      • New Amount: ____________________



    • Ingredient 3: ____________________

      • Original Amount: ____________________
      • Calculation (show your ratio!):


      • New Amount: ____________________



    • Add more ingredients as needed!

  4. "Measure" and Mix!: Using your measuring cups and spoons and pretend ingredients, demonstrate how you would measure out the new quantities for your scaled recipe. Talk through your process as a group.

  5. Be Ready to Share: Prepare to share your original recipe, your chosen scaling factor, one of your scaled ingredients, and how you calculated it with the class!

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Worksheet

Ratio Problem Practice

Name: ____________________

Instructions: Read each question carefully and show your work. Use the space provided to write your answers.

Part 1: Writing and Simplifying Ratios

  1. In a classroom, there are 15 boys and 10 girls. What is the ratio of boys to girls?

    • Using a colon:


    • Using the word "to":


    • As a fraction:


    • Simplified:



  2. A fruit basket contains 8 apples, 4 bananas, and 6 oranges. What is the ratio of bananas to total fruit?





  3. Simplify the ratio 24:16.





Part 2: Identifying Proportions

Determine if the following ratios form a proportion (write "Yes" or "No" and explain why).

  1. Are 3:4 and 9:12 proportional?





  2. Are 5/10 and 1/3 proportional?





Part 3: Scaling with Proportions (Word Problems)

  1. A recipe for lemonade calls for 3 lemons for every 2 cups of water. If you want to use 6 lemons, how much water do you need?

    • Show your work:




    • Answer:



  2. A painter mixes 2 parts blue paint with 5 parts yellow paint to make green. If she uses 10 liters of yellow paint, how much blue paint does she need?

    • Show your work:




    • Answer:



  3. A car travels 120 miles on 4 gallons of gasoline. How far can the car travel on 7 gallons of gasoline?

    • Show your work:




    • Answer:



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Cool Down

Ratio Reflection - Your Culinary Journey with Ratios

Name: ____________________

Instructions: Please answer the following questions to reflect on what you learned today. This is your exit ticket!

  1. What was the most interesting or surprising thing you learned about ratios or proportions today, especially related to scaling recipes?




  2. Beyond cooking, can you think of another real-world situation where understanding ratios or proportions would be helpful? Explain your idea.




  3. If you had to teach someone else about ratios, what is one key piece of advice or an example you would give them to help them understand?




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