Lesson Plans for GED® Preparation: Which Cellphone Plan Should I Choose?

Submitted by Cynthia Zafft on Mon, 12/28/2015 - 11:16
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Dear Colleagues:

Florida’s Institute for Professional Development of Adult Educators has a series of lesson plans and other resources for teachers working with students preparing for the GED®.  One that caught my eye is a math lesson on choosing a cellphone plan (also helpful for others looking for real-life algebra problems).  Considering the cost and difficulty of choosing a plan and the large number of people with cellphones (Pew Research Center: Cellphones, Computers Most Commonly Owned Devices), I thought it might come in handy in 2016.

Cynthia Zafft

Postsecondary Completion Moderator

Comments

Thanks, Cynthia, for posting a link to this highly engaging, real-world lesson plan on purchasing a cell phone developed by our colleagues in Florida. If you have not yet had a chance to check out this lesson plan, let us know what you think after you do. It would be wonderful to hear form our Florida colleagues who have implemented this lesson, too.

It occurs to me that anyone in need of a cell phone would benefit from working through a process such the one outlined in this lesson. That would include almost everyone at some point.

The following math reasoning goals are the focus of this lesson:

  • Solve algebraic and real-world problems that involve linear equations
  • Locate points and graph linear equations on the coordinate plane
  • Find the slope of a line from a graph, equation or table

Here are the Math Practices:

  • Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them (MP1)
  • Model with mathematics (MP4)
  • Use appropriate tools strategically. (MP5)
  • Look for and make use of structure (MP7)

How might you use or adapt this lesson for your standards-based math class?

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, College and Career Standards CoP