Source: Cyberchase: “A Piece of the Action”
Funding for the VITAL/Ready to Teach collection was secured through the United States Department of Education under the Ready to Teach Program.
In this video segment from Cyberchase, the CyberSquad looks at data on the Squitters' jumping attempts. They first convert the fractional results to equivalent fractions with denominator values equal to 100. Then they notice that these fractions can be written as percents.
Investigations/Scott Foresman (2006)
Name That Portion
Investigation 1, Sessions 1-7, pp. 2-31
Here are some Frame, Focus and Follow-up suggestions for using this video in a math lesson.
What is Frame, Focus and Follow-up?
Frame: When someone says that they made 50% of their free throws in a basketball game, what do they mean? Is there a fraction that would mean the same thing? If you shot 100 free throws and made all 100, what percentage would you use to describe how successful you were?
Focus: As you watch this segment, you’ll see how the CyberSquad compares the Squitters' jumps. Use a paper and pencil to write down the data the CyberSquad has collected. How did they convert all of the fractions into percentages? Notice what Matt says the word “percent” means.
Follow Up: What is a good way to convert fractions into percentages? If someone was throwing darts and 10 out of 25 hit the bullseye, what fraction would describe that? What percentage of shots hit the bullseye?
INEZ: 10 times 10 is 100. So if he tried 100 times he would have had 70 hits out of 100.
MATT: And Ashley had 20 tries, 20 times five is also 100 and 7 times 5 is 35.
JACKIE: 25 times 4 is 100. So Irv's score is 8 times 4 or 32 out of 100.
DIGIT: Comparin' these fractions is a walk in the park now!
DIGIT: Sheldon is obviously the best jumper with seventy hits per one hundred tries!
JACKIE: Um guys. You know what just hit me? These are all percents: parts of 100.
DIGIT: Uh, remind me. What are percents?
MATT: They're fractions that are parts of 100. Per cent means per 100.
JACKIE: 70 over 100 is 70 percent and this percent sign tells you its parts of 100. 35 over 100 is the same as 35 percent.
DIGIT: So 32 over 100 is the same as 32 percent?
MATT: You got it!