BIG TIPPER
PERCENT AND FINANCIAL LITERACY
Investigate strategies to increase and decrease a whole number by a percent.
Intentionality
Spark Curiosity
Fuel Sensemaking
During Moves
Student Approaches
Next Moves
Consolidation
Reflect and Consolidation Prompts
Resources & Downloads
Educator Discussion Area
Intentionality & Unit Overview

Length of Unit: 5 Days
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Students will explore the concept of gratuity using a benchmark percent as an operator.Â
In this task, students will begin exploring financial literacy concepts that require a percent as an operator. On Day 1, students will investigate the idea of gratuity. A bar model will be introduced to position students to think about gratuity, leaving a tip, as a percentage relative to the total cost of the meal. Some of the big ideas that may emerge in today’s lesson include:
- Fractions, decimals, and percents can all represent relationships to a whole;
- Any fraction, decimal or percent can be used as an operator;
- Increasing by a given percent means the percent is added to the whole;
- A bar model is helpful for representing a situation that involves a percent increase.
Spark Curiosity
What Do You Notice? What Do You Wonder?
Show students this video:
Then, ask students:
What do you notice?
What do you wonder?
Give students 60 seconds (or more) to do a rapid write on a piece of paper.
Then, ask students to share with their neighbours for another 60 seconds.
Finally, allow students to share with the entire group.
Some of the noticing and wondering that came up in a class recently included:
- I notice a receipt.
- I notice there are different items of food and the cost.
- I wonder if five people went out for dinner.
- I notice money being placed on the table.
- I notice the total is $88.
- I wonder if there is tax.
At this point, you can answer any notices and wonders that you can cross off the list right away. For example, five family members went out for dinner. The total cost of their meal is $88. Tax was included.
Estimation: Prompt
Next, share the following short animation or visual prompt and ask the following question:
Prompt students with:
The total meal cost $88.00. The family was very pleased with their meal and would like to leave a very generous tip, also known as gratuity. People generally tip 15-20% of the bill. How much money do you think this family will leave on the table?
We can now ask students to make an estimate (not a guess) as we want them to be as strategic as they can possibly be. This will force them to use reasoning to justify an amount.
While Students Are Estimating…
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Fuel Sense-making
Crafting A Productive Struggle: Prompt
Since you have already taken some time to set the context for this problem and student curiosity is already sparked, we have them in a perfect spot to help push their thinking further and fuel sense making.
Share the following silent animation.
You can verbally share the following prompt with students:
The family was so satisfied with their meal and service, that they decided to leave a very generous 25% tip.
How much money did they leave in total?
Justify your answer.
During Moves
While Students Are Productively Struggling…
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Student Approaches
Student Approach #1: Fair Sharing
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Student Approach #2: Partitioning Through Halving
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Next Moves
Consolidation
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Reflect and Consolidation Prompts
Provide students an opportunity to reflect on their learning by offering these consolidation prompts to be completed independently.
Consolidation Prompt #1:
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Consolidation Prompt #2:
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We suggest collecting this reflection as an additional opportunity to engage in the formative assessment process to inform next steps for individual students as well as how the whole class will proceed.
Resources & Downloads
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Educator Discussion Area
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