Swayed by Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages By Greg Witt, Colonial Academy Introduction Numbers are often used to sway public opinion and /or to represent the quality and effectiveness of products. This WebQuest will allow students to use their knowledge of fractions, percentages, and decimals to assist them in collecting data and then present the data in a persuasive way!
You and your friends will be "political" consultants for a buddy who is running for school president. It is your job to get your buddy elected. If you are not successful, someone, who thinks all day school or believes school uniforms are a good idea, might get elected! Task The purpose of this task is to collect data and then to present this data in a favorable light of your buddy so that the voters (students) will elect him. Through the use of fractions, decimals, and percentages, you will convince your fellow classmates to vote for your candidate. You will use polls / surveys to collect data and then present the data in the form of promotional campaign material. Your ability to use the information gathered will convince "The Voters" that your candidate is the best for the job.
Procedure When you have completed the worksheets, print them out and hand them in to your teacher. If necessary, ask for help in printing the worksheets. Next, watch the following videos about fractions, percentages and decimals.
Your next step is to have some fun. Try any of the following sites that have games that involve fractions, percentages, and decimals. Math Playground FunBrain Cool Math Please choose one game from each topic (fractions, percentages, and decimals). Remember, the rest of the project has got to be done!
Ok, let's get started on our project! The class will divide into groups of four. Your group will take on the role of "Political Consultant". The team's ability to work together is vital from here on out. Click on the link Brainstorming to get some suggestions to help you to work as a team.
Your first job as a team will be to select a candidate. This candidate will be fictitious, thus give him/her any name you want. Each group will then create a survey to be handed out to other students. The survey will consist of questions that will reflect what "The Voters" will be looking for in a student president. Consider carefully how you word your questions. Use the website Creating A Survey to form your survey. REMEMBER.....to word the questions to receive favorable answers for your candidate. Handout the surveys to your "voters" (classmates) and explain to them that their answers will determine who the best candidate for the job will be. The data you collect will be important, but how you manipulate the data will be even more important. Extra Credit: Though we may not have covered graphing yet, you may visit Creatgraph to build graphs that will display the data that has been collected. Try to create at least 3 different graphs (bar, line, circle, etc.). If you choose not to do the extra credit you will not be penalized.
After completing the creation of your survey, you and your associates will create political propaganda. If you're not sure what propaganda means, click on the link Definition of PROPAGANDA.docx. This propaganda will support your candidate. This is where you use your knowledge of fractions, percents and decimals. You must use all three. For example, if one of the results of your survey indicates that 3/4 of students want more options for lunch, then you may want to include that information in your campaign material and have your candidate promote himself/herself as being able to deliver this request. If you created graphs, this would be a good place to place them! You can use any media but feel free to use My Brochure Maker or Campaign Poster.
After completing your campaign material, you and your team are now ready to present your persuasive campaign material to the rest of the class. Everyone on the team must be an active participant in the presentation. To assist you with your presentation review Persuasive Techniques as a team and then plan your "get the vote" strategy.
GOOD LUCK!
· Once all the presentations have been completed, the teacher will conduct an election. The election will be via silent ballot. The results will be announced immediately. The teacher will then hold a discussion to primarily inquire as to what difficulties the students had using fractions and decimals. Also, what made the voters choose the candidate they did.
Finally, each student will produce a reflected essay discussing if the use of fractions, percentages, and decimals is a good way to present data that is collected. It might help if you think about why you voted for the candidate you did. Were there some statistics presented that convinced you? The essay must be a minimum of 150 words.
This webquest should be completed in six (48 minute) periods.
