LESSON PLAN

Relationships: Decimals, Fractions, Ratios, and Percents

Apothem Team

Grade 7 · Number

LESSON AT A GLANCE

Warm-up

5 min

Explore

15 min

Formalize

10 min

Practice

12 min

Exit ticket

3 min

Warm-up

Quick conversion: What is 1/4 as a decimal? As a percent?

Explore

Students use grids to represent fractions, then write them as decimals and percents. Build a reference chart showing common conversions (1/2, 1/4, 1/5, 3/4, etc.). Practice conversions in all directions.

Formalize

Record the conversion processes:

Fraction→Decimal: numerator÷denominator. Decimal→Percent: ×100. Percent→Decimal: ÷100. Fraction→Percent: (numerator÷denominator)×100.

Create a reference table of common conversions. Emphasize: these are just different languages for the same idea.

Practice

Students convert among all four forms. Exit ticket: three conversions in different directions.

Exit ticket

Students convert among all four forms. Exit ticket: three conversions in different directions.

TIP Use 10×10 grids heavily. Visual representations make the equivalences concrete.

WORKED EXAMPLES

Convert 3/5 to a decimal and a percent.

3÷5=0.6. 0.6=60%.

Convert 35% to a fraction in lowest terms.

35%=0.35=35/100=7/20.

MATERIALS

•Fraction strips

•10×10 grids

•Decimal/percent reference cards

•Calculators

WATCH FOR

!Confusing the direction of conversion (forgetting to multiply or divide by 100).

!Not simplifying fractions after converting from percents.

!Thinking some conversions are impossible (e.g., 1/3 → decimal).