CCSS 6.RP.A.1–3

🥤 Smoothie Stand Architect

What to do: You run a smoothie stand. Use ratios and unit rates to build recipes, find prices, and fill orders. Answer all 6 tasks, then press Check My Work.

0 of 6 tasks answered

Learning Target

Standard CCSS 6.RP.A.1–3
Estimated time 40–50 minutes
Materials Pencil, scratch paper, this page
Product Completed activity saved as PDF or DOC
Teacher Notes (click to expand — not for student assessment)

Pacing

One 40–50 minute period. Suggested flow: introduce the smoothie context (2 min) → Tasks 1–3 together or in pairs (15 min) → Tasks 4–6 independently (15 min) → Check and discuss (10 min) → Reflection (5 min). Two-day option: Day 1 = Tasks 1–4; Day 2 = Tasks 5–6, reflection, and save deliverable.

Grouping Suggestions

Tasks 1–2 work well as pair activities to spark ratio conversation. Tasks 3–6 are best attempted individually before a brief class share-out. Use the "better buy" task (Task 4) as a whole-class discussion anchor.

Differentiation

  • Support: Provide a multiplication/division chart. For Task 4, have students draw tally marks for each cup and label the cost. For Task 6, prompt: "25 per 100 — what is 25 per 100 of $20?" Allow students to use a calculator for the arithmetic, focusing on the setup.
  • Challenge / Extension: Ask students to find three different ratio pairs that are equivalent to 3:1 (e.g., 6:2, 9:3, 12:4) and explain the pattern. Have them write their own "better buy" scenario and solve it. Extend Task 6: if the discount is 10%, 25%, 50%, or 75%, which saves the most? Make a table.

ESOL / Language Supports

  • Pre-teach key vocabulary: ratio, unit rate, equivalent, per, percent, discount. Post a word wall with visual examples (e.g., a picture of juice cartons labeled with the ratio).
  • Sentence frames: "The ratio of ___ to ___ is ___:___." / "The unit rate is ___ per ___." / "I know Fresh is cheaper because ___."
  • The smoothie glass in Task 1 is a concrete visual model — encourage students to point and explain in their home language before writing in English.
  • Allow bilingual scratch paper. Accept correct numeric answers even if the written explanation uses limited English.
Task 1 · Build a Ratio

Make a 3 : 1 smoothie

Tap + and to add scoops. Make the ratio of fruit to juice equal 3 to 1.

0
0
Fruit : Juice = 0 : 0

Tip: a 3 : 1 ratio means 3 fruit for every 1 juice.

Task 2 · Write the Ratio

Berry Blast recipe

A Berry Blast uses 6 berries and 2 bananas. Write the ratio of berries to bananas in lowest terms (like 3:1).

Divide both numbers by their greatest common factor.

Task 3 · Unit Rate

Price per smoothie

4 smoothies cost $12. How much is 1 smoothie? Type just the number of dollars.

Divide $12 by 4 to find the price for 1.

Task 4 · Better Buy

Which juice is cheaper per cup?

Compare the unit rates. Tap the carton with the lower price per cup.

Carton Cups Price
Sunny 3 $6
Fresh 5 $8

Find dollars per cup for each, then pick the smaller one.

Task 5 · Scale the Recipe

Make a bigger batch

The recipe is 2 cups fruit for every 5 cups water. If you use 10 cups of water, how many cups of fruit do you need?

10 cups of water is 2 times the recipe.

Task 6 · Percent Rate

Today's discount

A $20 smoothie pack is 25% off. 25% means 25 per 100. How many dollars do you save?

25% of $20 = 25/100 × 20 = ?

Scoring Rubric — Ratios & Unit Rates (6.RP.A.1–3)

Skill Expert (4) Proficient (3) Developing (2) Beginning (1)
Write & Simplify Ratios
Tasks 1–2 · 6.RP.A.1
Writes ratio correctly and simplifies to lowest terms; explains what the ratio means in context. Writes ratio correctly and simplifies to lowest terms with no explanation needed. Writes the ratio correctly but does not simplify, or simplifies incorrectly. Cannot write or simplify a ratio without significant help.
Find Unit Rate
Tasks 3–4 · 6.RP.A.2
Correctly finds the unit rate for both cartons and clearly identifies the better buy with a written reason. Correctly finds the unit rate and identifies the better buy. Sets up the division correctly but makes a calculation error; or identifies one unit rate correctly. Does not set up or compute unit rates correctly.
Scale Ratios & Ratio Tables
Task 5 · 6.RP.A.3
Correctly scales the recipe; explains the multiplicative relationship (×2) between the original and scaled recipe. Correctly scales the recipe using equivalent ratios. Attempts to scale but uses additive reasoning (adds 2 instead of multiplying). Cannot scale the recipe; no clear strategy shown.
Percent as Rate per 100
Task 6 · 6.RP.A.3c
Finds the correct dollar savings and connects percent to "per 100"; shows or explains setup. Finds the correct dollar savings from the percent discount. Sets up the percent correctly but makes an arithmetic error. Does not connect percent to a rate; cannot compute the savings.
Overall Completion & Deliverable All 6 tasks answered correctly; work saved as PDF or DOC with student name. 5–6 tasks answered correctly; deliverable saved. 3–4 tasks answered; deliverable saved or partially completed. Fewer than 3 tasks; no deliverable saved.
Teacher Answer Key (click to expand)
  1. Task 1 — Build a 3:1 ratio: Any combination where fruit scoops ÷ juice scoops = 3 is accepted (e.g., 3 fruit + 1 juice, 6 fruit + 2 juice, 9 fruit + 3 juice). The grader checks the reduced form 3:1.
  2. Task 2 — Berry Blast ratio: 6 berries : 2 bananas → GCF(6,2) = 2 → 3:1. Accept "3:1" or "3/1".
  3. Task 3 — Unit rate: $12 ÷ 4 smoothies = $3 per smoothie. Answer: 3.
  4. Task 4 — Better buy: Sunny: $6 ÷ 3 cups = $2.00/cup. Fresh: $8 ÷ 5 cups = $1.60/cup. Fresh is cheaper per cup.
  5. Task 5 — Scale the recipe: Original ratio: 2 cups fruit : 5 cups water. 10 cups water = 5 × 2, so scale factor = 2. Fruit needed: 2 × 2 = 4 cups.
  6. Task 6 — Percent discount: 25% = 25/100 = 0.25. Savings: 0.25 × $20 = $5. Answer: 5.

Sample reflection: "Ratios help me compare amounts. A unit rate like $3 per smoothie makes comparing prices easy because all the denominators are 1. I can use percent like a ratio — 25% means 25 out of 100."

Reflection

Answer in 2–3 sentences:

Where in real life do people use ratios or unit rates? Give one example from your own life and explain what the ratio or unit rate would mean.

Deliverable: Complete all 6 tasks above, then click Check My Work. After your results appear, click Save as PDF or Save as DOC to download a copy with your name and score. Turn in that file.