Created by Vince Watkins
Smithton High School
watkins@murlin.com
"Dan's Search for Wheels" is designed with several purposes in mind.
"Dan's Search for Wheels" is an excellent project for grades 10 through 12 for the content areas:
- Mathematics
- Family and Consumer Sciences
- Business education.
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How many times have you been asked, "What will I ever use this for?" In this iAdventure your students will research car prices, insurance costs, car loan interest rates, amortization, and select a car based on their research. Simpy put, they will be working on a problem that interests most sixteen to eighteen year olds. The dilemmas they will encounter are real to their lives now, and in their future. Students will use the skills developed on this iAdventure. Some of the skills developed are;
- Interpret tables and graphs.
- Develop tables and graphs using calculators on the web.
- Decision making, based on their interpretations.
- Write. Explain in words decisions based on mathematical facts.
- Present. Students will present, or teach, other students how to select a car.
Students will also be introduced to some important concepts, often not part of a math curriculum, but important to their lives. Some are;
- Amortization
- Interest and principal paid over the term of a loan
- Impact of interest rate on payments and total interest paid on a loan over the term.
Computers with internet and printer access.
Projector or large screen monitor, for Power Point presentation.
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| Evaluator: | |||||||||
| Students: | |||||||||
| iAdventure file | Inc. | Poor | Average | Good | Excel. | ||||
| Price quotes- four cars | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Expense table - gas and payment | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Insurance quotes- with B avg - without B avg | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Expense table - payment-gas-insurance | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Amortization reports (2) | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Total principa l- interest over term table (2) | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Cooperation with partner | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Total: | |||||||||
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| Students: | |||||||||
| "Select a Car" Presentation | Inc. | Poor | Average | Good | Excel. | ||||
| Price quotes- two cars | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Expense table - gas and payment | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Insurance quotes- with B avg - without B avg | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Expense table - payment-gas-insurance | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Amortization report | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Total principa l- interest over term table | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Cooperation with partner | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Clarity - ideas presented were clear | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Presentation was fluent from beginning to end | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
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| Evaluator: | |||||||||
| Students: | |||||||||
| Inc. | Poor | Average | Good | Excel. | |||||
| Clarity - ideas presented were clear | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Letter was fluent from beginning to end | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Price clearly related to buying decision | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Payment clearly related to buying decision | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Gas mileage clearly related to buying decision | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Insurance clearly related to buying decision | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Spending money clearly related to buying decision | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| Total | |||||||||
Students might have difficulty getting insurance quotes since specific information is needed. Before assigning "Dan's Search for Wheels," visit the insurance web site and get quotes so you're ready for their questions. This may take an hour since forms need completing.
Some students might need assistance inserting documents into slides for their Power Point presentation. This might be a great place for peer tutoring since other students may have these skills.
If many students are not familiar with Power Point, the presentation may be omitted without loss to the other assessments. Another type of assessment may be added in it's place.
Stan Smith of Warrensburg Schools provided great instruction on iAdventure construction.
The iAdventure concept was developed in the Warrensburg, MO school district funded by a Competitive Technology grant from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
For more information on iAdventures, visit the iAdventure Home Page.
Click here for iAdventure Home Page
