Flying-fish soup
This is a level 4 number activity from the Figure It Out series. It relates to stage 7 of the number framework. A PDF of the student activity is included.
About this resource
Figure It Out is a series of 80 books published between 1999 and 2009 to support teaching and learning in New Zealand classrooms.
This resource provides the teachers' notes and answers for one activity from the Figure It Out series. A printable PDF of the student activity can be downloaded from the materials that come with this resource.
Specific learning outcomes:
- Use doubles and simple proportions to solve problems.
Flying-fish soup
Achievement objectives
NA4-4: Apply simple linear proportions, including ordering fractions.
Required materials
- Figure It Out, Levels 2–3, Basic Facts, "Flying-fish soup"
See Materials that come with this resource to download:
- Flying-fish soup activity (.pdf)
Activity
This problem page uses ratio, which is a difficult concept for many students. Ratio involves the idea that the relative proportions of two or more things stay constant as the quantities change.
For example, someone mixing concrete might use five shovels of builders’ mix to one shovel of cement. This ratio can be expressed as 5:1. Using this “recipe”, the builder might put 20 shovels of builders’ mix and four shovels of cement into the mixer. Although the quantities are 20 shovels to four shovels, the ratio remains the same.
In the case of making pretend flying-fish soup for eight people, the recipe for four people is doubled. The quantity of each ingredient is therefore doubled. Finding two times one and a half can be modelled with regions:
Conversely, for question 2, the recipe quantities are halved. Half of one and a half can be demonstrated by folding one and a half paper circles in half.
So half of one and a half is three-quarters.
1.
2 onions
2 tsp. curry powder
2 Tbsp. oil
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
3 cups of coconut cream
3 kg of fish
2.
1/2 onion
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 Tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup of coconut cream
3/4 kg (750 grams) of fish
3.
The students could either multiply the two-person recipe by three or add the two-person and the four-person recipes together.
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