Topics · Money
Smart shopping
Which deal is really better? Unit rates tell you — the price for ONE makes different pack sizes comparable.
The bigger box isn't always the better deal.
More ways into this idea
- Play with itPrice LabSlice two pack prices into per-item pieces
Step into a storyThe Lemonade StallOne stall, one budget, and a hundred thirsty visitors.- Make it a gameMarket DayStock the stall: cover the order without breaking the budget
- Make it a gameBest Buy ChallengeBuild a purchase plan that fits the goal — the goal is the judge
- Test yourselfA fresh mixed set, whenever you likeExplanations after every question. Nothing is recorded.
Common sticking points
- A common sticking point is comparing only TOTAL prices. Packs of different sizes need a unit rate — the price for ONE — before the comparison is fair.
- The opposite trap: treating the lowest unit price as always best. If the pack busts the budget or wildly overshoots what's needed, the goal isn't met. A unit rate is evidence, not the decision.
- Unit-rate division can flip: $12 for 6 notebooks is $12 ÷ 6 = $2 each. Saying the units out loud (dollars for EACH notebook) catches the reversal.
Try this together
Write two fictional packs: A is 4 for $6, B is 10 for $13. Ask: which costs less EACH? Then change one thing — 'you only need 4 and have $8' — and ask which actually fits now. One small change shows the goal deciding.
1–5 minutes, no materials to buy, nothing to hand in.
Ontario curriculum details
- F1.5Calculate unit rates and find the best value
Plain-language summaries. See the full curriculum for every expectation and the official source.