Solve This!

Survival Math

In grades 3-5 students start working more in-depth with fractions. For a fun activity I would
make cookies with the class. Students will be developing essential life skills and at the same
time they will realize how math is in everything they eat!

This lesson plan can be adapted for grades K-12. Teachers can choose which of these math
activities will best suit their students, the math concepts they are currently learning, and the time
they have available for this activity. Activities marked with * are more difficult for about grades
4 and up.

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Math Activities while baking!
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Supplies: measuring cups, spoons, bowls, ingredients for making whatever type of cookies are
chosen to make.

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Before baking activities (could be done the day before)
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1. Comparisons: Have students compare the different measuring tools they will use. For
example measuring cups, teaspoons, tablespoons, liquid measuring containers.

2. Have students discuss the following questions in groups of 3-4.*

How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?
How many tablespoons are in a quarter cup?
How many millilitres are in a litre?
How can you divide 3/4 of a cup evenly?

3. General Hypothesizing: Tell students what type of cookies they will make. Have students
hypothesize what ingredients they would need and how much of each they would need.

4. Specific Hypothesizing: Have each group fill out one sheet with their hypothesis of
ingredient quantities.*

5. Ratio Hypothesizing: Have students hypothesize the ratio between ingredients and answer
questions like the following. These questions are to be discussed in groups and written with
other predictions if the teacher wants.
If I was making cookies with 1 cup of butter, how much flour do you think I would need?
What is the ratio between flour and butter?
What about the ratio between flour and sugar?

6. Predictions: Have students predict the following individually and then in pairs and groups.
The teacher can choose from amongst these questions for students to answer.
How long do you think it will take to preheat the oven?

About what temperature should cookies be baked at?

About how many cookies can be baked at a time?
What are some ways you could evenly divide the work in your group?

For 20 cookies, how much of each ingredient do you think you would need? What about for 50,
100, 200 cookies?*
What would be the ratio of flour to butter, flour to sugar, and flour to baking powder in the above
question?

7) Fractions-Dividing the recipe: Put recipe on a projector or a white board that everyone can see
and/or distribute copies for each group.
This recipe says it makes 60 cookies. What would we have to do to only make 30 cookies?
What if we wanted to make 20 cookies? Or 6, 10, 15, 120, 180 cookies? (More difficult numbers
can be used for higher grades).*
How would this recipe change if we wanted to make 1/2 of it? What about 1/4, 1/3, 1/6 of it?

These questions can be divided amongst groups or individuals so each student is working within
their Zone of proximal development.

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Making the cookies!
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8) Measurement: have students measure and mix the ingredients for the cookies in pairs or
groups.

9) Measurement with cookie cutters: Have students measure the different cookies (using standard
and/or nonstandard measuring tools) cutters that are available to them and discuss the following
questions.
What difference does it make using different sized cookie cutters?
What shapes do you think will make more cookies?
If you wanted to make as many cookies as possible, what shape would you choose?
How would you make a gigantic cookie?

10) Measurement and geometry comparing sizes:

Which cookie cutter shapes are congruent?
Which cookie cutter shapes are similar?

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Options:
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a) What is the diameter of the largest cookie cutter?

What is the perimeter of the largest cookie cutter?
What is the area of the largest cookie cutter?

b) What is the diameter of the smallest cookie cutter?

What is the perimeter of the smallest cookie cutter?

What is the area of the smallest cookie cutter?

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c) Choose a cookie cutter. Answer the following questions.
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What is the diameter of the cookie cutter?
What is the perimeter of the cookie cutter?
What is the area of the cookie cutter?

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d) Choose two different cookie cutters and follow the directions below.
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Draw your two cookie cutters, label one as A and the other as B.
Find the diameter, perimeter and area of both cookie cutters and label them on your diagram.

10) Measuring the Trays: Have students measure different sizes of cookie trays there are using
standard and/or nonstandard measuring tools. Have them compare the sizes.
Each group could measure one tray and then students can share their findings with the group.
What tray would you use if you are in a rush to bake your cookies?
What determines of the size of the cookie tray?

12) Questions about the quality of trays can also be asked

How will the darkness of the cookie tray affect the cookies?
What is the difference between cookies that are cooked on a black tray compared to ones cooked
on a light grey tray?
Do people use white or coloured cookie trays? Why or why not?

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Putting the cookies on the Tray
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13) Measurement and Area

What size of tray are you using?
How many cookies can you fit on it?
How should the cookies be spaced?
Will the cookies closeness or distance impact how they cook?
Draw a picture of your cookies on the tray.
How are they spaced?
How can multiplication and area represent this? (example 2 x 8).
Write an equation using multiplication to represent the total cookies on the tray.

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Before and after baking in the oven
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14) Measurement:
Measure the distance between you cookies on the tray before you put them in the oven.
Measure the distance between your cookies on the tray when they are done cooking.

How are the cookies different from before and after cooking?
What is the difference between the two measurements?
Compare your results with other groups who used different sized cookie cutters
Compare your results with other groups who spaced their cookies differently than your group.

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During and after cookies are baked
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15) Area and number sense: have cookies transferred to the counter on aluminum tinfoil
How many cookies did your group make in all? (addition for young grades and multiplication
for older grades)
Choose another group. How many cookies did they make?
How many cookies did your group make combined with theirs?
How many cookies do you think the class made in all?
Ask the other groups how many cookies they made.
How many cookies did the whole class actually make? How did this compare with your
prediction?

16) Fractions in the form of Fair-share

How many cookies does your group have?
How many group members are in your group?
How many cookies will each person get if the cookies are decided evenly between your group
members?
If each person in your group eats 5 cookies, how many will be left? How many cookies will each
of your classmates get if you share the remaining cookies?
How many cookies would each person get if you divided your groups cookies with the whole
class?

How many cookies did the whole class make?

How many cookies can each student have if we divide it evenly?
Count the number of family members each student has. How will you divide the cookies so each
student and their family members get the same amount of cookies?

17) Fractions
Take 10 cookies and evenly divide it with your group.
How will you share 2 cookies with 3 people?
(These numbers can be substituted to make it easier or more difficult, such as requiring students
to use fractions).

18) Data analysis

How much flour did your group use? How much flour did the whole class use?

-This can be applied to all ingredients, students could make a graph of the quantity of each
ingredient used.

19) Measurement, weight, mass

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How much flour did you use? how many kilograms of flour did the whole class use?
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-This can be applied to all ingredients and comparing different measurements for solids and
liquids.

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-It can also be used to compare between imperial and metric measurements *
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20) Questions
How long does it take to cook x batches of cookies?
How does the temperature impact the cooking of the cookies?

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-x can be replaced by any reasonable number for the purpose of the lesson.
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21) Experiment cooking cookies at different temperatures.
What could be the minimal required temperature for cookies to cook?
What could be the maximum temperature that cookies can cook?

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