Lesson: Mikey’s Munchies

Ask students for examples of items they might buy multiples of, such as boxes of pencils or packs of T-shirts. Then ask: If you wanted to know the price of just one item in the set, how would you find it? Tell students that the price per item is a unit rate.

Before playing the video, post the following focus questions for students to preview. Then discuss the answers as a whole group after watching.

• In what format do you write a rate? (Write it as a fraction.)

• After you set up a rate as a fraction, what do you do? (Simplify it. Do this by dividing both the numerator and the denominator by the denominator.)

• What other tools might be helpful in finding unit rates? (a bar diagram)

• When you write rates for cost per item, does the cost belong in the numerator or the denominator? (the numerator)

Have students read the article individually. Then ask the following comprehension questions:

• How did Mikey Wren get the idea to own vending machines? (He wanted to buy something from a vending machine. Mikey’s mom told him that the profits of the vending machine go to whomever owns it.)

• How did Mikey begin his business? (He ran a lemonade stand to earn money toward buying a vending machine. For Christmas, Mikey asked for the remainder of the money he needed. He was able to buy two vending machines, and he has since bought more vending machines.)

• How does Mikey know what to buy to fill his vending machines? (He uses an app that tracks which of his snacks need to be replenished.)

• Besides running his vending machine business, how does Mikey act as a kidpreneur? (He also teaches business classes to kids.)

Have a volunteer read through the introduction of the “Behind the Business” box on page 15. Then work through the questions as a class.

• For question 1: Draw students’ attention to the steps they made during the video lesson.

• For question 2: Have students think-pair-share to discuss a solution strategy and an answer.

• For question 3: Give pairs a few minutes to work through their solution together, and then allow any volunteers to share their ideas with the class.

Draw students’ attention to the “Your Turn Online” prompt on page 15. Discuss the typical cost of a vending machine and whether students think it’s a reasonable price. Then challenge them to complete the ”Your Turn: Manage Your Machine” skills sheet to research the unit price of treats they would use to stock their own vending machine. Remind students to think about Mikey’s rule for setting prices.

Have students look through a grocery circular (digital or paper) and make a list of the items their family typically buys when food shopping. Then have them calculate the unit rate for items that are sold in packs, sets, or bunches, such as bottles of water, bananas, granola bars, etc. Students can make a poster or digital slideshow of their findings with cutouts, pictures, or drawings of the items listed with their price and unit price.