Lesson: Scaling Up

Display the following recipe: allrecipes.com/recipe/11937/baked-macaroni-and-cheese-i. Point out to students that the recipe makes 5 servings. Have students think-pair-share to answer the following questions:

• If you wanted to serve more than 5 people, how would the ingredients change? (You would need to increase the amount of each ingredient in the recipe, or scale up.)

• If you needed to serve 10 people, what would you do? Explain. (Multiply each ingredient in the recipe by 2; you need to double the recipe, or scale it up by 2.)

• So, how many cups of cheddar cheese would you need? How do you know? (6; because 3 × 2 = 6)

• How many cups of milk would you need? How do you know? (4; because 2 × 2 = 4)

Choose volunteers to read paragraphs of the article aloud. As a class, discuss what the main idea of the article is. (Possible answer: World Central Kitchen has been helping people during Covid-19 by preparing food for others.) Then have students reread the article individually. As they read, have them identify and record 3 specific examples of how the group has fed people during Covid-19 to support the main idea.

Students will need to work with fractions and mixed numbers in a variety of formats to solve the problems in this article. Give them the opportunity to ask questions about the following skills and provide minilessons if needed:

• Simplifying fractions

• Converting improper fractions to mixed numbers

• Converting mixed or whole numbers to improper fractions

Play the instructional video. Post the following questions to have students answer while watching:

• How do you multiply fractions? (You multiply the numerators and the denominators of each fraction together.)

• What is an improper fraction? (a fraction whose numerator is larger than its denominator)

• Is it easier to work with improper fractions or mixed numbers? Explain your reasoning. (Answers will vary.)

Read through the introduction of the “Multiplying With Fractions” box on page 7. Then ask the following questions as you work through the example:

• For Step 1: Where does the factor ⁵⁰⁰/₄₀₀ come from? (500 is the number of wraps needed, 400 is the number of wraps for the original recipe.)

• For Step 3: What does the 24 represent? (the amount of spinach in pounds needed for the original recipe)

Mr. Rogers famously said that during scary times, you should “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” World Central Kitchen has proven to be one of these helpers during the Covid-19 pandemic. Have students research other helpers or ways that they or other people have helped during Covid-19. Allow volunteers to share their findings with the class.

Have students choose their favorite recipe that they or a family member makes and list the ingredients needed. Challenge them to scale up the recipe for 2 ¹/₂ batches, 3 ¹/₄ batches, or 4 ³/₄ batches of this recipe—or for the number of students in their class! Then allow your class to do a recipe exchange.