Make Over Monday

Dan Meyer, from his blog dy/dan, writes:

Teachers appraise and modify curriculum materials to determine their appropriateness for helping particular students work towards specific learning goals. This involves considering students' needs and assessing what questions and ideas particular materials will raise and the ways in which they are likely to challenge students. Teachers choose and modify materials accordingly, sometimes deciding to use parts of a text or activity and not others, for example, or to combine material from more than one source.

Every Monday, during this summer, Dan will post a problem from a textbook and start a conversation about how we could modify it. The details of that makeover may take the form of a loose sketch or something more formal.  So I am responding to this week's posting.

I. Hodge shared this idea, which was my first thought.  Students lack experiences with home improvements so exposing students to flooring, painting, or any other project that many homeowners will complete or hire a contractor to complete is "eye opening" to most students.

So here is another approach to this problem.


For the last few years, Empire Carpet will run a 60% off flooring special.(see commercial)

Here is the problem:

Rodney and Emile are moving into a new home.  Unfortunately they want the same bedroom.  So their parents decide to use the Empire's 60% off flooring commercial to determine who gets first pick of a bedroom.

The two rooms are showing the amount of carpeting you will purchase based on Empire's commercial.  Your task is determine the dimensions (in centimeters) of both bedrooms.