Struggling to teach students how to solve expressions for percent, part, and whole? Are you searching for strategies to make instruction easier and effective? Keep reading.
#1 – Assess Student Math Skills
Percent, part, and whole types of word problems are common challenges for students. Often, the biggest cause is secondary to student challenges converting between fractions, decimals, and percentages. Some students lack an awareness of the meaning of percent. Others need instruction on one-step equations. Due to these concerns, it is best to assess and teach these skills before covering expressions related to percent, part, and whole. See the links below to discover resources for fractions, decimals, and percents.
#2 – Present Percent in Grid Form
Next, remind students that the word ‘percent’ means ‘per hundred’. A 10 x 10 grid is a great visual to illustrate these concepts.
Now provide several examples representing various percent values as ratios. For example, the grid below represents a ratio of 20 out of 100, 20 per 100, or twenty percent, 20 %.
Furthermore, use two or more grids to represent percents. In the example below, 225% is represented by two filled grids and one partially filled grid.
#3 – Percent, Part, and Whole: Definitions and Examples
Likewise, once students can convert between fractions, decimals, and percents, solve a one-step equation, and visually understand the meaning of percent, they are ready to solve percent expressions.
A. Percent Expression
In addition, provide students with a definition and examples of a percent expression.
B. Introduce the Formula to Find Percent, Whole, and Part
Also, teach students the formula.
C. Provide Examples of Percent Expressions and Keywords
For example, explain what a percent expression looks and sounds like while introducing key words.
Part
Percent
Whole
Likewise, the keyword that represents “whole” is the word “of”.
Color-coding is an excellent strategy for many math concepts. Notice how this makes it easy to determine the percent, part, and whole.
#4 – How to Solve
Below are three examples listed in a step-by-step format. Students can copy the examples in pencil, and then color-code by underlining key words.
Conclusion
When students understand how to solve one-step equations and convert between fractions, decimals, and percentages, they have the tools to succeed in solving percent expression problems. The percent represented in grid form provides visual feedback.
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