6.RP.3.c: Find a percent of a quantity as a rate per 100 (e.g., 30% of a quantity means 30/100 times the quantity); solve problems involving finding the whole, given a part and the percent.

I can find a percent of a quantity. I can find the whole given a part and the percent.

What Your Child Needs to Know

Understanding percentages is a fundamental skill not only in mathematics but in everyday life. The 6th-grade standard 6.RP.3.c focuses on enabling students to find a percent of a quantity and to determine the whole from a given part and its percent. This skill is pivotal as it lays the groundwork for more complex mathematical concepts and real-world financial literacy, such as calculating discounts, understanding statistics, and managing budgets. Learning how to manipulate and understand percentages at this stage will help students in problem-solving and reasoning in various contexts, from shopping discounts to analyzing data.

Real World Practice

Visual models and hands-on activities

Hands-on Activities

1. Shopping Discount

While shopping, ask your child to calculate the final price of items after a certain percentage discount. For example, if a $50 item is on a 20% discount, what is the final price?

2. Recipe Adjustment

If a recipe calls for 300 grams of flour but you want to make 50% more than the recipe, how much flour is needed? Have your child calculate the new quantity.

3. Sports Statistics

Ask your child to calculate the shooting percentage of a basketball player who made 37 out of 50 shots.

4. Classroom Polls

Create a simple poll (e.g., favorite ice cream flavor) and have your child calculate the percentage of each choice based on the total votes.

5. Budget Planning

Give your child a monthly 'budget' for their expenses (like snacks or games). Let them calculate what percentage of their budget they spend on each item.

Quick Checks

Strategies and quick activities

Strategies When Your Child Struggles

1. Visual Fraction Models

Use visual models like pie charts or bar graphs to help your child understand the concept of parts per hundred.

2. Real-Life Connections

Help your child connect learning with real-life scenarios, like calculating discounts during shopping or taxes.

3. Practice with Manipulatives

Use physical objects such as coins or counters to represent percentages in hands-on activities.

4. Percentage Calculator

Introduce tools like percentage calculators to check their manual calculations and understand the process.

5. Simplify Comparisons

Start with simpler, more intuitive percentages (like 50%, 25%) before moving on to more complex figures.

5-Minute Activities

Activity 1: Quick Percent Calculation

Ask your child quick questions like 'What is 10% of 200?' during daily activities to keep them engaged.

Activity 2: Percent Scavenger Hunt

During a car ride or walk, challenge your child to find real-world examples of percentages (like sale signs).

Activity 3: Flashcard Quiz

Create flashcards with different percentage problems for quick review sessions.

Activity 4: Percentage of Day

Discuss what percentage of the day is spent on various activities (school, homework, leisure).

Check Progress

Track improvement

Mid-Year Expectations

By the middle of 6th grade, your child should be able to:

  • Understand and calculate simple percentages of quantities.
  • Solve basic real-world problems involving percentages.

End-of-Year Expectations

By the end of 6th grade, your child should be able to:

  • Accurately find the percentage of a quantity using the rate per 100.
  • Solve complex problems involving finding the whole, given a part and the percent.

Mastery Signs

Your child has mastered this standard when they can:

  • Can independently calculate discounts and taxes in real-life scenarios.
  • Correctly solves problems involving various percentage calculations without confusion.

Questions to Ask:

Ask your child to solve these problems and explain their process:

  • What is 25% of 160?
  • If you know 40% of a number is 120, what is the whole number?
  • A shirt has a tag that shows a 30% discount and the sale price is $42. What was the original price?
  • If 70% of a class of 30 students are boys, how many boys are in the class?