Lucas Learning - Lesson Plan - Logic & Reasoning - Learning Ratios With Star Wars Pit Droids

Learning Ratios With Star Wars® Pit Droids®

Curriculum Connection: "Problem solving in Grades 6-8 should promote mathematical learning." Principles and Standards for School Mathematics

Lesson Plan (Grades 5-8):

In Star Wars Pit Droids, go to Game Puzzles in the Puzzle Chooser. Choose Game Puzzles at the top, by clicking on that circle. Go to Training (the last entry on the list). Select the puzzle from the Pit Droids Puzzle Chooser.

In this puzzle, students will get practice with the Ratio Direction Arrow. These arrows redirect pit droids with a specific rule. For example, a 2:1 Ratio Arrow will redirect 2 pit droids, then allow 1 pit droid to pass, then redirect 2 more, etc.

Arrange students in pairs and let them solve the training puzzle. After students have played, give students a challenge.

Ask questions that deal with the conversion of ratios into fractions, decimals and percentages.
They should be able to formulate solutions and use Star Wars Pit Droids to solve math problems creatively.

Ask them:

If there were 100 pit droids, how many would go into each goal?
What percent of the pit droids would be passing through if the ratio is 1:3?
If 1/5 of the pit droids successfully go through the puzzle, what percent would that be?

Have student pairs explain their problem solving strategies to the whole class.

For a challenging assignment, have students write out ratio problems to represent the number of pit droids that go into each goal for each puzzle they solve.

Try working the problem from a different angle. Have students design a puzzle where 30% of the pit droids need to end up at a particular goal. This would be more challenging due to the fact that they only have ratio arrows with which to work.

Now, challenge the groups to go on to play a game like Ratio/Patterns. (You'll find this puzzle using Puzzle Chooser, Game Puzzles in Mos Espa Market.)

(Thanks to educator Tim Evans for helping brainstorm teaching ideas for our products.)