Pets and Pet Food
Number Sense, Properties, and Operations
Objective 1: Demonstrate with and with out concrete
materials, an understanding of multiplication to solve
problems.
Objective 2: Demonstrate with and without, concrete
materials, an understanding of division and interpret
remainders to solve problems.
Objective 3: Demonstrate an understanding of addition and
subtraction of decimals.
Grade 5 – Number Sense
Pets and Pet Food
Grade 5
Strand: Number Sense
Summary:
Students use problem solving skills with multiplication
and division to investigate the costs of owning a pet.
Keywords:
Problem solving
Multiplication
Division
Data collection
Math in real-life situation
Grade 5 – Number Sense
Pets and Pet Food
Information for the Teacher
Task Description
This assessment asks the students to demonstrate their multiplication and
division skills while investigating the costs involved in owning a pet.
To make the data collection more relevant, the teacher may wish to schedule
a field trip to a pet store and require students to gather necessary
information themselves.
Required Materials
As desired, supply prices on pet food, veterinary prices, and any other
information on pet care.
Grade 5 – Number Sense
Pets and Pet Food
Do you have a pet? If you do, you know that it
costs money to keep them healthy, happy, and safe.
If you don’t own a pet, maybe you would like to find
out more about owning one.
How much does it cost to keep a pet? That is what
you will think about in these pages.
Grade 5 – Number Sense
Task 1: Bags of Dog Food
Some people buy large bags of dog food and others
buy small bags of dog food.
How many grams of dog food are in a 2.5 kg bag?
Show all of your work. Check answers.
Work area:
grams
How many grams of dog food are in a 12 kg bag?
Work area:
grams
Grade 5 – Number Sense
Teacher Scoring Guide – Task 1
4
WOW
The criteria for a score of Proficient are successfully met.
 More advanced work is included. For example, the student
completes the conversions from pounds to ounces for larger
and smaller sized dog food bags. Other examples include:
_________________________________________________

3




2


1


GOOD
Two correct answers are given.
All work is shown.
The answers are checked.
No coaching is needed.
OK
One correct answer is given without coaching, or two correct
answers are given with significant coaching.
More work is needed.
IMPROVEMENT NEEDED
No correct answers are given.
The task should be repeated.
Grade 5 – Number Sense
Task 2: Buying Dog Food
The directions on one kind of dog food say that an
older dog should eat only 250g of that food a day.
If I buy a 5kg bag of dog food and give my dog
250g every day, how long will that bag of food
last? Remember to show all the steps and label
your answers. When you have finished, check your
work.
If I bought a 20 kg bag of dog food and gave my
dog 300 grams a day, how long would that bag of
food last? Remember to show all the steps and
label your answers. When you have finished, check
your work.
Grade 5 – Number Sense
Teacher Scoring Guide – Task 2
4
WOW
The criteria for a score of Proficient are successfully met.
 More advanced work is included.
For example, the answers
are converted from days to weeks or months. Other
examples include:
_________________________________________________

3



2
GOOD
Two correct answers are given.
The work is shown for all problems.
The answers are labeled and checked.
OK
One correct answer is given, but coaching is needed.
OR
 The problems are set up correctly, but there are
miscalculations.
 More work is needed.

1


IMPROVEMENT NEEDED
The student does not solve the problems.
The task should be repeated.
Grade 5 – Number Sense
Student Scoring Guide – Task 2
I found two correct answers.
I showed all the steps and labeled my work.
I didn’t need any help from the teacher.
I think I did an extra great job because:
I knew how to get the answers, but I didn’t calculate
correctly.
I will keep trying because I am almost there.

I did not understand what to do.
I will ask questions and try again.
Grade 5 – Number Sense
Task 3: Yearly costs of owning a dog
1. One 15 kg bag of dog food costs $18.
If I buy 7 fifteen kilogram bags in one year, how
much will I spend on dog food in one year?
Work area:
Answer
Grade 5 – Number Sense
_________________
2. There are other costs a dog owner must
remember during the year:
Doctor visits--$ 75.00, Grooming--$40.00, Toys-$ 22.00, License -- $30.00
Cost
Cost/ Visit
Doctor
Grooming
License
Toys
$75.00
$40.00
$30.00
$22.00
# of times
per year
Total Cost
per year
With these other costs, how much will I spend on
my dog in one year?
Work area:
Answer _________________
Grade 5 – Number Sense
Teacher Scoring Guide – Task 3
4
WOW
The criteria for a score of Proficient are successfully met.
 More advanced work is included.
For example, the student
includes additional costs. Other examples include:
_________________________________________________

3



2


1


GOOD
The yearly cost of owning a dog is calculated correctly.
The work is shown.
The answer is labeled.
OK
The problems are set up correctly, but the calculations are
incorrect.
More work is needed.
IMPROVEMENT NEEDED
The student does not solve the problems.
The task should be repeated.
Grade 5 – Number Sense
Student Scoring Guide – Task 3
I calculated how much is spent on food in one year.
I calculated how much is spent on a dog in one year.
I showed all the steps and labeled my answers.
I think I did an extra great job because:
I needed a little help from my teacher to set up or to solve
problems.
I will keep trying because I am almost there.

I did not understand what to do.
I will ask questions and try again.
Grade 5 – Number Sense
Task 4: Comparing Costs
How much would it cost to have a rabbit, a fish, a
horse, a cat, or any other pet?
Choose a different pet to learn about. Gather
information about how much the pet’s food,
grooming, doctor visits, and any other expenses
would cost in one year. How does it compare to
owning a dog? Show your comparison on a table
and a graph.
Be sure to show all your work, even if you used a
calculator. Label your answers along the way. Be
able to explain how you got your final answer.
Use a separate piece of paper to complete your
work.
Grade 5 – Number Sense