Lesson Title: 7.RP.A.2c Pancake Breakfast
Date: _____________ Teacher(s): ____________________
Course: Common Core Math 7
Start/end times: _________________________
Lesson Objective(s): What mathematical skill(s) and understanding(s) will be developed?
7.RP.1 Compute unit rates associated with ratios of fractions, including ratios of lengths, areas and other quantities
measured in like or different units.
7.RP.2b Identify the constant of proportionality (unit rate) in tables, graphs, equations, diagrams, and verbal
descriptions of proportional relationships
7.RP.2c Represent proportional relationships by equations.
MP1:
MP2:
MP4:
MP5:
MP6:
MP7:
MP8:
Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
Model with mathematics.
Use appropriate tools strategically.
Attend to precision.
Look for and make use of structure.
Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
Lesson Launch Notes: Exactly how will you use the
first five minutes of the lesson?
1. Display this image:
http://gobigorgohomeblog.com/content/IMG_3932Medium.jpg
2. Say, “On September 27th, 1987, the Birkett Mills
company cooked the world’s largest (buckwheat)
pancake in this huge griddle, which was placed
over hot stones. They mixed the batter in a cement
mixer, and flipped it with a crane. The pancake
griddle measures 27 feet across.” (Source:
http://gobigorgohomeblog.com/1290)
Lesson Closure Notes: Exactly what summary activity,
questions, and discussion will close the lesson and provide
a foreshadowing of tomorrow? List the questions.
Provide students an opportunity to share selected
responses from their choice of pancake mix. Ask:
 Why might we want to minimize costs?
 If we were holding the pancake breakfast as a
fundraiser, what kinds of things would we need to
know to maximize profit? For what causes,
charities, or reasons might you want to host a
pancake breakfast fundraiser?
(Look for evidence MP1, MP2 and MP4.)
3. Ask, “How many cups of pancake mix might it
have taken to make a pancake this large? How
might you approach making an estimate? What
information do you think you might need to make a
reasonable prediction?”
4. Have students think-pair-share student answers.
(Look for evidence MP2, MP4, and MP7.)
Lesson Tasks, Problems, and Activities (attach resource sheets): What specific activities, investigations, problems,
questions, or tasks will students be working on during the lesson?
This lesson can be as in depth as you choose to make it. As an extension, students can hold the pancake breakfast for
their class, for teachers, administration, etc. Students can divide into committees and use ratios and proportions
and/or equations to determine the amount of syrup, coffee, juice, plates, etc., needed.
1. Say, “It’s not every day that you try to make the world’s largest pancake. However, a pancake breakfast is a
pretty common event. How many of you have been to a pancake breakfast, or to IHOP or Denny’s for breakfast?
How many of you have made or eaten pancakes at home?” (Look for evidence MP1, MP2, MP4, and MP7.)
2. Share that Springfield, Massachusetts, holds the world’s largest pancake breakfast every year. This past year,
15,000 people attended to eat breakfast served on long tables stretched out along Main Street, which was shut
HCPSS Secondary Mathematics Office (v2); adapted from: Leinwand, S. (2009). Accessible mathematics: 10 instructional shifts that raise student
achievement. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Lesson Title: 7.RP.A.2c Pancake Breakfast
Course: Common Core Math 7
Date: _____________ Teacher(s): ____________________
Start/end times: _________________________
down for the event. The ingredients were mixed together in 100 five gallon buckets. Here’s the recipe they
needed to make enough pancakes for the hungry crowd:
Buttermilk Pancakes
3,450 pounds buttermilk flour
800 pounds eggs
350 pounds butter
450 gallons water
Mix all ingredients. For best results, use 39 grills.
Top with 4,700 pounds of butter and 450 gallons of maple syrup.
Serve with 200 gallons of freshly brewed coffee,
700 gallons of juice, and 700 gallons of milk.
3. Say, “If we were going to host a pancake breakfast at our school, what kinds of things would we need to think
about?” Elicit student responses. Discuss:
 How many people will come?
 How many pancakes do people eat at a pancake breakfast?
 How much pancake mix do we need?
 How much water will we need to mix with the pancake mix?
 What mix is cheapest?
 How will we make that many pancakes?
(Look for evidence MP1, MP2, MP4, and MP7.)
4. Ask, “How many pancakes do we need to make? What do we need to know to figure this out?” (Answers should
include determining how many people are coming and how many pancakes each person might eat. To determine
average number of pancakes eaten, it may be helpful to take a quick class poll.) (Look for evidence MP1, MP2,
MP4, and MP7.)
5. Review the vocabulary concept of “serving size.” Using a pancake visual or having students draw a serving size
may be helpful for students requiring support with this vocabulary. Know the number of students in the grade,
and the number of students in the school, or provide the students with a resource to determine this information.
An opportunity for student movement could include moving to look this information on the computer.
6. Ask students to work in groups to determine, “How many pancakes would you need for just the students in your
group? How many would be needed for the whole class? How many would be needed for your grade? How
many for the students in the school? How many for students and staff in the school?” (Look for evidence MP1,
MP2, MP4, and MP7.)
7. Circulate and find groups that are solving the problem in different ways. Possible solution methods include
setting up a proportion, drawing a diagram, creating a chart, or developing an equation. Model different response
methods for the class as a whole, or do a “gallery walk” to show students the different methods used. After
students have been exposed to different methods, discuss how the methods are related. Model the relationships
among the different methods. If no groups created an equation, model for students how an equation can be
created from the methods that were used.
Total number of pancakes needed= Total number of people
Number of pancakes average person will eat
If T equals the total number of pancakes, P equals the total number of people, and A equals the number of
pancakes the average person will eat, then an equation that would model this situation would be:
T=PA
8. Ask, “Which of the methods works best for you? If you did this problem again, would you use the same method?
Which method is the most efficient?” (Look for evidence MP1, MP2, MP4, and MP7.)
HCPSS Secondary Mathematics Office (v2); adapted from: Leinwand, S. (2009). Accessible mathematics: 10 instructional shifts that raise student
achievement. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Lesson Title: 7.RP.A.2c Pancake Breakfast
Course: Common Core Math 7
Date: _____________ Teacher(s): ____________________
Start/end times: _________________________
9. Ask students to answer the following problem independently. “If you were making breakfast for 15 people, how
many pancakes would you need?” Circulate. Ask students how many of them used each different method. Ask
all students to attempt the problem using the equation. (Look for evidence MP1, MP2, MP4, and MP7.)
10. Distribute Hungry Jack or Aunt Jemima box screen shots as found on student resource sheet 1. One half of the
class should receive the Hungry Jack box, the other should receive the Aunt Jemima box. This can be done
randomly, or intentionally to split the class into two groups of working pairs. It may be helpful to have on hand a
box of each brand of pancake mix, 2 bowls, measuring cups and mixing utensils. Set up two stations, one for
each box, to allow students a hands-on method of working with the problem. If you choose to do this, make sure
the cost of the pancake mix listed on the Student Resource Pancake Breakfast and the price on the actual box is
the same.
11. Say, “Your challenge is to work in pairs to determine the answers to the following questions, and then develop
equations we can use to plan our own pancake breakfast. Eventually, we will want to determine which brand of
pancake mix would be the best to use for our pancake breakfast.
a. What is the total amount of our mix needed for different numbers of pancake eaters?
b. What is the total amount of water needed for different numbers of pancake eaters?
c. What is the total number of boxes of this sized mix needed for different numbers of pancake eaters?
d. What will the cost of our mix be for different numbers of pancake eaters?” (Look for evidence MP1,
MP2, MP4, and MP7.)
12. Have the Aunt Jemima and Hungry Jack groups present their equations. Ask, “If we were going to have a
pancake breakfast, who would you want to invite? How many people would that be? Which brand of mix would
you use if you were trying to minimize the cost of the event?” Students should use the number of people in
attendance, and the equation they created to determine the total cost of mix, and then they should use this
information to justify their answer. Students should present their answer using mathematical evidence in one of
the following forms: written paragraph, visual presentation/proposal, verbal argument, graph or chart, song or
poem.
13. As a lesson extension, have students actually host a pancake breakfast. Say, “We are going to host a pancake
breakfast. Who we choose to invite will be up to the class. In order to plan our pancake breakfast and to
determine how many people we can invite, we need to answer some of the questions you came up with at the
beginning of this lesson.”
Evidence of Success: What exactly do I expect students to be able to do by the end of the lesson, and how will I
measure student mastery? That is, deliberate consideration of what performances will convince you (and any outside
observer) that your students have developed a deepened (and conceptual) understanding.
Students should be able to write an equation to model the cost of a box of pancake mix for different numbers of
pancake breakfast customers. Students should be able to use this equation to support an argument as to which
pancake mix would be best to use to minimize cost.
Notes and Nuances: Vocabulary, connections, common mistakes, typical misconceptions, etc.
Serving size is a vocabulary concept that may need to be explicitly taught to some students.
In this lesson, the number of pancake eaters could be replaced by the term “number of servings.” If this term is used,
some students may need to learn the vocabulary.
If students require support, they can be encouraged to utilize the stations set up with the mix, to create a chart, or
teachers may choose to provide Student Resource Pancake Breakfast. This resource sheet should not be used with all
student groups, and is best used as a teacher example of one possible student response format.
If you are choosing to extend this lesson and have students actually host a pancake breakfast, you may want to use
the following wording for this challenge: We are going to host a pancake breakfast. Who we choose to invite will be
up to the class. In order to plan our pancake breakfast and to determine how many people we can invite, we need to
HCPSS Secondary Mathematics Office (v2); adapted from: Leinwand, S. (2009). Accessible mathematics: 10 instructional shifts that raise student
achievement. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Lesson Title: 7.RP.A.2c Pancake Breakfast
Course: Common Core Math 7
Date: _____________ Teacher(s): ____________________
Start/end times: _________________________
answer some of the questions you came up with at the beginning of this lesson.
Resources: What materials or resources are essential
for students to successfully complete the lesson tasks or
activities?
Homework: Exactly what follow-up homework tasks,
problems, and/or exercises will be assigned upon the
completion of the lesson?
Student Resource Pancake Breakfast
Recipe
Hungry Jack and Aunty Jemima boxes
To be determined by the teacher
Lesson Reflections: What questions, connected to the lesson objectives and evidence of success, will you use to
reflect on the effectiveness of this lesson?
Are the students able to apply their understanding of ratios and proportional relationships to solve these problems?
What understandings do I need to continue to develop based on my students’ current understanding?
Howard County Public Schools Office of Secondary Mathematics Curricular Projects has licensed this product
under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
HCPSS Secondary Mathematics Office (v2); adapted from: Leinwand, S. (2009). Accessible mathematics: 10 instructional shifts that raise student
achievement. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.