Grade 5: Multi-Step Mixed Challenges
These original challenges combine several skills in one story. Record intermediate results, include units, draw a model or route when useful, and check the final result. Teachers can reveal answers using the existing hidden-answer controls.
Prerequisites: fractions of amounts, money decimals, percent discounts and angle turns. Assign after teaching these skills.
Market budget: fractions, decimals and percent
A class has $80. It spends 3/8 of the budget on fruit. It then buys 12 drinks at $1.25 each. Decorations cost $20 before a 10% discount. The discount applies only to decorations.
- Find the fruit cost and budget remaining afterward.
- Find the drink cost and remaining budget.
- Find the discount and actual decoration cost.
- Find total spending and final money remaining.
- What percent of the original budget remains?
- Can the class buy 3 extra drinks at the same price and still keep $15?
Turn and travel: angle reasoning
A robot faces east at (2, 3). It turns 90ยฐ counterclockwise and moves 4 blocks, turns 90ยฐ clockwise and moves 6 blocks, then turns 180ยฐ and moves 2 blocks. East increases x; north increases y.
- Which direction does it face after each turn?
- Give its coordinates after each move.
- Classify the three turns by angle size.
- Find total distance traveled and shortest street distance back to the start.
- A turn from east to north can follow a longer clockwise route. Find that angle and classify it.
- Why do the unsigned turn sizes add to 360ยฐ even though the robot finishes facing west?
Source notes
Inspired by the themed, mixed-skill activities in Evan-Moorโs Skill Sharpeners Math series. Stories, values and questions above are original.
- Grade 4: Getting to the Park, PDF page 9 (printed page 7), and the operation path on PDF page 10.
- Grade 5: Contents, PDF pages 3โ4; fraction, decimal, percent, function-table and multistep problems.