Going Places (Continued)

Going Places

Getting Started How do you get from place to place? You may ride in a car or a bus. You may even ride a bicycle or train to get places. Many large cities have transit systems where you can ride a bus or train just about anywhere in the city. For this project, you will research a mass transit system in a major city. You will use one-variable equations with variables on both sides to compare different statistics about the mass transit system.

Activities Researching Imagine you are part of a team at a museum that is putting together an exhibit about mass transit in the United States. Choose a major city with a mass transit system. Find data and statistics you can compare, such as ridership in different years, distances between different stops, distances of different routes, or time to get between two locations using different routes.

Recording Record all the information you find about the mass transit system. You will need data you can use to write one-variable equations with variables on both sides.

Modeling Explore the information you have found to write at least 2 one-variable equations with variables on both sides. For example, if the distance train A travels is twice the distance train B travels, and the distance train C travels is 4 miles more than the distance train B travels, and the distances that trains A and C travel are equal, you can write the equation 2B = B + 4, because A = C. Solve each equation and check your solutions for reasonableness.

Preparing Use your equations and information to create a poster for your museum’s new exhibit. Think about what would be the most informative presentation for museum visitors. Include pictures and a brief description of the mass transit system. Highlight the real-world problems, and explain what they show and how to solve them.

– grade 8 • Topic Project

1 Going Places (continued) Finishing the Project You’re almost ready to present! Project Checklist Have you gathered together the parts of your project?  your research on the mass transit system  your two equations that model real-world problems  your solutions to the problems and the explanations of what they show  your museum poster

Reflect and Revise Review your project with a friend or family member. Is your poster organized? Did you explain your real-world problems? If necessary, make changes to improve your poster.

Scoring Rubric All of the required research is collected and displayed in an organized and interesting poster. The equations model 3 real-world problems and are written and solved correctly. The problems’ explanations are detailed and accurate. Most of the required research is collected and displayed in an organized poster. The equations model real-world problems and 2 contain only minor errors. The problems’ explanations are accurate but may lack detail. Some of the required research and data is collected, but the poster is disorganized. The equations do not model real-world 1 problems and contain several errors. The explanations of the problems are inaccurate or incomplete. 0 Significant portions of the project are incomplete or missing.

Your Evaluation of the Project Evaluate your work, based on the Scoring Rubric.

Your Teacher’s Evaluation of the Project

– grade 8 • Topic Project