PEDROS

PATIO PLANS

Fractions
Ratio
Multiples

Getting Ready
What Youll Need

Overview

Color Tiles, 60 red, 30 blue, 30

green, per pair

Students use Color Tiles to represent red, blue, and green patio tiles.
Students build the tiles into rectangles that satisfy fractional
specifications. In this activity, students have the opportunity to:

Color Tile grid paper, page 118

Crayons or colored pencils

discover fractional parts in relation to the whole

Activity Master, page 100

find different geometric ways to represent the same fractional part

recognize multiples, equivalence, ratios, and proportions
Other Super Source activities that explore these and related concepts are:
Peanut Brittle, page 9
Geo Gardens, page 13
Food Pyramid, Square, Circle, page 23

The Activity
On Their Own (Part 1)
Pedro plans to build a new rectangular patio in his backyard using
square pieces of slate in 3 different colors. How can Pedro create
rectangular patio layouts satisfying various color scheme combinations?
Work with a partner. Use red, blue, and green Color Tiles to represent the square
pieces of slate. Build at least 2 different-sized rectangular patios to represent
each of the following color scheme combinations:
Combination A 16 red, 26 blue, 36 green
Combination B 14 red, 38 blue, 38 green
Combination C 16 red, 13 blue, 12 green
Combination D 15 red, 310 blue, 12 green
Combination E 14 red, 13 blue, 512 green
Using crayons or colored pencils, record each of your solutions on a separate sheet
of Color Tile grid paper. For each rectangular patio, write the total number of tiles
used, the number of each color, and the dimensions of the rectangular patio.
Be ready to explain the method(s) used to arrive at your solutions.

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Thinking and Sharing

Write the following column headings on the chalk board: A, B, C, D, and E. Have one pair of
students post their solutions for each color scheme combination. Then ask other pairs of students to
post any different solutions they may have in the appropriate columns.
Use prompts like these to promote class discussion:
How did you go about deciding how many tiles should be in each rectangle?
How did you select the dimensions of the rectangle?
How did you figure out how many tiles of each color to use?
How do the numbers in the fraction relate to the different-colored tiles you used to create
your rectangle?
Do you think any of the posted solutions are not correct? Justify your response.
How is it possible that there could be more than one solution for each combination?

On Their Own (Part 2)

What if... Pedros neighbor, Christine, needs help in planning a patio for
her backyard? How can you help Christine determine the patios dimensions and the number of each color she will need, given her requirements?
Work with your partner. Build a model for Christines patio that satisfies the
following requirements:

The area of the patio must be 60 square units.

The border or perimeter tiles of the patio must be red.

3 of the interior tiles are blue.

The number of green and blue tiles together represents 12 the total
number of tiles used in the patio.

List all of the possible sets of dimensions for rectangular patios with an area of
60 square units, where the lengths and widths are whole numbers. Draw a model of
each rectangle on Color Tile grid paper.
Color the border tiles of each of these rectangles red. Determine and record the
fractional part of the red tiles in relation to the whole. Determine and record
the fractional part of the remaining interior tiles in relation to the whole.
Determine the number of interior tiles in each rectangle. Record the number of blue
and the number of red needed to satisfy Christines requirements.
Determine which of the rectangular patios satisfies Christines specifications.
Be ready to justify your conclusions.

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TITLE

Probability/Statistics

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Thinking and Sharing

Discuss the strategies students used to sort, analyze, and satisfy the requirements for the patio.
Invite pairs to share their results.
Use prompts like these to promote class discussion:
Where did you start after studying the given specifications?
How did you determine possible dimensions for the rectangle?
How did you find the fractional part of the whole that the red tiles are for each rectangle?
How did you find the fractional part of the whole that the interior tiles are for each
rectangle?
How did you find the number of interior tiles? the number of blue tiles? the number of
green tiles?
How do you know if you found a patio satisfying Christines requirements?

Suppose Christines patio was not rectangular. How would this change your response
to Part 2? Write a brief summary explaining what you would do differently.

Teacher Talk
Wheres the Mathematics?
In this activity, students use proportional reasoning in a geometric application to create models of
fractional representations. As they build rectangles and test to see if they satisfy given criteria,
students have an opportunity to enhance their understanding of what is meant by a fractional
part of a whole. For additional practice in adding fractions, students may check that the three fractional parts in each color scheme combination total one whole before they start looking for the
rectangles.
Since the directions do not specify the size of the rectangular patio or the number of Color Tiles to
use, students will need to experiment to make these determinations for themselves. Some students
may begin by making a rectangle of a seemingly random size, and then adjusting the number of
red, blue, or green tiles to produce the desired fractional parts of the whole. This may lead
students to see that the number of tiles used to build the original rectangle would determine
whether or not the fractional part can be represented. For example, in building rectangles in
which 58 of the tiles are red, 28 are blue, and 18 are green, students may first build a 2-by-4
rectangle using 5 red tiles, 2 blue tiles, and 1 green tile. They may then build a 3-by-5 rectangle
and try to determine how many of the 15 tiles are red, blue, and green. Once students discover
that this is impossible, they may realize that the number of tiles needed for the rectangle must be
related to denominators of the specified fractions.
Students who have had more experience working with fractions may begin by looking to see if the
specified fractions have the same denominator. If they do, then students can build a rectangle
using the numerator of each fraction to represent the number of tiles of that color needed for the
rectangle. An example is shown on the next page.

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9 red; therefore, use 5 red tiles

2
9 blue; therefore, use 2 blue tiles
2
9 green; therefore, use 2 green tiles

For those color scheme combinations in which the fractions do not have the same denominator,
students will need to change them to equivalent fractions with a common denominator (not necessarily the lowest common denominator) and then proceed as in the example above. By using different
common denominators, students will be able to generate a variety of rectangles, each satisfying the
given conditions. For example, the rectangle that is 12 red, 14 blue, and 14 green could be changed to
the following equivalent fraction combinations, each generating a different-sized rectangle:
2

4 red, 14 blue, and 14 green

8 red, 28 blue, and 28 green

12 red, 312 blue, and 312 green

The following rectangles satisfy each of the requirements for Combinations A through E in the first
activity.
(A)

B
1R
2B
3G

3x2
(B)

2R
4B
6G

3x4

2R
3B
3G

2R
4B
6G

2x4
(C)

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2x8

2x3

4R
6B
6G

1R
2B
3G

2x6
PEDROS PATIO PLANS

Number

Grades 7-8

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(D)

2R
3B
5G

(E)

4R
6B
10 G

3R
4B
5G

3x4

5x4

5x2

6R
8B
10 G

4x6
In the second activity, students start by listing the dimensions of rectangles having an area of 60
square units. Once the red border tiles are found, students should be able to find the fractional part
that these red tiles are in relation to the whole rectangle. When this fraction is subtracted from 1,
the remaining fraction will indicate the part of the whole represented by the interior tiles.

Red tiles
fractional part
of whole

Dimensions of
patio

Number of
red tiles

1 x 60

60

60

60

60

2 x 30
3 x 20

42

4 x 15

34

5 x 12

30

6 x 10

60 = 1
60 = 1
42
60 = 710
34
60 = 1730
30
60 = 12
28
60 = 715

28

Interior tiles
fractional part
of whole

Number of Number of Number of

interior tiles blue tiles green tiles

18

13

26

10
30
1
2
8
15

6
26

12
52

30

10

20

32

32

64

At this point the rectangles that have the dimensions of 1 x 60 and 2 x 30 could be eliminated
because they have no interior tiles. Some students may think that the number of interior tiles must
be half of the total number of tiles. Even though this assumption is true of the solution, the specifications never state that there cannot be any red tiles in the interior. The solution is not evident until
students realize that only one of these sets of dimensions could have blue tiles that are 13 of its
interior tiles and, at the same time, blue and green tiles that represent half the total number of tiles.
The 5 x 12 rectangle is the only one that fits all the criteria: its area is the required 60 square units,
it contains red tiles in its border, the number of blue and green tiles together represent half of the
total number of tiles, and 13 of the interior tiles are blue. In order to find the number of blue tiles in
the interior, students must take 13 of the 30 tiles that make up the interior to get 10 blue tiles,
leaving 20 tiles that are green.
Other students may reason that if 13 of the interior tiles are blue and the interior tiles make up 12 of
the entire rectangle, then 13 of 12 of the entire area consists of blue tiles. That is, 13 of 12 of 60 = 13
x 12 x 60 = 10 blue tiles.

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