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(Old) Coupon Clipping

Are coupons always a good deal?

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(Old) Coupon Clipping

Are coupons always a good deal?

Login to add lessons to your favorites

A newer, better version of this lesson is available! Explore all updated lessons here, or read more about the updates in Our Community.

Coupon Clipping - Teacher Guide.pdf
Coupon_Clipping_-_Student_Handout.pdf
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2023-2024 Versions

In the fall of 2024, Citizen Math released updated versions of every lesson in our library, plus a few new ones! We know you may have already prepped an earlier version or planned a repeat of last year, so we're continuing to make these earlier versions available through Thursday December 5, 2024.

You can find the new lessons through the regular search, and we hope you love them as much as we do. You can read more about these updates in Our Community.

Click here for the updated version of this lesson!

Are coupons always a good deal? Retailers like JCPenney use coupons to offer their shoppers great-looking deals, but there’s a catch: Before putting an item on sale, a store often first raises its price.

In this lesson, students reason with percents and proportions to evaluate enticing coupons and debate whether retailers should be allowed to raise the price of items in order to then put them on sale.

REAL WORLD TAKEAWAYS

  • Stores often inflate sticker prices so that they can offer big discounts to customers.
  • People have emotional or gut reactions to special offers; the same price can feel different depending on the “deal.”
  • When famous retailer JCPenney implemented a “Fair and Square” pricing policy through which it reduced sticker prices and mostly eliminated coupons, sales plummeted.

MATH OBJECTIVES

  • Use percents to calculate sale prices after a discount
  • Given a new price and a percent discount, use proportional reasoning to determine the original price
This complex task is best as a culminating unit activity after students have developed formal knowledge and conceptual understanding.
Grade 7
Percents & Proportions
Grade 7
Percents & Proportions
Content Standards
Mathematical Practices

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Big Foot Conspiracy (Updated!)

Should people with small feet pay less for shoes?

Grade 7
Ratios & Proportions
Great anytime, including at the beginning of a unit before students have any formal introduction to the topic.

To Have and to Hold (Updated!)

Is renting a storage unit a good idea?

Grade 7
Equations & Expressions
Appropriate most times as students are developing conceptual understanding.

Common Cents (Updated!)

Should the United States get rid of the penny?

Grade 7
Rational Numbers
Appropriate most times as students are developing conceptual understanding.

Axle Roads (Updated!)

How do vehicles turn so smoothly?

Grade 7
Measuring Circles
Appropriate most times as students are developing conceptual understanding.

Grading Scales of Justice (Updated!)

What’s the best grading policy?

Grade 7
Percents & Proportions
Appropriate most times as students are developing conceptual understanding.