Check out this week's Lesson Collaboration Call + other upcoming events with Citizen Math teachers! Everyone is welcome.

To Have and to Hold (Updated!)

Is renting a storage unit a good idea?

Login to add lessons to your favorites

To Have and to Hold (Updated!)

Is renting a storage unit a good idea?

Login to add lessons to your favorites
Log In or Sign Up to Access Lesson Materials
To Have and to Hold - Student Handout.pdf
Log In or Sign Up to Access Lesson Materials
To Have and to Hold - Teacher Guide.pdf
Log In or Sign Up to Access Lesson Materials

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.

Is it a good idea to rent a storage unit? Americans love their stuff. There are more storage facilities in the United States than there are McDonald’s and Starbucks combined. But are people spending more on storage than their stuff is worth?

In this lesson, students write and solve multi-step equations to evaluate whether storage unit rentals are worth the cost and make recommendations for when people should store, sell, donate, or toss their unused stuff.

REAL WORLD TAKEAWAYS

  • Self-storage is very popular in the United States. Roughly 40% of Americans rent a storage unit to store their possessions.
  • People often store items when they run out of room. At some point, people can spend more to store items than the items are worth.
  • Considering whether or not to store items can help us reevaluate our relationships with physical products.

MATH OBJECTIVES

  • Use tables and graphs to evaluate linear relationships.
  • Write and solve equations and/or inequalities in the form of px + q = r and px + q > r.
Appropriate most times as students are developing conceptual understanding.
Grade 7
Equations & Expressions
Grade 7
Equations & Expressions
Content Standards 7.EE.3 Solve multi-step real-life and mathematical problems posed with positive and negative rational numbers in any form (whole numbers, fractions, and decimals), using tools strategically. Apply properties of operations to calculate with numbers in any form; convert between forms as appropriate; and assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies. For example: If a woman making $25 an hour gets a 10% raise, she will make an additional 1/10 of her salary an hour, or $2.50, for a new salary of $27.50. If you want to place a towel bar 9 3/4 inches long in the center of a door that is 27 1/2 inches wide, you will need to place the bar about 9 inches from each edge; this estimate can be used as a check on the exact computation. 7.EE.4 Use variables to represent quantities in a real-world or mathematical problem, and construct simple equations and inequalities to solve problems by reasoning about the quantities. (a) Solve word problems leading to equations of the form px + q = r and p(x + q) = r, where p, q, and r are specific rational numbers. Solve equations of these forms fluently. Compare an algebraic solution to an arithmetic solution, identifying the sequence of the operations used in each approach. For example, the perimeter of a rectangle is 54 cm. Its length is 6 cm. What is its width? (b) Solve word problems leading to inequalities of the form px + q > r or px + q < r, where p, q, and r are specific rational numbers. Graph the solution set of the inequality and interpret it in the context of the problem. For example: As a salesperson, you are paid $50 per week plus $3 per sale. This week you want your pay to be at least $100. Write an inequality for the number of sales you need to make, and describe the solutions.
Mathematical Practices MP.1 Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively. MP.3 Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. MP.4 Model with mathematics. MP.8 Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

Other Grade 7 Lessons

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.

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.

Licensed to Ill (Updated!)

How should a health insurance market work?

Grade 7
Probability & Statistics
Appropriate most times as students are developing conceptual understanding.

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.

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.

Licensed to Ill (Updated!)

How should a health insurance market work?

Grade 7
Probability & Statistics
Appropriate most times as students are developing conceptual understanding.