Mathematics Pacing Resource Document
6.NS.9
Standard: 6.NS.9: Understand the concept of a unit rate and use terms related to rate in the context of a ratio relationship.
Teacher Background Information:
A unit rate compares a quantity in terms of one unit of another quantity. Students will often use unit rates to solve missing value problems. Cost per item or distance per time
unit are common unit rates, however, students should be able to flexibly use unit rates to name the amount of either quantity in terms of the other quantity. Students will begin
to notice that related unit rates are reciprocals as in the first example. It is not intended that this be taught as an algorithm or rule because at this level, students should
primarily use reasoning to find these unit rates.
In Grade 6, students are not expected to work with unit rates expressed as complex fractions. Both the numerator and denominator of the original ratio will be whole numbers.
Examples:

On a bicycle you can travel 20 miles in 4 hours. What are the unit rates in this situation, (the distance you can travel in 1 hour and the amount of time required to travel
1 mile)?
Solution: You can travel 5 miles in 1 hour written as
5 mi
1 hr
(or 5 miles per hour) and it takes
1
5
of an hour to travel each mile written as
1
hr
5
1 mi
(or
1
hour for every mile).
5
Students can represent the relationship between 20 miles and 4 hours.
A simple modeling clay recipe calls for 1 cup corn starch, 2 cups salt, and 2 cups boiling water.
How many cups of corn starch are needed to mix with each cup of salt?
1
2 𝑐𝑢𝑝 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ
1 𝑐𝑢𝑝 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑡
Indianapolis Public Schools
Curriculum and Instruction
Mathematics Pacing Resource Document
6.NS.9
Standard: 6.NS.9: Understand the concept of a unit rate and use terms related to rate in the context of a ratio relationship.
Teacher Background Information:
A simple modeling clay recipe calls for 1 cup corn starch, 2 cups salt, and 2 cups boiling water.
How many cups of salt are needed to mix with each cup of corn starch?
2 𝑐𝑢𝑝𝑠 𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑡
1 𝑐𝑢𝑝 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ
A simple modeling clay recipe calls for 1 cup corn starch, 2 cups salt, and 2 cups boiling water.
How many cups of salt are needed to mix with each cup of boiling?
1 𝑐𝑢𝑝 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑡
1 𝑐𝑢𝑝 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑜𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟
Process Standards to Emphasize with Instruction of 6.NS.9:
6.PS.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
6.PS.6: Attend to precision.
Indianapolis Public Schools
Curriculum and Instruction
Mathematics Pacing Resource Document
6.NS.9
Standard: 6.NS.9: Understand the concept of a unit rate and use terms related to rate in the context of a ratio relationship.
Lesson Plans/Print Activities:
 Impact Math: Unit D, Investigation 4
 https://www.engageny.org/resource/grade-6-mathematics-module-1-topic-c-overview EngageNY
Module 1 Topic C Lessons 16-18
 http://s3.amazonaws.com/illustrativemathematics/illustration_pdfs/000/001/175/original/illustrativ
e_mathematics_1175.pdf?1390749453 Illustrative Mathematics Task: Riding at a Constant Speed
Web-based Practice:
 http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/e3173a70-f22d-4b40-b8da6d8c66304d0f/i-3-math-unit-rates/ I Heart Math: Unit Rates
 https://www.khanacademy.org/math/cc-sixth-grade-math/cc-6th-ratiosprop-topic/cc-6th-rates/v/introduction-to-rates Khan Academy
Introduction to Rates
 http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Lets-Make-A-Deal-Unit-Rate-Activity-379894
Finding a deal between two similar products group activity (free download)
 http://www.brainingcamp.com/content/rates/lesson.php Rates
 http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResource/Preview/36120 This a culminating activity for unit
rates that has students apply knowledge to purchasing groceries, specifically how knowledge of unit
rates can help save money over time.
 https://learnzillion.com/student/lessons/841-create-unit-rate-usingtape-diagram In this lesson you will learn to create a unit rate by using a
tape diagram.
 http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResource/Preview/46161 In this lesson students will use their
understanding of ratios and unit rate to solve problems where they must decide whether various
situations are fair.
 https://www.illustrativemathematics.org/illustrations/77 Mangos for sale task
 https://www.illustrativemathematics.org/illustrations/549 Price per pound and pounds per dollar
Task
 http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResource/Preview/50802 In this activity, students will learn
how to set up ratios and calculate unit rates using a recipe.
 http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResource/Preview/50663 This lesson uses student created
data to find the unit rate of distance per time. Students catapult three different coins, measure time
and distance to find the rate of flight for each coin.
 https://learnzillion.com/resources/64213-grade-6-unit-2 LearnZillion Rates Unit. Scroll down for
lesson descriptors.
 https://learnzillion.com/resources/74923-6th-grade-ratios-and-proportional-relationships
LearnZillion video lessons
Indianapolis Public Schools
Curriculum and Instruction
Mathematics Pacing Resource Document
6.NS.9
Item Bank:
1) Sally takes dance lessons for the following amounts of time every week.
Day
Monday
Wednesday
Friday
Length of Dance Lesson
2.5 hours
3 hours
2.5 hours
Sally paid a total of $112 for one week of lessons. What is the rate per hour for the dance lessons? Answer: D
A) $8/hour
B) $12/hour
C) $10/hour
D) $14/hour
2) Janice paid $84 for 12 sandwiches. How much would Janice pay for 1 sandwich?
A) $7
B) $12
C) $8
D) $12
3) A bookstore sells four non-fiction books for every 12 fiction books sold. (Florida Center for Research)
a. What is the ratio of fiction books sold to non-fiction books sold? Answer: 12 to 4 or other valid answer
b. Write this ratio as a unit rate of fiction books to non-fiction books. Answer: 3 to 1 or other valid answer
c. Explain how you found the unit rate. Answer: “I found the unit rate by dividing both numbers by the number of non-fiction books.” Or other valid response
4) At Walmart, apples are on sale for $13.20 for 6 pounds. At Marsh, apples are on sale for $10.25 for 5 pounds. Which grocery store has a better deal on apples this
week? Explain how you found your answer. Answer: Walmart $2.20 per pound, Marsh $2.05 per pound. Marsh is a better buy.
Indianapolis Public Schools
Curriculum and Instruction
Mathematics Pacing Resource Document
6.NS.9
Item Bank:
Indianapolis Public Schools
Curriculum and Instruction
Mathematics Pacing Resource Document
6.NS.9
Item Bank:
Indianapolis Public Schools
Curriculum and Instruction