Plan A Party Math Enrichment Project Decimals Area Elapsed Time

Plan A Party Math Enrichment Project

With this Plan A Party real-world math project, your students will become expert event planners as they design the ultimate birthday celebration for Mr. and Mrs. Moneybags! They will apply a range of important math skills like elapsed time, multi-step problem solving, and estimating to pull off the party of the century. Perfect to use for 4th grade math enrichment of 5th grade review.

Math Skills Students Will Use:

Each student will receive a party planning book to guide them through the planning process. On each page, they will analyze a problem and apply math skills to solve it. From budgeting expenses to designing invitations and planning the seating chart, students will put their creative and critical thinking skills to the test. Every task they complete brings them one step closer to party day!

To complete this project, students will work through the following activities:

WORDS TO KNOW

This page includes important words students will encounter during their project. A set of definitions is included for them to cut out and glue onto the vocabulary chart under the correct word.

THE BUDGET

Students will use this page to calculate how much money Mr. and Mrs. Moneybags have to spend on the party. They will also estimate how much various items will cost and compare to their actual spending. (math skill: multi-digit addition)

THE VENUE

On this page, students will visit the Party Palace and choose which room to book. Their decision is based on the number of guests and how much space is needed. (math skills: basic multiplication, area of composite shapes with missing side)

THE INVITATIONS

Now it’s time to choose the invitations. Students must order the correct number of boxes so that there are enough invitations for every guest. They will also calculate the cost of invitations, envelopes, and postage before getting to actually design their invitation! (math skills: basic division, multiplication of whole numbers x decimals, addition of numbers with decimals)

THE SEATING CHART

Next, students must order the correct number of tables to fit the number of guests. But the real challenge is to arrange seating at the family table… afterall, not everyone gets along. (math skills: basic multiplication and division, logic and critical thinking/creative problem solving)

THE MENU

Every party needs good food and your students will really enjoy planning the menu for this shindig! After choosing appetizers, main dishes, desserts, and more, they will calculate the total cost of catering. (math skills: multi-digit addition with decimals, rounding to the nearest ten)

DECORATIONS

Now that the party room has been chosen, it’s time to decorate. Your party planners will need to figure out how many tablecloths, balloons, and banners to order based on the size of the room and the number of tables. (math skills: perimeter of composite shapes with missing side, basic multiplication, multiplication of decimal numbers, addition of decimal numbers)

ENTERTAINMENT

The final step in planning this party is to choose the entertainment. Students will determine how many hours the fun stuff is needed and calculate the cost. (math skills: telling time to the minute, elapsed time, multiplication of decimal numbers, addition of decimal numbers)

After planning every aspect of the party, students will return to their budget worksheet to add up the money they’ve spent. Did they stay within budget and keep Mr. and Mrs. Moneybags happy?

Please look carefully at the math skills on each page to be sure this project is suitable for your students. There is some review of third-grade skills included, but most third-graders would have difficulty completing this project independently.

Answer keys are provided when appropriate and an extra “work space” page is included for math calculations. There are also alternate pages with metric measurements instead of standard/imperial.