Combo Craze Project
COMBO CRAZE
Food Truck Distributive Property Project • Grade 7
Name:
Date:
Period:
Score:
Food Truck Mission
Welcome to The Daily Byte! Customers buy individual items or packaged Combo Boxes. Use the distributive property to package orders, calculate totals, and design deals!
Menu Variables
\(s\) Slider
\(f\) Fries
\(d\) Drink
\(c\) Churro
1 Task 1: Model Combo Boxes (Visual Area Model)
\(a(b + c) = ab + ac\)
The height represents the number of combo boxes; the width represents the items inside each box.
Order A: 3 Team Combos \(3(2s + f)\)
Complete the partial products in each box:
3
\(2s\)
\(f\)
Expanded Total:
Order B: 4 Family Packs \(4(3s + 2d)\)
Label dimensions and draw the split model:
Expanded Total:
2 Task 2: Distribute & Expand Bulk Orders
Show algebraic steps
Multiply the outside factor by every term inside the parentheses.
2A. Mega Party Feast \(6(2s + 3f + d)\)
Distribute across all 3 terms:
Expanded:
2B. Coupon Discount Deal \(5(4s - 1.50)\)
Each combo gets a $1.50 discount:
Expanded:
3 Task 3: Prove Equivalence (Substitution Test)
Real Dollar Test
Suppose slider \(s = \$4\) and drink \(d = \$2\). Prove that \(3(2s + 4d)\) equals its expanded form \(6s + 12d\)!
Method 1: Evaluate Factored Form
Substitute into \(3(2s + 4d)\) inside brackets first:
Total Price:
Method 2: Evaluate Expanded Form
Substitute into \(6s + 12d\) directly:
Total Price:
The Daily Byte Food Truck Project • Distributive Property Turn over for Phase 2: Catering & Custom Menu → Page 1 of 2
PHASE 2: CATERING & MENU DESIGN
Reverse Distribution • Factoring • Creative Application
Student Name:
4 Task 4: Reverse the Kitchen! (Factoring Out GCF)
\(ab + ac = a(b + c)\)
To pack loose items into identical combo boxes with no leftovers, factor out the Greatest Common Factor (GCF).
4A. Corporate Lunch: \(12s + 18f\)
GCF of 12 and 18 =
Factored Form:
4B. Stadium Catering: \(20s + 15f + 35d\)
GCF of 20, 15, 35 =
Factored Form:
5 Task 5: Design Your Signature Combo Deal!
Chef's Challenge
Create a new combo deal. Pick at least 2 menu items per box (\(s, f, d, c\)) and a box multiplier of at least 3.
1. Deal Name:
2. Items in 1 Box:
3. Number of Boxes:
Draw Your Deal's Area Model:
Label boxes on left & items on top.
Write Math Expressions:
Factored Form \(a(bx + cy)\):
Expanded Form (\(abx + acy\)):
6 Task 6: Chef's Math Reflection
Why is writing \(4(2s + f)\) faster for kitchen prep than listing \(8s + 4f\)?
How does the area model prove that \(a(b + c)\) is always equal to \(ab + ac\)?
Project Assessment Rubric Total: 16 Points
| Criteria | 4 - Master Chef | 3 - Sous Chef | 2 - Line Cook | 1 - Trainee |
|---|
| Visual Area Models | All dimensions & areas accurate | Minor labeling mistake | Incomplete model setup | Missing or incorrect |
| Distributive Expansion | Flawless multi-term work | 1 minor arithmetic error | Did not distribute all terms | Incorrect method |
| Factoring / GCF | Correct GCF & factored forms | Factored but not greatest CF | Partial factoring attempted | GCF not found |
| Custom Combo & Reflection | Creative, complete & justified | Complete with brief reasoning | Missing model or explanation | Incomplete |
The Daily Byte Food Truck Project • Distributive Property Grade 7 Mathematics • Standards 7.EE.A.1, 7.EE.A.2 Page 2 of 2
