Area Detective Anchor Sheet Area Detective Guide
Unit 1: Area & Surface Area reference sheet
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Rectangle
Base × Height
base (b) height (h)
Area = b × h
Parallelogram
Slide to Rectangle!
base (b) height (h)
Area = b × h
Triangle
Half of a Box!
base (b) height (h)
Area = ½ × b × h
Surface Area
Prism Foldable Net reference
Total Area of ALL 6 flat sides
1
Find Individual Areas: Calculate the area of each box inside the flat net template.
2
Match Pairs: Opposite sides are twins! Double the area of Front, Top, and Side.
3
Sum up total: Add up all twin pairs to get the final Surface Area!
Top/Bottom
Front/Back
Left/Right
Left Bottom Right Top Front Back
Detective Tip: Find the "∟ Box" corner!
The base and height must always connect at a perfect square corner ∟. Do NOT use diagonal lines for height!
Area Solver Reference Sheet Solved Area Examples
Solved step-by-step calculations for class help
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A Finding the Area of a Triangle
Example #1
base (b) = 6 cm height (h) = 4 cm
1
Write Formula: Area = ½ × base × height
2
Plug in Numbers: Area = ½ × 6 × 4
3
Multiply first: 6 × 4 = 24
4
Take Half: ½ of 24 = 12 cm²
B Prism Surface Area Step-by-Step
Example #2
Top & Bottom
Size: 5 × 2
One Face: 10 cm²
Double: 10 × 2 = 20 cm²
Front & Back
Size: 5 × 3
One Face: 15 cm²
Double: 15 × 2 = 30 cm²
Left & Right
Size: 2 × 3
One Face: 6 cm²
Double: 6 × 2 = 12 cm²
Add Twin Pairs:
20 + 30 + 12 = 62 cm²
Ratio Radar Anchor Sheet Ratio Radar Guide
Unit 2: Understanding Ratios reference sheet
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What is a Ratio?
A ratio is a comparison of two numbers! It tells us how much of one thing we have compared to another.
🍏 🍏 🍏
3 Apples
to
🍓 🍓
2 Berries
Write it 3 Ways:
3 to 2
3 : 2
3 / 2
Part-To-Part
Comparing Part to Part
Compare two groups directly without adding them up.
🍏 Apples to 🍓 Berries
3 : 2
Part-To-Whole
Comparing Piece to TOTAL
Count every single item to get the grand total first!
🍏 Apples to 🧺 Total Fruit (3+2=5)
3 : 5
Visual Guide Models
Tape Diagrams & Double Number Lines
Tape Diagram (Bars of Equal Blocks)
Use equal-sized bars to represent comparative sets.
Apples
4
4
4
Berries
4
4
🚨 Rule: Every block inside a tape diagram MUST hold the exact same value!
Double Number Line (Twin Scaling)
Scale ratios up or down proportionately together.
0
3
6
9
Apples
0
2
4
6
Berries
Equivalent Pairs: 3:2 = 6:4 = 9:6
Order is extremely important!
If a question asks for "Apples to Berries", Apples must come first! 3:2 is NOT the same as 2:3 .
Ratio Map Reference Sheet Ratio Solving Map
Solved step-by-step ratio scaling lookup reference
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Solved Ratio Word Problem
Using Tape Diagrams to Scale Up
Scenario: A paint mixture uses a ratio of 2 Blue Cups to 3 Red Cups. If the painter uses 8 Blue Cups, how many Red Cups do they need?
Step 1: Lay out the blocks & find block values
Blue (8 total)
4
4
8 ÷ 2 blocks = 4 per block
Red (? total)
4
4
4
Every block MUST be 4!
Step 2: Multiply the block count by block value:
3 blocks × 4 = 12 Red Cups
Equivalent Ratio Chart
Scaling Ratios Multiplication Table
Original
2 : 3
Base Recipe
×2
Double
4 : 6
Blue × 2
×3
Triple
6 : 9
Blue × 3
×4
Quadruple
8 : 12
Goal solved!
Rate Finder Anchor Sheet Rates & Percents Finder
Unit 3: Rates, Unit Rates & Percents reference sheet
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Unit Rate
What is a Unit Rate?
A Unit Rate is a comparison of two things where one of the amounts is exactly ONE.
Regular Rate
$12.00 total spend
for 3 giant donuts
🍩🍩🍩
Unit Rate (For 1)
$4.00 per donut
Cost for ONE single donut
🍩
$4.00
How to solve unit rates:
Divide: $12.00 ÷ 3 Donuts = $4.00 per Donut
Percentages
Percent means "Out of 100"
Part/Whole benchmark grid
40 Squares Shaded
Triple representation
On the grid, 40 out of 100 squares are colored.
Fraction40/100
Decimal0.40
Percent40%
Percent Benchmarks:
1/4 25%
1/2 50%
3/4 75%
4/4 100%
The Percent Proportion Box formula
Part (is)
Whole (of)
=
Percent (%)
100
Example: 4 out of 10 is what %? Write \( \frac{4}{10} = \frac{40}{100} \). Because we scale up by multiplying by 10, the answer is 40%!
Rate Solver Reference Sheet Solved Rate & Percent Examples
Solved step-by-step calculations for class help
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A Unit Rate Solved Example: Juice Box Pack
How to find the price of ONE single item (Unit Rate):
Step 1: Get Facts
Total Price: $6.00
Total Boxes: 3 boxes
Facts set!
Step 2: Divide
Divide Price by total items:
$6.00 ÷ 3
Step 3: Unit Rate
Price for 1 box:
$2.00 / box
B Common Percent Benchmarks Lookup
Use this chart to instantly see how percents look as shaded squares out of 100!
10%
10 out of 100 squares
25% (Quarter)
25 out of 100 squares
50% (Half!)
50 out of 100 squares
C How to Solve a Percent Proportion
Example problem: "What is 20% of 50?"
Part (is)
10
Whole (of)
50
=
Percent (%)
20
Base
100
Step 1: Set up your fractions: \( \frac{\text{Part}}{50} = \frac{20}{100} \)
Step 2: Scale down from 100 to 50: Divide by 2!
Step 3: Divide top number by 2: 20 ÷ 2 = 10!
Fraction Flip Anchor Sheet Fraction Division Guide
Unit 4: Dividing Fractions reference sheet
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What does Fraction Division Mean?
It is just like regular division! It asks: How many of this fraction can fit inside that fraction?
Problem scenario: How many fourths (\(1/4\)) can fit in one-half (\(1/2\))?
\( \frac{1}{2} \)
(Empty)
\( \frac{1}{4} \)
\( \frac{1}{4} \)
Result: Exactly 2 pieces fit! So: \( \frac{1}{2} \div \frac{1}{4} = 2 \)
The K.C.F. Formula
Our Step-by-Step Magic Checklist
1
K - Keep It!
Keep the first fraction exactly the same. Do not touch it!
No Change
3 4
2
C - Change It!
Change the division sign (\( \div \)) to a multiplication sign (\( \times \)).
Swap Sign
\( \div \) → \( \times \)
3
F - Flip It!
Flip the second fraction upside down (Reciprocal)!
Flip It!
1 2
→
2 1
Let's see K.C.F in Action!
3 4
\( \div \)
1 2
3 4
\( \times \)
2 1
=
Multiply Across
\( \frac{3 \times 2}{4 \times 1} \) = \( \frac{6}{4} \)
Fraction Flip Reference Sheet Solved Fraction Division
Solved step-by-step division calculations for class help
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1 The Original Division Problem
Division
3
4
\( \div \)
2
5
2 Applying Keep • Change • Flip
K.C.F. Formula
K - Keep First
3
4
Stays exactly the same
C - Change Sign
\( \times \) Division to Multiply
Changed sign
F - Flip Second
5
2
Flipped!
3 Multiply straight across to solve
Multiply
Final Calculation:
3 × 5
4 × 2
=
15
8
Decimal Alignment Anchor Sheet Decimal Alignment Guide
Unit 5: Decimal Arithmetic Alignment reference sheet
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Adding & Subtracting
"Buttons on a Shirt" Alignment
Line up the decimal points in a perfect straight vertical line, just like buttons on a straight shirt ! Fill empty slots with zeros .
❌ BAD (Unaligned)
1 2 . 4
+ 3 . 1 5
✅ GOOD (Perfect Alignment!)
12•40
+3•15
15•55
Multiplying
"Forget & Hop" Rule
1. Multiply normally (ignore the dots first!). 2. Count total decimal places in factors. 3. Hop the decimal that many places to the left in your answer!
1 . 2 (1 decimal place)
× 0 . 3 (1 decimal place)
Total: 2 Decimal Places
Hop Left 2 Times!
•36
Answer: 0.36
Long Division
"Does McDonald's Sell Burgers?" mnemonic
Remember the correct order of operations in long division using this delicious menu checklist helper!
D • Divide
🍔
Does
M • Multiply
🍟
McDonald's
S • Subtract
🥤
Sell
B • Bring Down
🍦
Burgers?
Decimal Alignment Reference Sheet Solved Decimal Arithmetic
Solved decimal calculations on grid paper lines
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A Solved Addition: \( 14.5 + 3.25 \)
Addition
Look how we line up the decimals and pad empty spots with a pink zero:
1
4
5
0
3
2
5
1
7
7
5
•
•
•
Straight Decimal Line: Decimal points always stay perfectly stacked.
Placeholder Zeros: Add a pink zero to the right of the 5. 14.5 becomes 14.50.
B Solved Subtraction: \( 8.4 - 3.15 \)
Subtraction
Look how we borrow across columns just like regular subtraction:
³ \(\cancel{4}\)
¹⁰\(\cancel{0}\)
8
5
2
5
•
•
•
Add Zeros to Subtract: You cannot subtract 5 from nothing! Pad empty spots first.
Borrowing: Borrow 1 from the 4 (making it 3) to turn the zero into a 10.
C Solved Multiplication: \( 2.3 \times 0.4 \)
Multiplication
Forget decimals, multiply normally, then count decimal "hops" left:
2
3
1 hop
×
0
4
1 hop
0
9
2
2 hops!
Multiply Normally: \( 23 \times 4 \) is 92.
Hops Left: 2.3 has 1 place, 0.4 has 1 place (Total = 2). Hop left 2 times in 92 to get 0.92!
