Take the plunge into a 5th grade math Project Based Learning adventure. Imagine planning a field trip to the aquarium with your fifth grade students where they will apply their math skills to a realistic scenerio. This print-and-go PBL is designed to not only help students develop a deeper understanding of essential math skills such as addition, multiplication, division, and interpreting data but also have fun applying math skills.

This year, your class voted to take a field trip to the Aqua-Land Sea Life Aquarium. All successful school field trips begin with excellent planning. You, several of your classmates, and your teachers have volunteered to work on the planning committee. You will help determine how much the field trip will cost. You will also help make decisions about renting buses, creating a schedule for the day, and choosing classes. So, let’s get busy planning the very best field trip of the year!

As students plan a trip to the aquarium they will use fifth grade math skills to:

• Determine ticket prices by adding and multiplying money with decimals
• Calcualte profits from a fundraising bake sale
• Use multiplication and division to plan buses and costs
• Use time to schedule the trip and ensure that they have enough time to explore the aquarium
• Use multiplication and division to determine student groups
• Interpret data about aquarium animals
• Students will be challenged to calculate feedings for different animals

This resource provides a fun and engaging way for students to apply math skills to real-world situations they can relate to. By working collaboratively and solving real-world problems, students will develop critical thinking skills and build confidence in their math abilities.

⭐Students evaluate their work with a self-evaluation rubric and response.

⭐ Additional “challenge activities” engage students and develop further understanding of the concepts and skills.

⭐ This 5th grade PBL incorporates the following math standards:

• 5.NBT.A.1 Recognize that in a multi-digit number, a digit in one place represents 10 times as much as it represents in the place to its right and 1/10 of what it represents in the place to its left.
• 5.NBT.B.5 Fluently multiply multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm.
• 5.NBT.B.6 Find whole-number quotients of whole numbers with up to four-digit dividends and two-digit divisors, using strategies based on place value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between mult/div. Illustrate and explain calculations.
• 5.NBT.B.7 Add, sub., mult., and div. decimals to the hundredths, using concrete models, drawings, or strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between add/sub. Relate to a written method and explain reasoning.
• 5.NF.A.1 Add/sub fractions with unlike denominators by replacing given fractions with equivalent fractions, in such a way as to produce an equivalent sum or difference of fractions with like denominators.
• 5.NF.A.2 Solve word problems involving add/sub of fractions referring to the same whole, including cases of unlike denominators.
• 5.NF.B.3 Interpret a fraction as division of the numerator by the denominator. Solve word problems involving division of whole numbers leading to answers in the form of fractions or mixed numbers.
• 5.NF.B.4 Apply and extend previous understanding of multiplication to multiply a fractions or whole number by a fraction.
• 5.NF.B.6 Solve real world problems, involving multiplication of fractions and mixed numbers.
• 5.MD.B.2 Make a line plot to display a data set of measurements in fractions. Use operations to solve problems in the line plots.

Key Features:

✏️ Low-Prep & No-Prep Design – This PBL activity contains everything you need to make this a fun and meaningful project. The print-and-go format makes it easy to execute with a few simple materials and very little prep work required. The digital Google Slides format requires no prep at all – just assign and go!

✏️ Printable & Digital Format – Printable PDF & Google Slides formats make this resource perfect for classroom instruction, distance learning, and everywhere in between. Digital and printable versions are consistent, so they can be used for combination classroom and virtual instruction situations.

✏️ Educational & Engaging – This resource will capture the imagination of your students while they practice key math skills.

✏️ Differentiation – Three challenge activities mean that you can challenge your high-performing students while making the resource accessible to your on-level and below-level students.

✏️ Homeschool or Classroom Friendly – Students can work collaborativly or independetly on this project at their pace.

What’s Included?

1. Teacher & Student Directions
2. Planning a Trip to the Aquarium- Information Card
3. Ticket Prices (Calculate costs)
4. Transportation (Costs, Travel time, Seating arrangements)
5. Busing Word Problems (Elapsed time, Travel time)
6. Chaperones (Divide students into groups)
7. Schedule for the Day (Creating a schedule, Time, Timeline, Word problems)
8. Dolphin Discovery (Determine ages with In/Out machine)
9. Penguin Palooza (Organize data, Bar graph and line plot)
10. Life in the Rainforest (Compare frog length to distance jumped, Snake length word problems, Comparing age and weight of tortoises)
11. Challenge 1: Seal Feedings-1 (Calculate pounds of food)
12. Challenge 1: Seal Feedings-2 (Cost to purchase seal food)
13. Challenge 2: Gift Shop (Determine sales, Calculate percentage of money donated to Coral Reef Alliance)

Take a closer look at what this resource looks like in this video preview.

Looking for more differentiation? Check out the 3rd and 4th grade version!