WHY LOUISIANA AIN'T MISSISSIPPI... OR ANY PLACE ELSE!

OBJECTIVES

1. Students will take given information to perform math problems using critical thinking without being provided formulas or direction.
   
2. Students are using the details of the Louisiana Purchase.
   
3. Students are being introduced to or reviewing the basic concept of price per unit.
   
4. Students must make a decision and commit to it on how to solve this problem and explain their thinking.
   
5. Students will practice and review simple conversion methods.
6. Students are being introduced, through the vocabulary below, to the concept that Louisiana law and real property transfer are unique relative to all other states in the union.

EDUCATION STANDARDS: SOCIAL STUDIES and ELA

• Louisiana Math Standards: 7.EE.A(1-2), A1:A-REI.A.1, 8.G.C.9
• Language: 8.1, 8.4(a-d)
• Louisiana Social Studies Standards: 8.3, 8.12i

MEDIA RESOURCES & WEBSITES

Why Louisiana Ain’t Mississippi

MATERIALS NEEDED

Computer, Internet

Calculator

Cost of Louisiana Territory

SUGGESTED TIME

Teachers may allow students to work on this as a center, whole group lesson, or as a fast finisher task.

VERIFICATION

Checks for Understanding- additional questioning, observations, participation.

Ask students if the movement of the water could have an affect on the volume.

ACTIVITY/LESSON

Cost of Louisiana Territory *work may be checked by watching the video clip.

Students will be given the information from the following sentence. In 1803, the United States of America acquired 828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15,000,000, a land deal which was called The Louisiana Purchase.

Students will use this information along with the following additional information to complete the following thought questions.

An acre of land is 43,560 square feet. There are 640 acres in 1 square mile.

If the Louisiana Purchase consisted of 828,000 square miles, and the United States paid $15,000,000 for all the land, how much was paid per square acre?

The key is provided for the teacher.

KEY:
Performed two ways for better explanation

828,000 x 640 = 529,920,000

15,000,000/529,920,000 = 0.0283
Approximately three cents per square acre

15,000,000/828,000 = $18.12 per square mile
18.12/640 = 0.0283
Approximately three cents per square acre

VOCABULARY