Grade 5-6Percentages5 min read
Teaching Percentages Using Real-Life Examples
What Is a Percent?
Percent means "per hundred" or "out of 100."
- 50% = 50/100 = 1/2
- 25% = 25/100 = 1/4
- 100% = 100/100 = 1 (the whole thing)
Real-Life Percentage Examples
Test scores: "You got 85% — that's 85 out of 100 points"
Sales: "20% off means you save $20 for every $100"
Battery life: "Your phone is at 30% — less than a third left"
Tips: "15% tip on a $20 meal = $3"
Weather: "70% chance of rain — it will probably rain"
The Three Types of Percent Problems
Type 1: Find the percent of a number
- What is 25% of 80?
- 25/100 × 80 = 20
Type 2: Find what percent one number is of another
- 15 is what percent of 60?
- 15/60 = 0.25 = 25%
Type 3: Find the whole when given a percent
- 30% of what number is 12?
- 12 ÷ 0.30 = 40
Easy Percentages to Know
Memorize these benchmarks:
- 50% = 1/2 (divide by 2)
- 25% = 1/4 (divide by 4)
- 10% = 1/10 (move decimal left)
- 1% = 1/100 (move decimal left twice)
To find other percentages, combine these:
- 15% = 10% + 5% (which is half of 10%)
- 35% = 25% + 10%
Common Mistakes
Percent increase/decrease confusion:
- A 20% increase on $50 is $50 + $10 = $60
- A 20% decrease on $50 is $50 - $10 = $40
- But 20% increase then 20% decrease ≠ original!
($60 - 12 = $48, not $50)
Moving decimals wrong:
- 25% = 0.25, not 25 or 2.5
Practice Resources
Build percentage skills: