Grade 6 Math WebQuest · Unit 4 · 6.RP.3

The Hydration Lab

Race day is Saturday. The Maple Ridge cross-country team runs a 5K (5 kilometers) in the morning heat, and the coach just hired your sports-science intern team to keep every runner safe and fueled. Your tools: unit rates, percents, and measurement conversions. Your mission: turn the numbers into a winning race-day plan — without busting the team's $90 supply budget.

⏱ 2–3 class periods 💧 Unit rates 📊 Percents 📏 Measurement conversion

Welcome to the Lab

Sports scientists do not guess. They measure how fast a runner loses water, how many calories a snack delivers, and how many milliliters fit in a bottle — then they use rates, percents, and conversions to build a plan that fits real bottles, real budgets, and real bodies. In this WebQuest you become a hydration analyst for the Maple Ridge team.

The Driving Question

How do rates, percents, and unit conversions work together to turn raw measurements into a plan people can actually use?

Level 1 · Support A rate compares two different units, like "250 mL every 15 minutes." A unit rate tells you the amount for just one of something (per 1 minute, per 1 bottle). A percent means "out of 100." En español: Una tasa compara dos unidades distintas (250 mL cada 15 minutos). Una tasa unitaria da la cantidad por uno (por 1 minuto, por 1 botella). Un porcentaje significa "de cada 100."
Level 2 · Enrichment Pro analysts treat every rate as a conversion factor they can flip. "250 mL per 15 min" can become "15 min per 250 mL" — choose the version that cancels the unit you want to remove. The same trick turns $/bottle into bottles/$ when you are stretching a budget.

The Task

By the end of this WebQuest, your intern team submits a Race-Day Fuel & Hydration Plan for Maple Ridge. A complete plan must:

  • Use a runner's sweat rate (mL per minute) to predict how much water she loses in a 30-minute race.
  • Convert between mL and L and between fluid ounces and cups so the plan fits real bottle sizes.
  • Convert the race distance between kilometers and miles for the family flyer.
  • Use percents to check fuel goals, apply a bulk discount, and stay under the $90 supply budget.
  • Pass the Check Your Understanding self-check at the bottom.
A 5K course loop with three hydration stations and a finish line Start / Finish 1 2 3 5K loop 1–2 water · 3 fuel

The Process

Work through the steps in order. Each step fills in one part of your Fuel & Hydration Plan.

Step 1 — Stock your conversion toolbox

Sports science mixes metric and customary units. Keep these conversions open as you work.

Volume (metric) 1 L = 1,000 mL
Volume (customary) 1 cup = 8 fl oz
Distance 1 mi ≈ 1.6 km
Mass 1 kg ≈ 2.2 lb
Percent x% = x ÷ 100

Step 2 — Find a runner's sweat rate (unit rate)

During a practice trial, the team's top runner, Lena, lost 600 mL of water in 20 minutes of hard running. Find her sweat rate per minute, then predict her loss over the full 30-minute race.

0 mL 300 mL 600 mL 0 min 10 min 20 min

Worked example — Lena's sweat rate:

Rate = 600 mL ÷ 20 min = 30 mL per minute
Over 30 min: 30 mL/min × 30 min = 900 mL lost

Level 1 · Support To get a unit rate, divide the first amount by the second amount: mL ÷ minutes. The "per" word tells you to divide. En español: Para hallar la tasa unitaria, divide la primera cantidad entre la segunda: mL ÷ minutos. La palabra "por" indica dividir.

Step 3 — Replace the water in real bottle sizes

A runner should drink back most of the water they lose. The team's bottles hold 0.5 L each. Convert Lena's 900 mL loss into liters, then figure out how many 0.5-L bottles she needs to refill.

Worked example — convert mL to L:

900 mL ÷ 1,000 = 0.9 L · 0.9 L ÷ 0.5 L per bottle = 1.8 bottles → round up to 2 bottles

Level 2 · Enrichment One family will bring American 12-fl-oz bottles instead. Convert 12 fl oz to cups (8 fl oz = 1 cup), then reason about whether that bottle holds more or less than the 0.5-L team bottle. (Hint: 1 cup ≈ 237 mL.)

Step 4 — Build the family flyer (km ↔ mi)

Many families think in miles, not kilometers. For the flyer, convert the 5 km race distance into miles using 1 mi ≈ 1.6 km.

Worked example — convert km to mi:

5 km ÷ 1.6 km per mi ≈ 3.1 miles

Step 5 — Fuel goals and the budget (percents)

Each runner needs an energy snack at Station 3. Use percents to finish the plan:

Worked example — 15% of 2,000 calories:

15% = 15 ÷ 100 = 0.15 · 0.15 × 2,000 = 300 calories

Level 1 · Support To find a percent of a number, write the percent as a decimal (move the point two places left), then multiply. 20% = 0.20. En español: Para hallar un porcentaje de un número, escribe el porcentaje como decimal (mueve el punto dos lugares a la izquierda) y multiplica. 20% = 0.20.

Resources

Use these Neft Teacher tools as you work. They open in the same window — use your back button to return.

Unit 4 · 3D Rate & Percent LabDrag sliders to see rates, percents, and conversions update live. Unit 4 Architect ActivityPractice double number lines and conversion factors step by step. Reveal Evidence StudioWrite your Claim–Evidence–Reasoning for the hydration plan. Math Writing Help · EN/ESSentence frames and bilingual vocabulary support.

Race-day data · Datos de la carrera

Quantity Value Notes
Lena's trial loss 600 mL in 20 min Use to find sweat rate.
Race length 30 min · 5 km Predict loss; convert to miles.
Team bottle 0.5 L = 500 mL each.
Daily energy goal 2,000 cal Snack ≈ 15% of goal.
Gel price & deal $2.00 · 20% off box of 24 Stay under $90 budget.

Key vocabulary · Vocabulario clave

Evaluation

Your Fuel & Hydration Plan will be scored on this rubric.

Criteria 4 · Lead Analyst 3 · Analyst 2 · Trainee 1 · Getting started
Rates Sweat rate and prediction both correct with units. Rate correct; small slip in prediction. Set up the rate but computed incorrectly. No usable rate shown.
Conversions All conversions (mL↔L, km↔mi) correct. Most conversions correct. Some conversions correct. Conversions missing or wrong.
Percents Snack % and discount both correct. One percent correct. Attempts percents with errors. No percent work shown.
Budget decision Cost correct; budget choice justified. Cost correct; choice unclear. Cost has a small error. Cost missing or incorrect.
Units & reasoning Every answer labeled; clear explanation. Most answers labeled and explained. Some labels or reasoning missing. No units or explanation.
Teacher Notes & Answer Key (not printed)

Hydration Lab · Race-Day Fuel Plan — pairs with the Evaluation rubric above.

Sample Answers — Race-Day Fuel & Hydration Plan

  • Sweat rate: 600 mL ÷ 20 min = 30 mL/min; over 30 min → 30 × 30 = 900 mL lost.
  • mL → L → bottles: 900 mL ÷ 1,000 = 0.9 L; 0.9 L ÷ 0.5 L per bottle = 1.8 bottles.
  • km → mi: 5 km ÷ 1.6 km/mi ≈ 3.1 miles.
  • Percent of fuel goal: 15% = 0.15; 0.15 × 2,000 = 300 calories.

Facilitation

  • Keep units attached to every number so conversions self-check (L ÷ L/bottle → bottles).
  • Reinforce that a rate and a percent are both "per 1" reasoning.

Standard

CCSS 6.RP.A.3b–d.

Check Your Understanding

Answer all six. Click Check My Answers when you are done. These match the steps in your plan.

1.Lena lost 600 mL of water in 20 minutes. What is her sweat rate in mL per minute?
0 600 mL 0 20 min
Hint / Pista: rate = mL ÷ minutes.
2.At 30 mL per minute, how many milliliters will Lena lose during the 30-minute race?
Hint / Pista: rate × time = 30 × 30.
3.Convert that 900 mL of water into liters. (1 L = 1,000 mL)
Hint / Pista: 900 ÷ 1,000.
4.For the family flyer, convert the 5 km race into miles. (1 mi ≈ 1.6 km — round to the nearest tenth.)
Hint / Pista: 5 ÷ 1.6.
5.The race snack should be 15% of a 2,000-calorie daily goal. How many calories is that?
15%
Hint / Pista: 0.15 × 2,000.
6.A box of 24 gels normally costs $48 (24 × $2). With a 20% discount, what is the box price, and does it fit the $90 budget?

Conclusion

You did the exact work that real sports scientists, nutritionists, and athletic trainers do: you turned a single practice measurement into a safe, affordable, race-day plan. Lena will lose about 0.9 L in the 5K (about 3.1 miles), refill with 2 bottles, eat a 300-calorie snack, and your $38.40 box of gels keeps the whole team under the $90 budget. The Maple Ridge runners are ready!

Take it further · Level 2

A second runner sweats at 45 mL/min and the race day is hotter. Rebuild his bottle count and snack plan, and check whether the team budget still holds for 12 runners.

Reflect · Reflexiona

Which conversion was trickiest, and how did a unit rate or double number line make it easier? Explain in 2–3 sentences. ¿Cuál conversión fue la más difícil y cómo te ayudó una tasa unitaria?

Real careers · Carreras reales

Athletic trainers, dietitians, pharmacists, and chemists all live on rates, percents, and conversions — the exact skills you just used.