A Blizzard of Value

This article begins with the teacher talking about the background for why she decided to use this idea for problem/project. She had seen many of her students over a break at their local Dairy Queen, and she came up with the question: Which Blizzard size is the best value? Working with this problem, her students were given the opportunity to work on modeling with mathematics. NCTM also mentioned that this task "supports learning mathematics content, promotes engagement in mathematical practices, and fosters mathematical communication among students." To begin the problem, students in the class came to the conclusion that they think the large Blizzard would be the best value, based on prior experience. The class self-selected groups of 3 or 4, and the teacher distributed the problem:

Students went about the problem using different approaches. For example: some students used a graph to model the mathematical elements. Other students used pictures to show their calculations of the diameter of the bottoms of each sized cup. Lastly, other students created a "tabular" approach and made a table including each element of all sizes of Blizzards to compare and contrast. The teacher here was able to remind students, then, that there could be many different ways to go about figuring out the problem and problems similar to this. 

I would love to use a problem like this in my classroom because it ties in so many good aspects together. For one, it would be great to use this problem or something similar because the students will be able to connect to it very well and realize that it is a real life situation that they might come across. Another great reason this would be useful in class is the fact that you can show many different ways to figure out the problem that all students will be able to try and find the best way for them.