In this Model Eliciting Activity, MEA, students will determine which mode of transportation is best for a traveling sports team. They will have to calculate the total cost for each type of transportation and consider the comfort of travel. In the "twist," students are provided with more information including customer service rating of transportation as well as an additional choice. Students must also calculate the arrival time when given the departure time and the elapsed time to determine if the team will be arriving in time. Additionally, students learn about an option to have a chance to win a drawing based on the cost of the transportation option selected.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem, while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought process. MEAs follow a problem-based, student-centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEA’s visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx