2.3 Sales careers: Working with percents
Learning outcomes
Students will use commission rates for various sales careers to calculate salary.
Teacher planning
Materials needed
- Student handouts:
- Small group discussion questions
- “I Could Sell Oceanfront Property in Montana”
- Instructor answer key
Time required for lesson
One class period
Procedure
- This lesson requires that students know some basic background information about sales careers. Write the following key terms and definitions on the board, and be sure the students understand them:
- Commission
- A fee or allowance given to a sales person, affiliate, realtor, stockbroker or agent in exchange for services rendered, often some percentage of the sales she/he is responsible for.
- Real estate agent
- A person who is authorized to act as an agent for the sale of land.
- Stockbroker
- A person who acts as an agent in the buying and selling of stocks or other securities.
- Break students into small groups and pass out the small group discussion questions.
- As a whole class, discuss responses to the questions.
- Review with the students how to find the percent of a number.
- Independent practice: Have students complete the “I Could Sell Oceanfront Property in Montana” handout.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Mathematics (2004)
Grade 6
- Goal 1: Number and Operations - The learner will understand and compute with rational numbers.
- Objective 1.02: Develop meaning for percents.
- Connect the model, number word, and number using a variety of representations.
- Make estimates in appropriate situations.
- Objective 1.02: Develop meaning for percents.


