Taco Truck Week: teacher answer key
Public sample teacher key. Includes model answers; open the student worksheet when assigning the activity.
Using the worksheet
- Worksheet opens the questions. New questions follow each day; misses add a reflection prompt.
- Recorded automatically: each completed day: price, meals prepared/sold/wasted, predicted and actual profit, revenue, ingredient and fixed costs, and whether the goal was met.
- My work offers Copy my work and Turn in a PDF. Nothing is submitted automatically. Review written reasoning separately from game success; blank responses remain visible.
- Worksheet answers and completed tries persist on this browser only. Game progress may reset on reload. Predictions are captured at launch and retained with each completed try. Do not enter identifying details.
- On shared devices, use Clear my work and tap again to confirm. The game's Start over does not clear worksheet answers. If browser storage is blocked, export before leaving.
Numbers like "#4" match the printed worksheet. Questions marked "After a miss" appear in the game only after a missed day; on paper they are combined into one question near the end.
Day 1: Opening day
- Demand = max(0, 260 - 20 x price), halved in rain. Cost = $3 per prepared meal + $150 daily. These demand and cost values are illustrative, not a real market forecast.
- Best model plan: $8; make to order on Day 1, prepare 100 on Day 2, prepare 50 on Day 3. Best profits: $350, $350, $100 respectively.
#1. Compare your prediction with actual profit. Show revenue minus ingredient and fixed costs for your try.
Use the student's recorded inputs. Revenue = price x meals sold; profit = revenue - 3 x meals prepared - 150. A negative number is a loss.
#2. Compare $5 and $8 prices on Opening Day. Both earn $800 revenue. Why are profits different?
At $5: 160 meals, $480 ingredients, $150 fixed cost, $170 profit. At $8: 100 meals, $300 ingredients, $150 fixed cost, $350 profit. Equal revenue does not mean equal costs.
After a miss: Choose a missed try. What happened, and which rule would guide your next change?
Use the recorded settings and result, identify the relevant rule, and propose a specific revision. Do not award credit for only copying a correct input.
Day 2: Prep day
- Demand = max(0, 260 - 20 x price), halved in rain. Cost = $3 per prepared meal + $150 daily. These demand and cost values are illustrative, not a real market forecast.
- Best model plan: $8; make to order on Day 1, prepare 100 on Day 2, prepare 50 on Day 3. Best profits: $350, $350, $100 respectively.
#3. Compare your prediction with actual profit. Show revenue minus ingredient and fixed costs for your try.
Use the student's recorded inputs. Revenue = price x meals sold; profit = revenue - 3 x meals prepared - 150. A negative number is a loss.
#4. At $8, compare preparing 100, 150, and 50 meals on a sunny day. Explain waste and missed sales.
Demand is 100. Preparing 100 earns $350. Preparing 150 sells 100, wastes 50, and earns $200. Preparing 50 sells 50, turns away 50, and earns $100. Ingredients are paid for every prepared meal.
After a miss: Choose a missed try. What happened, and which rule would guide your next change?
Use the recorded settings and result, identify the relevant rule, and propose a specific revision. Do not award credit for only copying a correct input.
Day 3: Rainy day
- Demand = max(0, 260 - 20 x price), halved in rain. Cost = $3 per prepared meal + $150 daily. These demand and cost values are illustrative, not a real market forecast.
- Best model plan: $8; make to order on Day 1, prepare 100 on Day 2, prepare 50 on Day 3. Best profits: $350, $350, $100 respectively.
#5. Compare your prediction with actual profit. Show revenue minus ingredient and fixed costs for your try.
Use the student's recorded inputs. Revenue = price x meals sold; profit = revenue - 3 x meals prepared - 150. A negative number is a loss.
#6. At $8 in the rain, compare preparing 100 meals with preparing 50. Why does changing prep help?
Rain reduces demand to 50. Preparing 100 gives $400 revenue - $300 ingredients - $150 fixed = -$50. Preparing 50 gives $400 - $150 - $150 = $100. Reducing waste preserves profit; the model still favors an $8 price.
After a miss: Choose a missed try. What happened, and which rule would guide your next change?
Use the recorded settings and result, identify the relevant rule, and propose a specific revision. Do not award credit for only copying a correct input.
When a day missed (#7)
Any of the After a miss answers above. Look for the rule named correctly and the specific thing that went wrong.
Wrap-up
#8. Make a claim about a profitable plan. Support it with two trials and explain the roles of demand, cost, and waste.
Accept a claim supported by actual trials. Reasoning must distinguish revenue from profit and include fixed and variable costs. Acknowledge that demand and weather responses are simplified assumptions.