Remember: A bigger possible reward usually comes with a bigger chance of ending with less. Nobody can know which way a swing garden will go next.
Read and answer
Read the story first, then answer.
The Steady Garden and the Swing GardenIn Pebble Hill, two made-up gardens grew pretend coins, and Maya and Cy each had one hundred coins to plant. The Steady Garden added ten coins every year, never more or less. The Swing Garden was wilder: some years it added lots of coins, and other years it gave some back. Maya chose Steady and Cy chose Swing. After four years Steady held 140 and Swing held 150, so Cy was ahead this time. Swing had gone 160, 110, 180, then 150. Then four more years passed with very different weather, and Ana planted one hundred coins in the same Swing Garden. Year one it shrank to 70. Year two climbed to 130, year three dipped to 90, and it ended at 120. Steady would have made 140. Swing ran from 70 up to 180, while Steady stayed between 100 and 140. Reward is the extra a garden adds, and risk is the chance of ending with less. A bigger possible reward usually brings a bigger risk.
1
The Steady Garden adds 10 coins a year. After 4 years it holds coins.
2
Maya picks Steady and Cy picks Swing. After four years Steady holds 140 and Swing holds 150. Who is ahead?
MayaThey are levelCy
3
Look at the bars of the Swing Garden. In which year did it give coins back?
Year 3Year 2Year 1
4
In year 2 the Swing Garden fell from 160 to 110. It gave back coins.
5
In year 3 it jumped from 110 to 180. It added coins.
6
Ana plants 100 coins in the same Swing Garden. In year one it shrinks to 70. How many coins below what she planted is that?
7030100
7
Steady stayed between 100 and 140, but Swing ran from 70 up to 180.
TrueFalse
Match, order and fix
8
Circle each card that is a reward.
The garden jumps to 180The garden shrinks to 70Ten extra coins in a steady yearNobody knows what next year bringsCy ends ahead of Maya
9
Number what happened.
Ana ends at 120, behind Steady
Maya picks Steady and Cy picks Swing
Swing ends ahead, at 150
Ana plants in the same Swing Garden
10
Ana's Swing Garden ended at 120. Steady would have made 140. Ana ended coins below it.
11
Cy says: the Swing Garden is better, because it ended ahead once. Is Cy right?
YesNo
12
Join each word to what it means.
1reward
2risk
3Steady Garden
4Swing Garden
Athe chance of ending with less
Badds ten coins every year
Csome years adds lots, some years gives back
Dthe extra a garden adds
13
Stretch: Ana ended behind in the very same garden. Why?
The garden changed its ruleIts swing years went the other wayAna planted too late
14
In your own words, what is risk and what is reward?
15
Draw a line that swings up and down for the Swing Garden, and a straight step line for the Steady Garden.
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Answer key · Set A
Risk and reward
1140 100 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 140.
2Cy 150 is more than 140, so the Swing Garden came out ahead this time.
3Year 2 In year 2 the pile fell from 160 to 110.
450 160 − 110 = 50.
570 180 − 110 = 70.
630 100 − 70 = 30.
7True The swing garden has more of both: the bigger reward and the bigger risk.
8The garden jumps to 180, Ten extra coins in a steady year, Cy ends ahead of Maya Extra coins and ending ahead are rewards. Shrinking and not knowing what comes next are part of the risk.
94, 1, 2, 3 They picked first, Swing came out ahead, then Ana planted in it, and last her garden ended behind.
1020 140 − 120 = 20.
11No It is the same garden with different years. In Ana's years it ended behind.
121-D, 2-A, 3-B, 4-C Reward is the extra, risk is the chance of less, and the two gardens differ in both.
13Its swing years went the other way Both runs had the same garden and rule. Only the years differed, and that is what risk looks like.
14Your own words: a grown-up reads it.
Mark each answer, count the right ones and write the score on the sheet.