This problem comes from Illustrative Mathematics and can serve as an example of the following CCRS standard:

Use units as a way to understand problems and to guide the solution of multi-step problems; choose and interpret units consistently in formulas; choose and interpret the scale and the origin in graphs and data displays.

Here’s the set-up:

As Felicia gets on the freeway to drive to her cousin’s house, she notices that she is a little low on gas. There is a gas station at the exit she normally takes, and she wonders if she will have to get gas before then. She normally sets her cruise control at the speed limit of 70 mph and the freeway portion of the drive takes about an hour and 15 minutes. Her car gets about 30 miles per gallon on the freeway, and gas costs $3.50 per gallon.

If you follow the link above, there are a few specific questions they ask, but this situation lends itself well to asking students what they notice and what they wonder. Then you can have them work on the questions they come up with.

Some questions students might come up with are:

• How many miles does she drive to get to her cousin’s house?
• How many gallons does her car hold?
• How much would it cost to fill up her car?
• Does she have enough gas to get to her cousin’s house?
• How much does the trip to her cousin’s cost in gas?

Some of these questions can be answered with the information given. Some of these questions would require them to know the capacity of average fuel tank (Smaller cars generally have gas tanks that hold 12 gallons worth of gas, while larger cars can hold 15 or 16 gallons).