Students use the Box Plot interactive, which allows them to create line plots and see the corresponding box plots. They use this tool to create data sets with box plots that satisfy given criteria.Students investigate how the box plot changes as the data points in the line plot are moved. Students can manipulate data points to change aspects of the box plot and to see how the line plot changes. Students create box plots that fit certain criteria.Key ConceptsThis lesson focuses on the connection between a data set and its box plot. It reinforces the idea that a box plot shows the spread of a data set, but not the individual data points.Students will observe the following similarities and differences between line plots and box plots:Line plots allow us to see and count individual values, while box plots do not.Line plots allow us to find the mean and the mode of a set of data, while box plots do not.Box plots are useful for very large data sets, while line plots are not.Box plots give us a better picture of how the values in a data set are distributed than line plots do, and they allow us to see measures of spread easily.Goals and Learning ObjectivesExperiment with different line plots to see the effect on the corresponding box plots.Create data sets with box plots that satisfy different criteria.Compare and contrast line plots and box plots.

Lesson OverviewStudents complete a card sort that requires them to match sets of statistics with the corresponding line plots.Students match cards with simple line plots to the corresponding card with measures of center. Some cards include mode, mean, median, and range, and some have one or two measures missing.  Students discuss how they determined which cards would match.Key ConceptsTo complete the card sort in this lesson efficiently, students must be able to relate statistical measures with line plots. If they start with the measures that are easy to see, they can narrow down the possible matches.The mode is the easiest measure to see immediately. It is simply the number with the tallest column of dots.The range can be found easily by subtracting the least value in the plot from the greatest.The median can be found fairly quickly by counting to the middle dot or by pairing dots on the ends until reaching the middle.The mean must be calculated by adding data values and dividing.Goals and Learning ObjectivesApply knowledge of measures of center and range to solve problems.Discuss and review strategy choices when problem solving.

Students will apply what they have learned in previous lessons to analyze and draw conclusions about a set of data. They will also justify their thinking based on what they know about the measures (e.g., I know the mean is a good number to use to describe what is typical because the range is narrow and so the MAD is low.).Students analyze one of the data sets about the characteristics of sixth grade students that was collected by the class in Lesson 2. Students construct line plots and calculate measures of center and spread in order to further their understanding of the characteristics of a typical sixth grade student.Key ConceptsNo new mathematical ideas are introduced in this lesson. Instead, students apply the skills they have acquired in previous lessons to analyze a data set for one attribute of a sixth grade student. Students make a line plot of the data and find the mean, median, range, MAD, and outliers. They use these results to determine a typical value for their data.Goals and Learning ObjectivesDescribe an attribute of a typical sixth grade student using line plots and measures of center (mean and median) and spread (range and MAD).Justify thinking about which measures are good descriptors of the data set.

Students form groups and identify a question to investigate for the unit project. Each group submits a proposal outlining the statistical question, the data collection method, and a prediction of results.Key ConceptsStudents will apply what they have learned from the first two lessons to begin the unit project.Goals and Learning ObjectivesChoose a statistical question to answer over the course of the unit.Determine the necessary data collection method.Predict the results.Write a proposal that outlines the project.

GalleryCreate a Data SetStudents will create data sets with a specified mean, median, range, and number of data values.Bouncing Ball Experiment How high does the class think a typical ball bounces (compared to its drop height) on its first bounce? Students will conduct an experiment to find out.Adding New Data to a Data Set Given a data set, students will explore how the mean changes as they add data values.Bowling Scores Students will create bowling score data sets that meet certain criteria with regard to measures of center.Mean Number of Fillings Ten people sit in a dentist's waiting room. The mean number of fillings they have in their teeth is 4, yet none of them actually have 4 fillings. Students will explain how this situation is possible.Forestland Students will examine and interpret box plots that show the percentage of forestland in 20 European countries.What's My Data?Students will create a data set that fits a given histogram and then adjust the data set to fit additional criteria.What's My Data 2? Students will create a data set that fits a given box plot and then adjust the data set to fit additional criteria.Compare Graphs Students will make a box plot and a histogram that are based on a given line plot and then compare the three graphs to decide which one best represents the data.Random Numbers What would a data set of randomly generated numbers look like when represented on a histogram? Students will find out!No Telephone? The U.S. Census Bureau provides state-by-state data about the number of households that do not have telephones. Students will examine two box plots that show census data from 1960 and 1990 and compare and analyze the data.Who Is Taller?Who is taller—the boys in the class or the girls in the class? Students will find out by separating the class height data gathered earlier into data for boys and data for girls.

Students explore how adjusting the bin width or adding, deleting, or moving data values affects a histogram.Students use the Histogram interactive to explore how the bin width can affect how the data are displayed and interpreted. Students also explore how adjusting the line plot affects the histogram.Key ConceptsAs students learned in the last lesson, a histogram shows data in intervals. It shows how much data is in each bin, but it does not show individual data. In this lesson, students will see that the same histogram can be made with different sets of data. Students will also see that the bin width can greatly affect how the histogram looks.Goals and Learning ObjectivesExplore what the shape of the histogram tells us about the data set and how the bin width affects the shape of the histogram.Clarify similarities and differences between histograms and line plots.Compare a line plot and histogram for the same set of data.

Students write statistical questions that can be used to find information about a typical sixth grade student. Then, the class works together to informally plan how to find the typical arm span of a student in their class.Key ConceptsStatistical thinking, in large part, must deal with variability; statistical problem solving and decision making depend on understanding, explaining, and quantifying the variability in the data.“How tall is a sixth grader?” is a statistical question because all sixth graders are not the same height—there is variability.Goals and Learning ObjectivesUnderstand what a statistical question is.Realize there is variability in data and understand why.Describe informally the range, median, and mode of a set of data.

Students analyze the data they have collected to answer their question for the unit project. They will also complete a short Self Check.Students are given class time to work on their projects. Students should use the time to analyze their data, finding the different measures and/or graphing their data. If necessary, students may choose to use the time to collect data. Students also complete a short pre-assessment (Self Check problem).Key ConceptsStudents will look at all of the tools that they have to analyze data. These include:Graphic representations: line plots, box plots, and histogramsMeasures of center and spread: mean, median, mode, range, and the five-number summaryStudents will use these tools to work on their project and to complete an assessment exercise.Goals and Learning ObjectivesComplete the project, or progress far enough to complete it outside of class.Review measures of center and spread and the three types of graphs explored in the unit.Check  knowledge of box plots and measures of center and spread.

In this lesson, students are given criteria about measures of center, and they must create line plots for data that meet the criteria. Students also explore the effect on the median and the mean when values are added to a data set.Students use a tool that shows a line plot where measures of center are shown. Students manipulate the graph and observe how the measures are affected. Students explore how well each measure describes the data and discover that the mean is affected more by extreme values than the mode or median. The mathematical definitions for measures of center and spread are formalized.Key ConceptsStudents use the Line Plot with Stats interactive to develop a greater understanding of the measures of center. Here are a few of the things students may discover:The mean and the median do not have to be data points.The mean is affected by extreme values, while the median is not.Adding values above the mean increases the mean. Adding values below the mean decreases the mean.You can add values above and below the mean without changing the mean, as long as those points are “balanced.”Adding values above the median may or may not increase the median. Adding values below the median may or may not decrease the median.Adding equal numbers of points above and below the median does not change the median.The measures of center can be related in any number of ways. For example, the mean can be greater than the median, the median can be greater than the mean, and the mode can be greater than or less than either of these measures.Note: In other courses, students will learn that a set of data may have more than one mode. That will not be the case in this lesson.Goals and Learning ObjectivesExplore how changing the data in a line plot affects the measures of center (mean, median).Understand that the mean is affected by outliers more than the median is.Create line plots that fit criteria for given measures of center.

Ratios

Type of Unit: Concept

Prior Knowledge

Students should be able to:

Calculate with whole numbers up to 100 using all four operations.
Understand fraction notation and percents and translate among fractions, decimal numbers, and percents.
Interpret and use a number line.
Use tables to solve problems.
Use tape diagrams to solve problems.
Sketch and interpret graphs.
Write and interpret equations.

Lesson Flow

The first part of the unit begins with an exploration activity that focuses on a ratio as a way to compare the amount of egg and the amount of flour in a mixture. The context motivates a specific understanding of the use of, and need for, ratios as a way of making comparisons between quantities. Following this lesson, the usefulness of ratios in comparing quantities is developed in more detail, including a contrast to using subtraction to find differences. Students learn to interpret and express ratios as fractions, as decimal numbers, in a:b form, in words, and as data; they also learn to identify equivalent ratios.

The focus of the middle part of the unit is on the tools used to represent ratio relationships and on simplifying and comparing ratios. Students learn to use tape diagrams first, then double number lines, and finally ratio tables and graphs. As these tools are introduced, students use them in problem-solving contexts to solve ratio problems, including an investigation of glide ratios. Students are asked to make connections and distinctions among these forms of representation throughout these lessons. Students also choose a ratio project in this part of the unit (Lesson 8).

The third and last part of the unit covers understanding percents, including those greater than 100%.

Students have ample opportunities to check, deepen, and apply their understanding of ratios, including percents, with the selection of problems in the Gallery.

Samples and ProbabilityType of Unit: ConceptualPrior KnowledgeStudents should be able to:Understand the concept of a ratio.Write ratios as percents.Describe data using measures of center.Display and interpret data in dot plots, histograms, and box plots.Lesson FlowStudents begin to think about probability by considering the relative likelihood of familiar events on the continuum between impossible and certain. Students begin to formalize this understanding of probability. They are introduced to the concept of probability as a measure of likelihood, and how to calculate probability of equally likely events using a ratio. The terms (impossible, certain, etc.) are given numerical values. Next, students compare expected results to actual results by calculating the probability of an event and conducting an experiment. Students explore the probability of outcomes that are not equally likely. They collect data to estimate the experimental probabilities. They use ratio and proportion to predict results for a large number of trials. Students learn about compound events. They use tree diagrams, tables, and systematic lists as tools to find the sample space. They determine the theoretical probability of first independent, and then dependent events. In Lesson 10 students identify a question to investigate for a unit project and submit a proposal. They then complete a Self Check. In Lesson 11, students review the results of the Self Check, solve a related problem, and take a Quiz.Students are introduced to the concept of sampling as a method of determining characteristics of a population. They consider how a sample can be random or biased, and think about methods for randomly sampling a population to ensure that it is representative. In Lesson 13, students collect and analyze data for their unit project. Students begin to apply their knowledge of statistics learned in sixth grade. They determine the typical class score from a sample of the population, and reason about the representativeness of the sample. Then, students begin to develop intuition about appropriate sample size by conducting an experiment. They compare different sample sizes, and decide whether increasing the sample size improves the results. In Lesson 16 and Lesson 17, students compare two data sets using any tools they wish. Students will be reminded of Mean Average Deviation (MAD), which will be a useful tool in this situation. Students complete another Self Check, review the results of their Self Check, and solve additional problems. The unit ends with three days for students to work on Gallery problems, possibly using one of the days to complete their project or get help on their project if needed, two days for students to present their unit projects to the class, and one day for the End of Unit Assessment.

Students begin to formalize their understanding of probability. They are introduced to the concept of probability as a measure of likelihood and how to calculate probability as a ratio. The terms discussed (impossible, certain, etc.) in Lesson 1 are given numerical values.Key ConceptsStudents will think of probability as a ratio; it can be written as a fraction, decimal, or a percent ranging from 0 to 1.Students will think about ratio and proportion to predict results.Goals and Learning ObjectivesDefine probability as a measure of likelihood and the ratio of favorable outcomes to the total number of outcomes for an event.Predict results based on theoretical probability using ratio and proportion.

Students collect and analyze data for their unit project.Students are given class time to work on their project. Some students may choose to use the time to collect data (if their project is an experiment based on experimental probability), while others will use the tools (spinners, coin toss, number cube, etc.) to collect their data. Students should use the time to analyze their data, finding the theoretical (if possible) probability and comparing it to the experimental results.Key ConceptsStudents will apply what they have learned about probability to work on their project, including likelihood of events, determining theoretical and experimental probability, comparing results to calculations, and using simulations to establish probability.Students may also use data analysis tools to discuss their results.Goals and Learning ObjectivesComplete the project, or progress far enough to complete it outside of class.Review concepts of probability (simple probability, compound events, experimental vs. theoretical probability, simulations).

Students estimate the length of 20 seconds by starting an unseen timer and stopping it when they think 20 seconds has elapsed. They are shown the results and repeat the process two more times. The first and third times are recorded and compiled, producing two data sets to be compared. Students analyze the data to conclude whether or not their ability to estimate 20 seconds improves with practice.Key ConceptsMeasures of center and spreadLine plots, box plots, and histogramsMean absolute deviation (MAD)Goals and Learning ObjectivesApply knowledge of statistics to compare sets of data.Use measures of center and spread to analyze data.Decide which graph is appropriate for a given situation.

Students extend their understanding of compound events. They will compare experimental results to predicted results by calculating the probability of an event, then conducting an experiment.Key ConceptsStudents apply their understanding of compound events to actual experiments.Students will see there is variability in actual results.Goals and Learning ObjectivesContinue to explore compound independent events.Compare theoretical probability to experimental probability.

Students begin learning about compound events by considering independent events. They will consider everyday objects with known probabilities. Students will represent sample spaces using lists, tables, and tree diagrams in order to calculate the probability of certain events.Key ConceptsCompound events are introduced in this lesson, building upon what students have learned about determining sample space and probabilities of single events.Terms introduced are:multistage experiment: an experiment in which more than one action is performedcompound events: the combined results of multistage experimentsindependent events: compound events in which the outcome of one does not affect the outcome of the otherGoals and Learning ObjectivesLearn about compound events and sample spaces.Use different tools to find the sample space (tree diagrams, tables, lists) of a compound event.Use ratio and proportion to solve problems.SWD: Go over the mathematical language used throughout the module. Make sure students use that language when discussing problems in this lesson.

Students will apply their knowledge of statistics learned in sixth grade. They will determine the typical class score from a sample of the population, and reason about the representativeness of the sample.Students analyze test score data from a fictitious seventh grade class and make generalizations about district-wide results. They then compare the data to a second seventh grade class and reason about whether these are random samples. Students will review measures of center and spread as they find evidence to draw conclusions about the data.Key ConceptsSample size will be considered as it affects the conclusions of an analysis of a population.Students will review tools that they used in sixth grade to analyze data, such as measures of center and spread, and different types of graphs.Goals and Learning ObjectivesExplore sample size.Look at the effects of using a nonrandom sample.Review tools used to analyze data.

Lesson OverviewStudents will extend their understanding of probability by continuing to conduct experiments, this time with four-colored spinners. They will compare experimental results to expected results by first conducting an experiment, then calculating the probability of an event.Key ConceptsThis lesson takes an informal look at the Law of Large Numbers, comparing experimental results to expected results.Goals and Learning ObjectivesLearn about experimental probability.Compare theoretical probability to experimental probability and show that experimental probability approaches theoretical probability with more trials.Use proportions to predict results for a number of trials.

Students will continue to apply their understanding of compound independent events. They will calculate probabilities and represent sample spaces with visual representations.Key ConceptsStudents continue to solve problems with compound events. The formula for calculating the probability of independent events is introduced:P(A and B) = P(A) ⋅ P(B)Goals and Learning ObjectivesDeepen understanding of compound events using lists, tables, and tree diagrams.Learn about the Fundamental Counting Principle.

Gallery OverviewAllow students who have a clear understanding of the content thus far in the unit to work on Gallery problems of their choosing. You can then use this time to provide additional help to students who need review of the unit's concepts or to assist students who may have fallen behind on work.Chance of RainStudents are given the probability that it will rain on two different days and asked to find the chance that it will rain on one of the two days.PenguinsIn an Antarctic penguin colony, 200 penguins are tagged and released. A year later, 100 penguins are captured and 4 of them are tagged. Students determine how many penguins are in the colony.How Many Yellow?Given the total number of balls in a bag and the probability for two colors, students find the number of balls for the third color.How Many Ways to Line Up?Students decide how many different ways they five students can order themselves as they line up for class.Gumballs There are some white gumballs and red gumballs left in a machine. Students find the probability of getting at least one red gumball.New FamilyA married couple wants to have four children. Students find the probability that at least one child will be a girl.Nickel and DimeStudents find the probability for different outcomes when tossing two coins.Four More FlipsStudents determine how many more tails are likely if a coin has already landed on tails twice.Bubble GumThe letters G, U, or M are printed inside bubble gum wrappers in a ratio of 3:2:1. Students use a simulation to find out how much bubble gum to buy to get a 3:2:1 ratio.A Large FamilyIf a family wants to have six children, what is the probability that there will be three boys and three girls? Students use a simulation to model the probability.No TelephoneUsing census data from 1960 and 1990 in two box plots, students compare the percentages of families that had phones.Pulse RateStudents compare two data sets of different sizes: one for students and one for athletes.Golf ScoresStudents are given two sets of golf scores for Rosa and Chen. They are asked to decide who is the better golfer by constructing and comparing box plots.How Much Taller?Given two sets of data about heights, students determine how much taller one group is than the other.Coin Jar Students determine the contents of a coin jar by sampling.Project Work TimeStudents can choose to work on and complete their project or get help if needed.