American Institutes for Research
Data and Probability: Marshmallow Madness
Upper grade and middle schoolers make predictions, collect data, and interpret the data as it relates to the concept of probability. They work with a partner tossing marshmallows and recording if they land on their side or on their...
Curated OER
Data Analysis Using Technology
Analyze data using technology. Middle schoolers design data investigations, describe data, and draw their own conclusions. Then they select the best type of graph, graph and interpret the data, and look for patterns in trends. They also...
Curated OER
All Choked Up By Smoking Statistics
Scholars use the article "More College High schoolers Are Smoking, Study Says" as a springboard for discussion on the reasons why people smoke cigarettes. They investigate different methods of graphing statistics by using the data...
Curated OER
Accidents Happen: Seat Belt Laws, Enforcement, and Usage
Start with a NOVA video about car crashes, crash test dummy footage, or other video about seat belt use. Or have groups review attached data about seat belt usage (by state) and share their conclusions. Learners then devise a method to...
Curated OER
Galluping Away
Pupils use Gallop Poll results to explore causes and effects of the concerns of Americans in the past. They administer a similar poll and consider what Americans in their community view as the most pressing problems in the United States...
Curated OER
Probability Games and Activities, Unit 10
Looking for tangible ways to practice probability with your class? Through 4 activities, students practice with experimental probability, using math to make educated guesses, then testing it through physically completing the experiment....
Curated OER
Go Fish
Help learners discover methods to estimate animal population. They will participate in a simulation of catching and tagging fish in order to estimate the fish population. They scoop and count goldfish crackers, record data, and use...
Curated OER
Lunch Food? Mmmm! Mmmm! Good!
Examine how nutrition plays an important role in our lives by conducting online research and developing lunch menus that satisfy nutritional requirements set up by the United States Department of Agriculture. Students download recipes,...
Academy of American Poets
Thanksgiving with Richard Blanco's "América"
Traditions, like the times, are a-changin'. Middle schoolers conduct a close reading of Richard Blanco's poem "América" and consider how Blanco's family approached his suggestions for adopting a new approach to their Thanksgiving meal.
K20 LEARN
You’re The Network: Data Analysis
How do you rate? Young scholars use graphical data to analyze ratings of different television episodes. Their analyses include best-fit lines, mean, median, mode, and range.
K20 LEARN
If Our Classroom Were The World: Proportions And Percents
It's a small world after all. Classmates consider world population, languages, and religions in a cross-curricular lesson. Applying percentages and proportions, they determine what the class make-up would be if the class represented the...
Beyond Benign
Decision Graphic Introduction
E is for economics, environment, and social equity. The fifth installment of a 15-part series has scholars first considering ecological impacts, such as determining how much water it takes to produce a can of soda. They then use decision...
Beyond Benign
Leave Only Footprints
You don't need to tip-toe around an enlightening resource. Young environmentalists learn about ecological footprints in the fourth lesson plan of 15. Answering a questionnaire helps them see how their own families and homes affect the...
K20 LEARN
Do Placebos Kill Minotaurs?
But it's just a game! Learners play a game to learn basic concepts of statistical hypothesis testing. After using the digital-game module, pupils develop their own statistical hypotheses and test them.
American Statistical Association
Who Has the Longest First Name?
Name that statistic! Classmates each write their name and the number of letters in it on a sticky note to place on the board. As a class, they determine the median, mode, and range of the name lengths, and create a dot plot of the data....
American Statistical Association
Nonlinear Modeling: Something Fishy
There are plenty of fish in the sea, but only a few good resources on regression. Young mathematicians first perform a linear regression analysis on provided weight and length data for fish. After determining that a linear model is not...
American Statistical Association
A Tale of One City and Two Lead Measurements
Lead the way in learning about lead contamination. Pupils first read several articles about the Flint water crisis and the EPA's rules for lead concentration. They use provided data from 71 Flint water wells to compute the 90th...
American Statistical Association
Choosing a Study Design for the Polio Vaccine
Be on the right side of history. Scholars first learn about polio and the meetings of the 1954 Salk polio vaccine study. In groups, they select roles, such as parents, government officials, and statisticians, and decide on the best...
American Statistical Association
How Long Are the Words in the Gettysburg Address?
It's 268 words, but one only needs to consider 10 of them at a time. A data collection and analysis activity has learners investigate the lengths of words in the Gettysburg Address. They first self-select a sample of 10 words and...
American Statistical Association
The Gumball Machine
Chew on an activity for probability. Given information on the number of gumballs in a gumball machine, scholars consider how likely it is to randomly draw a blue gumball and how many of each color they would draw in 10 trials if the...
American Statistical Association
The Mean and Variability from the Mean
Discover the mean from fair share to the balance point. The activity takes small groups of pupils through two different interpretations of the mean, the fair share understanding of the mean, and the balance point. Scholars use the...
Flipped Math
More Probability
Multiply the amount of probability using addition. Pupils use probabilities to make predictions in problems. They find shortcuts to find probabilities instead of listing the entire sample space. The learners then use the multiplication...
Flipped Math
Introduction to Probability
Chances are high that the class will probably like the lesson. Pupils view an introduction to probability and use the information to find probabilities of simple events based on the sample space. Scholars then use their knowledge of area...
NASA
Soda-Straw Rockets
Launch a great lesson exploring engineering design. Using a template, young scholars create rockets that can be launched from a straw. After analyzing the function of the rocket, pupils try to modify the rocket to enhance its function.