If it's warm, they will come! Learners find a line of best fit to show a relationship between temperature and beach visitors. Previous lessons in the series showed pupils how to create and find associations in scatter plots. Now,...

Discover how trend lines can be useful in understanding relationships between variables with a instructional activity that covers how to informally fit a trend line to model a relationship given in a scatter plot. Scholars use the trend...

Tongue Twisters?!  Create scatter plot graphs based on timing fellow classmates saying tongue twisters.  Then investigate, display, and analyze the relationships based on functions.  Wrap up this activity by making a...

The more you text, the less you study. Have classes test this hypothesis or another question related to text messages. Using real data, learners use technology to create a scatter plot and calculate a regression line. They create a dot...

Examine different types of graphs as a means for analyzing data. Math scholars identify the type of graph from a series of data displays and then develop questions to match each one. Then, given a scatter plot of height versus age...

Students practice using graphing tools to make tables, bar charts, scatter graphs, and histograms, using census data. They apply the concept of measures of central tendency, examine the effects of outliers. They also write inferences and...

Here are a set of graphing lessons that have a real-world business focus.  Math skills include creating a scatter plot or line graph, fitting a line to a scatter plot, and making predictions. These lessons are aimed at an algebra 1...

Students collect height versus time data of a bouncing ball using the CBR 2™ data collection device. Using a quadratic equation they graph scatter plots, graph and interpret a quadratic function, apply the vertex form of a quadratic...

Help learners determine the rate of change for the temperature of sand. They will collect data on the temperature of wet and dry sand over time with a heat lamp overhead. Then make a scatter plot of the data and find a linear model to...

What linear equation will fit this data, and how close is it? Through discussion and partner work, young mathematicians learn the procedure to determine a regression line in order to make predictions from the data. 

Does the number of calories you eat affect the total time you sleep? Young mathematicians tackle this question by collecting their own data and making comparisons between others in the class through building scatter plots and regression...

How does chemistry help deep-sea explorers? Part four of a five-part series of lessons from aboard the Okeanos Explorer introduces middle school scientists to technologies used in ocean exploration. Groups work together to analyze data...

Look at patterns in bivariate data. Eight sample items illustrate the eighth grade statistics and probability standards. The Smarter Balanced Sample multiple-choice items focus on numerical and categorical bivariate data. The slide show...

Examine trends in student-to-teacher ratios over time. Building from the first task in the two-part series, classes now explore the pattern of student-to-teacher ratios using a non-linear function. After trying to connect the pattern to...

What does an animal's gestation period have to do with its longevity? Use residuals to determine the prediction errors based upon a least-square regression line. This second lesson on residuals shows how to use residuals to create a...

Get an interdisciplinary edge. Scholars study air contamination and slope. They record the time it takes for air fresheners to reach them at variable distances. They document their times, classify them by distance, and draw a scatter...

Young mathematicians explore the maximun area for patio with the added complexity of finding the mimimum cost for construction. First, they maximize the area of a yard given a limited amount of fence and  plot width v. area on a...

  Explore the connection between a finite graph, a directed graph, and a matrix. Graph lines and identify the relationship of matrices in real-world scenarios. Then use this information to work with a partner to plan and design a...

Determining relationships is all part of algebra and functions. Your mathematicians will decide the type of relationship between airports and population and translate what the slope and y-intercept represent. The problem is multiple...

Don't keep the resource at an arm's length. A hands-on activity has scholars measure the heights, arm spans, hair lengths, and foot lengths of their classmates. They create scatter plots to determine if there is a correlation between...

Double click that mouse because you just found an amazing lesson plan! This cross-curricular Ornithology lesson plan incorporates literature, writing, reading informational text, data collection, scientific inquiry, Internet research,...

The bounce of a golf ball changes the result in golf, mini golf—and a great math activity. Scholars graph the height of golf ball bounces before finding a line of best fit. They analyze their own data and the results of others to better...

Young mathematicians fold and flick their way to a deeper understanding of statistics with a fun, hands-on math unit. Over the course of four lessons, students use paper footballs to generate data as they learn how to create line...

Make an estimate by getting in line. The class works with scatter plots and lines of best fit to make an estimate for given values. Pupils determine whether there is a positive or negative correlation and draw a best-fit line. Using the...