The purpose of this Warm-up is for students to review how to represent measurements on a dot plot and how to interpret the data.
Arrange students in groups of 2. Distribute rulers marked in inches to each group, and ensure that each student has a pencil.
Display the large class dot plot prepared before class for all to see and access. Tell students to measure the length of their pencil to the nearest 41 inch and record their measurement as a dot on the class dot plot. Give each student a dot sticker as a way to record their measurement.
When the class data is recorded, give students 1 minute of quiet work time. Then, ask partners to briefly share their responses and follow with a whole-class discussion.
Answers vary. There may or may not be one most common pencil length, depending on the distribution of the data.
The purpose of the discussion is for students to recognize the usefulness of the dot plot structure.
Ask a student to share their responses for each of the questions. Record and display their reasoning for all to see. After the student shares, ask the class if they agree or disagree and why. Some discussion may arise about the interpretation of the most common pencil size. It is ok to allow some ambiguity at this time.
To involve more students in the conversation, consider asking some of the following questions:
Some students may struggle with subtracting the shortest pencil length from the longest. Ask if they could use the horizontal axis to find the difference (for example, by adding up from the shorter length to the longer one).
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The purpose of this Warm-up is for students to review how to represent measurements on a dot plot and how to interpret the data.
Arrange students in groups of 2. Distribute rulers marked in inches to each group, and ensure that each student has a pencil.
Display the large class dot plot prepared before class for all to see and access. Tell students to measure the length of their pencil to the nearest 41 inch and record their measurement as a dot on the class dot plot. Give each student a dot sticker as a way to record their measurement.
When the class data is recorded, give students 1 minute of quiet work time. Then, ask partners to briefly share their responses and follow with a whole-class discussion.
Answers vary. There may or may not be one most common pencil length, depending on the distribution of the data.
The purpose of the discussion is for students to recognize the usefulness of the dot plot structure.
Ask a student to share their responses for each of the questions. Record and display their reasoning for all to see. After the student shares, ask the class if they agree or disagree and why. Some discussion may arise about the interpretation of the most common pencil size. It is ok to allow some ambiguity at this time.
To involve more students in the conversation, consider asking some of the following questions:
Some students may struggle with subtracting the shortest pencil length from the longest. Ask if they could use the horizontal axis to find the difference (for example, by adding up from the shorter length to the longer one).