Describing Distributions on Histograms
5 min
Teacher Prep
Setup
Narrative
This Warm-up prompts students to compare four histograms. It gives students a reason to use language precisely (MP6). It gives the teacher an opportunity to hear how students use terminology and talk about characteristics of the items in comparison to one another.
Launch
Arrange students in groups of 2–4. Display the histograms for all to see. Give students 1 minute of quiet think time and ask them to indicate when they have noticed three histograms that go together and can explain why. Next, tell students to share their response with their group, and then together to find as many sets of three as they can.
Student Task
Which three go together? Why do they go together?
Sample Response
Sample responses:
- A, B, and C go together because they all have about 100 values in their data sets.
- A, B, and D go together because the spread from the least possible value to the greatest is 50.
- A, C, and D go together because their center is around 100.
- B, C, and D go together because they are shaped like a hill or a bell-shape.
Activity Synthesis (Teacher Notes)
Invite each group to share one reason why a particular set of three go together. Record and display the responses for all to see. After each response, ask the class if they agree or disagree. Because there is no single correct answer to the question of which three go together, attend to students’ explanations and ensure that the reasons given are correct.
During the discussion, prompt students to explain the meaning of any terminology that they use, such as "center," "spread," or "distribution," and to clarify their reasoning as needed. Consider asking:
- “How do you know . . . ?”
- “What do you mean by . . . ?”
- “Can you say that in another way?”
Standards
- 6.SP.2·Understand that a set of data collected to answer a statistical question has a distribution which can be described by its center, spread, and overall shape.
- 6.SP.A.2·Understand that a set of data collected to answer a statistical question has a distribution which can be described by its center, spread, and overall shape.
20 min
10 min
Knowledge Components
All skills for this lesson
No KCs tagged for this lesson
Describing Distributions on Histograms
5 min
Teacher Prep
Setup
Narrative
This Warm-up prompts students to compare four histograms. It gives students a reason to use language precisely (MP6). It gives the teacher an opportunity to hear how students use terminology and talk about characteristics of the items in comparison to one another.
Launch
Arrange students in groups of 2–4. Display the histograms for all to see. Give students 1 minute of quiet think time and ask them to indicate when they have noticed three histograms that go together and can explain why. Next, tell students to share their response with their group, and then together to find as many sets of three as they can.
Student Task
Which three go together? Why do they go together?
Sample Response
Sample responses:
- A, B, and C go together because they all have about 100 values in their data sets.
- A, B, and D go together because the spread from the least possible value to the greatest is 50.
- A, C, and D go together because their center is around 100.
- B, C, and D go together because they are shaped like a hill or a bell-shape.
Activity Synthesis (Teacher Notes)
Invite each group to share one reason why a particular set of three go together. Record and display the responses for all to see. After each response, ask the class if they agree or disagree. Because there is no single correct answer to the question of which three go together, attend to students’ explanations and ensure that the reasons given are correct.
During the discussion, prompt students to explain the meaning of any terminology that they use, such as "center," "spread," or "distribution," and to clarify their reasoning as needed. Consider asking:
- “How do you know . . . ?”
- “What do you mean by . . . ?”
- “Can you say that in another way?”
Standards
- 6.SP.2·Understand that a set of data collected to answer a statistical question has a distribution which can be described by its center, spread, and overall shape.
- 6.SP.A.2·Understand that a set of data collected to answer a statistical question has a distribution which can be described by its center, spread, and overall shape.