Statistics and Data Displays

Statistics and Data Displays

Course overview

This course helps Grade 6 students describe data with measures of center, read dot plots and histograms, and use box plots to understand spread. Students also learn when a display supports a claim and when it only gives part of the story.

What students will learn

• Describe data with mean, median, and mode.
• Explain how dot plots and histograms organize information differently.
• Read box plots to find quartiles, spread, and the five number summary.
• Compare data displays with the right measure for the question.
• Make careful claims about data without overreading a graph.

Lessons

• Measures of Center - Learn how mean, median, and mode describe a typical value.
• Dot Plots and Histograms - Learn how dot plots and histograms display data in different ways.
• Box Plots and Variability - Learn how box plots show spread, quartiles, and limits on what a graph can prove.

Parent guide

Work lesson by lesson and keep the discussion tied to real examples from the graph or data set. Ask your student to explain why one display or measure fits the question better than another.

Completion

A student finishes this course when they can describe a data set with center and spread, read dot plots, histograms, and box plots, and explain what a data display can and cannot tell them.