Use Question 18 to bring students back to the purpose of the experiment. Nicholas and Frank conducted the experiment in order to improve their scores on the Fill It First game. This discussion will point out to students that mathematics and science are useful in their lives.
Students can find the volume for given numbers of marbles using their graphs as they did in Questions 10 and 11 to estimate the volume of 7 and 15 marbles. Alternatively, students can use their answers to Question 12C for the volume of one small marble to estimate the volume of the number of marbles they spin.
- How can you use your data to make more accurate predictions? (Possible response: To improve our prediction while we play Fill It First, we can now multiply the volume of one marble by the number we get on the spinner. We can more accurately predict the volume of the marbles to be added.)
- How can you use your data tables and graph? (Possible response: We can use our graphs to better estimate the volume of the number of marbles we have to add. We can find the number of marbles on the horizontal axis, and use the best-fit line we drew to help estimate the volume.)
When students have completed Question 18, they play the game again using their data. As students play, discuss how they are using their data and if it improves their scores.
If time does not allow for the whole class to play Fill It First again, use Question 18 and the discussion questions to encourage students to think about how they can use the data to win the game.
Put together a center in one part of the classroom where students can play the game in small groups as time permits in the class schedule.
