Lesson 1

Eyelets Lab

Est. Class Sessions: 3–4

Developing the Lesson

Part 1. Use Variables: Flats and Gym Shoes

The Eyelets Lab pages in the Student Guide open with a vignette, Flats and Gym Shoes, that uses the context of fashion to review using surveys to gather data to solve a problem.

To build student interest and connection to this lesson, use these or similar prompts to guide a discussion before reading the vignette:

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  • What are some of the things you think about when you are deciding what to wear to school? (Possible responses: I think about whether or not we have gym to decide what shoes to wear. I think about the weather to decide if I need a jacket or sweater. I think about what is in fashion or what my friends are wearing to school.)
  • How could you collect information about what students are wearing to school? (Possible responses: I call my friend. I look at what other kids are wearing.)
  • How could you use a survey to collect information about what students are wearing? (Possible response: I could write up some questions and then hand them out for people to answer.)
  • What do you need to think about when you are writing a survey? (Possible response: I need to decide specific questions to ask and then how to record the information I get back.)

Direct students to the Eyelets Lab pages in the Student Guide. Ask students to read the opening vignette and discuss Questions 1–4 with a partner. Ask several students to share their answers to these questions with the class.

Variables and values are reviewed in the Flats and Gym Shoes section. Point out that a variable is something that changes or varies in an experiment, such as Kind of Shoe and Number of Pairs of Shoes. The possible outcomes for each variable are called values. To help students make the distinction between variables and values, Question 5 asks students to make a table listing variables they may wish to study in a survey in the first column and possible values for each variable in the second column. Figure 1 shows a sample table with some possible entries. Use chart paper or a display to make a class chart with the students' suggestions for surveys.

Question 6 asks students to identify the numerical and categorical variables in the table. For example, in the table in Figure 1, Number of Pockets is a numerical variable since the values are numbers. Length of Hair and Type of Pants are categorical variables since the values for these variables are not numbers. Note that if the values for Length of Hair were given as 15 in. or 1 cm, then Length of Hair would be considered a numerical variable.

Assign Home Practice Parts 1–2 after Part 1 of the lesson.

Student Guide: 2 3
Answers
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SG_Mini
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SG_Mini
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Student Activity Book:
Master:
Variables and values table
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