UNIT PREPARATION

Display the Math Practices page where all students can see it.

Gather self-adhesive notes and square-inch tiles in two or more colors.

Have the following tools readily available for the Daily Practice and Problems items in this unit:

LESSON SESSIONS DESCRIPTION SUPPLIES

LESSON 1

Eyelets Lab

 3–4 Students use the TIMS Laboratory Method to carry out a brief study of the number of eyelets in shoes in the classroom. This lesson provides opportunities to set and assess expectations for collecting, describing, and using data.
  • shoes with laces
  • colored pencils
  • chart paper

LESSON 2

Using Averages to Answer Questions

 2–3 Students review how to use averages and graphs to answer questions about data. Students pose questions for investigation and define variables for study. They find the median and mode (averages) of data sets and use them to answer questions about the data.
  • self-adhesive notes
  • colored markers
  • chart paper

LESSON 3

Analyzing Data

 1–2 Students compare and analyze data in graphs. They review using averages to represent data, concentrating on the mode and median.
  • Table of Variables and Values from Lessons 1 and 2

LESSON 4

Searching the Forest

 4 Students begin this lesson by reading and discussing the story A Matter of Survival in the Student Guide. This story uses the context of studying animals in the rain forest to introduce the technique of population sampling. Students then use a sampling technique to study the distribution of colors in a population of colored square-inch tiles. Students take several 10-tile samples from a bag containing 50 tiles. They record the number of tiles of each color, find the median number per sample of each color, graph the data, and analyze the results.
  • 50 square-inch tiles
  • paper lunch bags or another small opaque bag
  • letter-size envelopes
  • chart paper

LESSON 5

Representing Data with Line Plots

 1 Students use line plots to represent data gathered from surveys. They use line plots to find the mode and median of a data set and to answer questions about the data.  

LESSON 6

Workshop: Problem Solving with Data

 1–2 This Workshop lesson provides opportunities for students to address missing concepts, practice skills, or extend their learning as needed. Students use tools such as data tables and graphs to represent data. They use these tools to find information and to make generalizations and predications about a data set.  

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