Day 149: Displaying Quiz & Mean Absolute Deviation Introduction

6th Grade Math Standards: 6.NS.4 Display numerical data in plots on a number line, including dot plots, histograms, and box plots.
MA.4.a.Read and interpret circle graphs.

6.NS.5 Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their context, such as by:
a. Reporting the number of observations.
b. Describing the nature of the attribute under investigation, including how it was measured and its units of measurement.
c. Giving quantitative measures of center (median and/or mean) and variability (interquartile range and/or mean absolute deviation), as well as describing any overall pattern and any striking deviations from the overall pattern with reference to the context in which the data were gathered.
d. Relating the choice of measures of center and variability to the shape of the data distribution and the context in which the data were gathered.

The Objective: Find the mean absolute deviation of a data set; construct a line plot and box plot; analyze histograms, dot plots, and box plots

Quote of the Day: "A carpenter was fixing to retire and tells the company he works for he was through building houses. They ask him to build one more before he retires. He agrees and through the process of building this last house he begins to cut corners, uses cheaper materials, doesn’t use the same precision in which he used to and basically built an inferior home. When he’s done he gives the keys to his boss and says here you go I’m done. The boss returns the key and says thanks for all your hard work and dedication to this company. This home is yours and we appreciate you. Obviously, had the carpenter known he was building his own house he would not have cut corners. You are building your house every day and you don’t even know it.”

Agenda:

1. Take the displaying data quiz (for one class only I did mean absolute deviation because we only had 15 minutes until lunch and I didn't want them to start the quiz before lunch)
2. Fix the weekly quiz (MCAS Simulation)
3. Introduce mean absolute deviation

The Assessment: The results of the displaying data quiz were solid overall. The class seemed to understand all concepts. Some common student errors were confusing a box plot and a line plot.

Homework: Students just had to work on their MCAS Simulation (WQ #25) if it is not already completed.

Glass Half-Full Take: It is always encouraging to get solid quiz results, but especially the quiz before students are about to take the MCAS test as they are next week. This could be our last traditional quiz of the school year since we were going over a couple of projects during our curriculum meeting today. We shall see.

One Regret: I just wish that I had given a simple exit ticket for the mean absolute deviation lesson. Something as simple as "tell me about one step that you need to take in finding mean absolute deviation." I did walk around the room as students calculated mean and found how far numbers were from the mean. It was rather surprising that only one or two students raised their hand to say that they remembered what absolute value means.

Link of the Day: Minecraft has been cited as an engaging way to enlist students in common core standards and one school district in San Diego is taking full advantage. It is not yet measurable to see if this has had a positive impact on achievement, but related metrics such as attendance indicate that the insertion of the game in the classroom has been effective.