Unit 8, Lesson 17
Using Box Plots
Grade 6
Preparation
Lesson Narrative
In this lesson, students use box plots to make sense of data in context (MP2), compare distributions, and answer statistical questions about a situation.
Students compare box plots for distributions that have the same median but different IQRs, as well as box plots with the same IQRs but different medians. They recognize and articulate that the centers are the same but the spreads are different in the first case, and that the centers are different but the spreads are the same in the second case. They use this understanding to compare typical members of different groups in terms of the context of the problem (MP2).
- Compare and contrast (orally and in writing) box plots that represent different data sets, including ones with the same median but very different IQRs and vice versa.
- Determine what information is needed to solve problems about comparing box plots. Ask questions to elicit that information.
- Interpret a box plot to answer (orally) statistical questions about a data set.
Let's use box plots to make comparisons.
Required Preparation
Provide access to straightedges for drawing box plots. Consider creating a few paper planes of different sizes or styles to fly for the “Paper Planes” activity.
Extend the lesson during the Launch of Activity 2, “Info Gap: Sea Turtles,” by engaging students in a discussion about the role of sea turtles in the environment. Explain that the sea turtles mentioned in the lesson live in a variety of habitats and eat a variety of foods, based on the species:
- The green sea turtle lives in coastal waters and grazes on seagrass.
- The hawksbill turtle lives in coral reefs and feeds on sponges.
- The leatherback turtle lives in the open ocean and eats jellies.
- The loggerhead turtle lives in the open ocean and hunts crustaceans, such as lobster, crab, and shrimp, on the ocean floor.
- The olive ridley turtle lives in the open ocean and eats some of everything.
Ask: “Why do you think sea turtles are important in nature?” (They keep the populations of the species they eat under control. Sea turtles—as eggs, as hatchlings, as juveniles, and as adults—are food for many living things.)
Explain that all sea turtle species are listed as threatened or endangered, and plastic pollution and fishing gear are their biggest threats. Invite students to dive deeper into research about sea turtles to share with the class.