Statistics is the study of variability. Students who understand statistics need to be able to identify and pose questions that can be answered by data that vary. The purpose of this task is to provide questions related to a particular context (a jar of buttons) so that students can identify which are statistical questions. The task also provides students with an opportunity to write a statistical question that pertains to the context.

This is a task from the Illustrative Mathematics website that is one part of a complete illustration of the standard to which it is aligned. Each task has at least one solution and some commentary that addresses important aspects of the task and its potential use.

Students will explore the overarching question, is the internet trustworthy?, while expanding their knowledge of statistics and comparing data sets.  They will compare two data sets as well as determine the accuracy or bias of data representations shown on the internet. Students will then have the opportunity to apply their knowledge while creating their own visual representations for data they personally collected regarding the trustworthiness of the internet.  The module concludes with a peer showcase and the post-assessment.

Students write statistical questions that can be used to find information about a typical sixth grade student. Then, the class works together to informally plan how to find the typical arm span of a student in their class.Key ConceptsStatistical thinking, in large part, must deal with variability; statistical problem solving and decision making depend on understanding, explaining, and quantifying the variability in the data.“How tall is a sixth grader?” is a statistical question because all sixth graders are not the same height—there is variability.Goals and Learning ObjectivesUnderstand what a statistical question is.Realize there is variability in data and understand why.Describe informally the range, median, and mode of a set of data.

This lesson unit is intended to help teachers assess how well students are able to: interpret data and evaluate statistical summaries; and critique someone elseŐs interpretations of data and evaluations of statistical summaries. The lesson also introduces students to the dangers of misapplying simple statistics in real-world contexts, and illustrates some of the common abuses of statistics and charts found in the media.

The following are some common methods of data collection in statistical studies that involve people.

Students apply pre-requisite statistics knowledge and concepts learned in an associated lesson to a real-world state-of-the-art research problem that asks them to quantitatively analyze the effectiveness of different cracked steel repair methods. As if they are civil engineers, students statistically analyze and compare 12 sets of experimental data from seven research centers around the world using measurements of central tendency, five-number summaries, box-and-whisker plots and bar graphs. The data consists of the results from carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer patched and unpatched cracked steel specimens tested under the same stress conditions. Based on their findings, students determine the most effective cracked steel repair method, create a report, and present their results, conclusions and recommended methods to the class as if they were presenting to the mayor and city council. This activity and its associated lesson are suitable for use during the last six weeks of the AP Statistics course; see the topics and timing note for details.

Students are introduced to the technology of flexible circuits, some applications and the photolithography fabrication process. They are challenged to determine if the fabrication process results in a change in the circuit dimensions since, as circuits get smaller and smaller (nano-circuits), this could become very problematic. The lesson prepares students to conduct the associated activity in which they perform statistical analysis (using Excel® and GeoGebra) to determine if the circuit dimension sizes before and after fabrication are in fact statistically different. A PowerPoint® presentation and post-quiz are provided. This lesson and its associated activity are suitable for use during the last six weeks of the AP Statistics course; see the topics and timing note for details.

This is a task from the Illustrative Mathematics website that is one part of a complete illustration of the standard to which it is aligned. Each task has at least one solution and some commentary that addresses important asects of the task and its potential use. Here are the first few lines of the commentary for this task: Which of the following are statistical questions? (A statistical question is one that can be answered by collecting data and where there will be variab...

This supplemental resource provides problems and activities related to Data Analysis and Statistics in Middle School Mathematics.

In this module, students reconnect with and deepen their understanding of statistics and probability concepts first introduced in Grades 6, 7, and 8. Students develop a set of tools for understanding and interpreting variability in data, and begin to make more informed decisions from data. They work with data distributions of various shapes, centers, and spreads. Students build on their experience with bivariate quantitative data from Grade 8. This module sets the stage for more extensive work with sampling and inference in later grades.

Find the rest of the EngageNY Mathematics resources at https://archive.org/details/engageny-mathematics.

In this statistics project, students will begin by sampling a population to answer their own designed question.  They will then use their sample to graph, find the mean and standard deviation, and illustrate their understanding of normal distribution.  They will then manipulate their data to make it "normal" and, after finding new samples, analyze the associated z-score and percents of that new data.

Measuring the dimensions of nano-circuits requires an expensive, high-resolution microscope with integrated video camera and a computer with sophisticated imaging software, but in this activity, students measure nano-circuits using a typical classroom computer and (the free-to-download) GeoGebra geometry software. Inserting (provided) circuit pictures from a high-resolution microscope as backgrounds in GeoGebra's graphing window, students use the application's tools to measure lengths and widths of circuit elements. To simplify the conversion from the on-screen units to the real circuits' units and the manipulation of the pictures, a GeoGebra measuring interface is provided. Students export their data from GeoGebra to Microsoft® Excel® for graphing and analysis. They test the statistical significance of the difference in circuit dimensions, as well as obtain a correlation between average changes in original vs. printed circuits' widths. This activity and its associated lesson are suitable for use during the last six weeks of the AP Statistics course; see the topics and timing note below for details.

This is a text-based STEM Inquiry, focusing on the mathematical standard of making inferences and justifying conclusions while evaluating reports based on data. The unit culminates in students presenting their findings comparing local to national data regarding the relationships between educational attainment and financial earnings.

This resource was created by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. 

This resource was created by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. 

This resource was created by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. 

This resource was created by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. 

This resource was created by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.