Sailing Statistics – Jenna Weinstein

Grade Level/Subject: 6th/Math

Prerequisite Knowledge
• Students can list reasons for collecting and interpreting data.
• Students will know how to define and find the following terms
relating to box-and-whisker plots:
• Minimum: the smallest number in a set of data
• Maximum: the largest number in a set of data
• Range: (minimum – maximum) the difference in value between
the largest and smallest number in a data set
• Median: middle number in a set of data
• Quartile
o First: the middle number in the set of data from the
minimum to the median
o Third: the middle number in the set of data from the
median to the maximum
• Students can create a basic box-and-whisker plot using the
statistical terminology above.

Common Core Standards

• Grade 6 – Statistics and Probability (General)
o Develop an understanding of statistical variability
o Summarize and describe distributions
• Grade 6 – Statistics and Probability (Specific)
o 6.SP.1: Recognize a statistical question as one that
anticipates variability in the data related to the question
and accounts for it in the answers. For example, “How old
am I?” is not a statistical question, but “How old are the
students in my school?” is a statistical question because
one anticipates variability in students’ ages.
o 6.SP.2: Understand that a set of data collected to answer a
statistical question has a distribution which can be
described by its center, spread, and overall shape.
o 6.SP.4: Display numerical data in plots on a number line,
including dot plots, histograms, and box plots.
o 6.SP.5: Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their
context, such as by:
 Reporting the number of observations.
 Describing the nature of the attribute under
investigation, including how it was measured and its
units of measurement.
 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.
 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.

Principles and Standards for School Mathematics

• Content standard: Data Analysis and Probability, Grades 6-8
o Formulate questions that that can be addressed with data
and collect, organize, and display relevant data to answer
them
 Select, create, and use appropriate graphical
representations of data, including histograms, box
plots, and scatter plots
o Select and use appropriate statistical methods to analyze
data
 Find, use and interpret measures of spread, including
mean and interquartile range
o Develop and evaluate inferences and predictions that are
based on data
 Use conjectures to formulate new questions and plan
new studies to answer them

Conceptual Goal
• Students will collect meaningful data and organize it in a box plot
to show the relationship between numbers within a set and
across trials.

Language Objectives
• Using their math dictionaries (which include translations to the
native language), students will be able to use the statistical
vocabulary with group members to work flexibly with the lesson
o This includes the following words: minimum, maximum,
range, median, and quartile (collectively known as the five
number summary). The students will show they understand
their meaning by labeling them in a number set. They
should also know the word, “box-and-whisker plot” and
should have a visual idea of what it looks like.
• Write out how two box plots are alike and different
• Students will initiate conversation in a group setting

Behavior Objectives
 • Each student will be able to:
o State the purpose of collecting the data
o Find the minimum, maximum, median, range, and quartiles
using a set of data collected by a team.
o Create a box-and-whisker plot using the data collected
o Use box-and-whisker plots to compare sets of data

Materials
• 5 containers filled with water
• Aluminum foil pre-cut into squares (6 inches X 6 inches)
• 400 pennies
• Student math journals
• Rulers

Procedure:

BEFORE Introduction: The students should be sitting on their

desks, ready for the lesson to begin. The teacher will say:
“Students, all around you are stations with water tubs.
You may be wondering what we are doing today since we
are talking about Statistics. (Write the word “statistics” on
the board for ELLs. This is a word that should already be
in their vocabulary. Writing it on the board will “spark”
their memory.) During class, each of you will be
designing an aluminum foil boat. It is your job to make
this boat hold as many pennies as possible while staying
afloat in a water tub. (When discussing this, hold up the
foil and pennies for ELLs and students who may need
visual reinforcement.) Using the data collected from each
boat, we will obtain the five-number summary and create
a box-and-whisker plot. These terms should sound familiar
so let’s refresh a little.

Learning Expected Teacher Response

Activities/Questio Student to Student
ns (Teacher Responses Reactions
Initiated) (Responses and
Questions that
Push Student
Thinking
1. Who can tell 1. Minimum, 1. Why do we
me what the five- maximum, collect this
number summary range, information?
is? What does it quartiles, -Student may say:
include? median (each “to make a box-
 students gives and-whisker plot.
one
component) Then ask, “what
does this help us
In discussing see?
question 3 and -Student may say:
4 in the next “information about
box (), the the numbers.
teacher can
have a blank Is all of it
box plot on the necessary to make
board. Students a box-and-whisker
can be called plot?
up to label and
discuss the How do we find
importance of the minimum?
each one of Maximum? Range?
these Median?
components. Quartiles?
They may also
identify the
mathematical
procedure for
finding the
components.

2. Let’s review, 2. A way to 2. Do they all look

what is a box- show what the the same?
and-whisker plot? data looks like. SHOW TWO
Students may DIFFERENT ONES
say: “not all box ON
plots look the BOARD/OVERHEA
same. The D).
medians are in Tell me a bit about
different places. each of these.
So are the
quartiles.”

Students may
say: “no, you Is this the only
can show data way to “show”
using a bar what data looks
graph.” (Ask like?
what other
graphical
 representations
have we
studied)
“Why do we graph
Students may or plot data?”
say: “to show
relationships.”
(Ask what kind
of relationships,
ask for
examples based
on previous
lessons.)

Please note ELL strategies:

• Write and state the content AND language
objectives listed at the beginning of the lesson
• Build background
o Show a picture of a boat. The student will
need to see this picture before working with
the aluminum foil.
o Model how the data collection will work by
making a boat and placing pennies on it
• Use comprehensible input
o Make sure the ELL students have a copy of
the directions in short, concise sentences.
o The teacher should use hand motions and
gestures for words like minimum and
maximum.
• Explicitly teach vocabulary
o The statistical terms should be up the Word
Wall with diagrams accompanying them.
o ELLs should also have a “Math Word”
Dictionary with translations to their native
language. For this lesson, students will open
up to the section in their dictionary that says
“statistics.” In previous lessons, they have
defined the words minimum, maximum,
quartile and range. For words that do not have
native language translations, students are
encouraged to draw pictures or form their own
definitions in the book.
• Continue with more directions…
• -How it will sound: “Alright students. Your first job is
to independently create a boat of your choice. You
 may fold the foil but do not tear it or poke holes.
(Use gestures so ELLs will understand tear and
holes.) Practice with paper while I model it with foil.
(The students should take out scratch paper and
fold while the teacher folds).
• The teacher should model the “testing” process
briefly with the students. She will go to a tub and
place pennies on the boat until it sinks. ”How many
pennies did my boat hold?”
• “Now, it you’re your turn to make your own boat
that will hold the most pennies possible.”

DURING
Students will each get a square of foil passed out by the
teacher or helpers. For 5 minutes, they will construct a foil
boat they think will hold the most pennies. Praise the
students for focusing, keeping quiet (as to not distract
other students), and planning designs.
When they are done, they should go to the nearest tub
station to test the penny count. Write the following on the
board.
• There are a few things to remember – (write on
board) place the pennies on gently. Record the
number that your boat holds, not the number that
sunk your boat. Finally, please clean up your station
when you are done with it. (Write “10 minutes” on
board the students have an expected time frame.)

In their math journal, they should record their boat’s

capacity.

“One, two, three…eyes on me. You should be back at your

desk with a clean station. Thank you station ? for getting
that taken care of quickly. Right now, you should only
have your data. We need some more numbers to make a
box-and-whisker plot. So, we are going to split up in two
teams. I will read off the teams and then quietly make
your desks into large pods. (Make sure the teams are
planned so that the ELL students are put in strategic
groupings. For example, two Chinese-speaking students
should be in the same group so they can use their native
language if necessary). Once you are in your pods, please
put your pencils down and eyes on me so I know you’re
ready.”
Give students time to move into pods.

“Great. There are 13 in this group and 12 in this group.

Talk to your friends and find out how much their boats
held. Make a chart so you can see the data. (Give
students some “leeway” with what kind of chart to make
so they have independence in the activity.)” When you
are done, make a box-and-whisker plot for the data on a
clean page in your math journal (Show what a clean page
looks like for ELLs.) If you need help, check yesterday’s
notes or ask a friend in your pod.”
Allow students 10 minutes to complete this part of the
assignment. Monitor the room as a method of formative
assessment. Also, check that ELL students are using the
vocabulary words, even if they need to reference their
“Math Word” Dictionaries.

-What to specifically observe:

1. Are they working?
2. Do they understand the problem?
o Travel around to the groups. Ask the students the
following questions: “What do these numbers
mean?” “How are they different than your
neighbors?” “Why should we plot these numbers?”
“What will it show?”
o Anticipate students may have trouble finding the
quartiles. They are used to looking for a middle
number like the median. Looking for “the middle of
the middle” becomes more complicated. To help
these students, have them make sure their data is
organized and charted neatly.
o Anticipate students struggling with medians that are
not one number. Sometimes, they must take the
average of the two numbers in the middle. Ask the
students why an average would be a good choice
for this circumstance. Ask what an average will
show.
3. Is meaningful discussion occurring? The teacher should
be listening for comments like…
o “I found the median? I got ________. What did you
get?”
o “You put the first quartile here because it is the
middle of the minimum and median.”
o “Look, my boat held 26 pennies. 26 is the median!”
o “I did/didn’t expect it to look like this!”
 4. Are the box-and-whisker plots being made without
much frustration?
o Are they completed in the time given to the
students?

“One, two, three…eyes on me. Students, it looks like all of

you have created a box-and-whisker plot and have
checked it with your pod. I want everyone to put his or her
boat design on your desk (touch the desk for ELL
students.) If your design held more than the median
number of pennies, raise your hand. Students, we are
going to do this whole process one more time. (Pass out
foil). Revise, or change, the design of your boat so that it
will hold more pennies. Come back to your tables, share
data, and create another plot (Write short, brief,
directions on the board.) I will give you 15 minutes to do
this.”

As students are completing the second part of the lesson,

monitor the class to make sure everyone is on track. The
second time the procedure is done, there is less teacher
guidance. Thus, the teacher needs to remain aware of
what the students are doing. Question student processes
or group behavior.

-What to ask:
1. How many pennies did your boat hold?
2. Whose boat set the maximum number of pennies?
Minimum?
3. How did you find the median?
4. How did you find the quartiles?
5. How do you predict your second box-and-whisker plot
will look?
6. Did your boat design improve?
7. What is the purpose of finding the range?

AFTER
-Sharing mathematical ideas and problem solving
strategies:
“Group A, out of both trials please hold up the boat that
held the most pennies. How about you group B? Students,
what can you tell me about these designs? Why do you
think they held the most pennies?”

*Usually the boat with a flat, square bottom and median-

height sides will be effective. Sharp, neat folds also help.
 Show students a picture of carrier boats that have these
features on the overhead.

Put up an overhead. “In your groups, I want you to answer

the following questions in your Math Journals (This
exercise will give ELLs practice writing academically, as
well.):
• What was the range for trial 1? What was the range
for trial 2? What had a smaller range and why do
you think that?
• Compare the following using the two box plots.
Please use >, <, or =.
o Medians
o Minimums
o Maximums
o Quartiles
 Why do you suspect these trends
occurred?
• What other ways could we visually show these sets
of data? Is a box-and-whisker plot the best choice?

Assessment
• There are four main purposes for assessment according to Van
de Wall: modifying the program, promoting growth, improving
instruction, and recognizing accomplishment. The assessment
done should focus on all of these areas. When assessing, the
teacher should make sure they review behavior and language
objectives. He or she should also reference the conceptual goal
to see if the lesson contributed to its aim. In this lesson, the
teacher needs to consider many areas to check for student
understanding.
• During the opening of the lesson the teacher should get out their
“preprinted sticky notes” attached to a clipboard. This looks
similar to page 83 of the Van de Wall text. The teacher should
take notes on questions that students answered and how they
explained themselves. The students should also note students
who do not volunteer to answer questions or look
unmotivated/confused. All these observations can be written
down on the individual sticky notes. This way, during the lesson,
the teacher can address concerns with specific students.
• While observing during the procedure, the teacher should also
use a similar format. He or she should walk around and take
notes on specific comments made. The teacher should note
students who may be “looking” at a neighbors’ paper to make
 the box plot. He or she should also note the students who are
ready for more of a challenge. These are the children who finish
the task very quickly.
• The students should hand-in their math journals before they leave class. Here, the
teacher should use a “task-specific” rubric to check their work. There are two
parts to check – the box plots created and the questions assigned to answer at the
end of class.
4- Excellent: 3- Proficient: 2: Marginal: 1:
Full Substantial Partial Unsatisfactor
Accomplishme Accomplishm Accomplishm y:
nt ent ent Little
Accomplishm
ent
Box The student The student The student The box plots
and uses the data uses the data uses the data are
whisk to create a to create a to create a incomplete
er neat and labeled box box plot. or difficult to
plots labeled box plot. The Some labels follow. There
plot. The labels should are missing. is little or no
labels should include the There is some labeling. It is
include the range, evidence that unclear how
range, quartiles, the student the students
quartiles, minimum and used their developed
minimum and maximum. It data chart to the “5
maximum. It is is somewhat create the Number
clear how the clear how the plot however Summary.”
student found student came mathematical
the numbers up with these procedures
to use for the numbers – are missing.
5-number procedures
summary. like “finding
Their work is the average”
based off the for the
chart they median may
created. be left out.
Follow- The questions The questions The questions Answers may
up are answered are answered are answered. be
questio accurately and accurately Some are incomplete
ns neatly. and neatly. inaccurate. or
Explanations Explanations There is some inaccurate.
are present are present. explanation The answers
and Through these included. It is lack
understandabl explanations, clear the mathematica
e. there is student could l
Explanations indication that create a box explanations.
are easy to the student plot with It is clear the
follow. understands some student
Mathematical how to make guidance from would not be
language is a box plot. a teacher or able to
 used. Through groupmates. produce a
answers, it is box plot.
clear the
student
understands
how and why
to make a box
plot.

Homework
• Using the Internet, TV, self-created survey, observation,
newspaper, etc. (VERY OPEN-ENDED), please collect a set of
data. Create a box-and-whisker plot for this data using the five-
number summary. Bring the data and the plot to class tomorrow
and be ready to share your results.

Blackline Masters (None)

Alternative Approaches/Extensions
• Have the students create the boats in small groups rather than
individually, then make a “class” box-and-whisker plot
• Use paper-clips instead of pennies as a “lighter” object
• Have data collection charts pre-made for the students
• Begin the lesson with a read-aloud on boats
• As an extension, give students a larger or smaller square of foil
to work with. Plot this data too.
• Make connections to science. Talk about human error and the
purpose of multiple trials.

Lesson adapted from NCTM Illumination’s Website –

illuminations.nctm.org