Choosing Chocolate - Lesson Plan  [Show Teaching Plan Only][Show All]

Objectives

• Students read a chart in table format.
• Students create a line of best fit using computerized tools and analyze the graphs of the data.
• Students gather and interpret data to solve a problem. 

Teaching Plan

Choosing Chocolate (20 minutes)

The objective of the lesson is to allow students to solve an application problem using provided resources. Depending on the fluency of the individual student, this section may take more or less than the suggested time. Pairing students may help.

Instruct students to login to eNLVM and guide them to find the lesson. Briefly introduce students to the layout of the eModule including the resources menu, help menu, and explain your expectations for their written explanation.
Students watch a video introducing the scenario of the problem. If lab does not have audio on each machine, this can be accomplished by using a projector to view it as a class.
Students use the provided resources to find a solution and write an explanation.
Students can use the help menu as a support structure if they encounter difficulties in finding a solution or writing the explanation.

Discussion (20 minutes)

The purpose of the discussion is to help students reflect on and improve their problem solving skills. By having a group discussion students can see how others approached the same problem.

Engage students in discussion about their problem solving processes. Possible questions include: What did you choose to do with the zeros in your data? Why? What tools did you use to plot the data and find the line of best fit? What happens to the values if the lines of best fit are extended indefinately? Is this reasonable? What factors may affect future drink sales to make them deviate from the line of best fit? How could you design an experiment to make more accurate predictions about the drink sales? If you had to solve another problem similar to this, what would you do differently?

Assessment

The key provided in the eModule does not represent the only correct solution. Depending on what students choose to do with the weeks of zero sales, the predictions will be different. Students should sufficiently justify their decison.

Students have created a written explanation outlining their problem solving process. Emphasis should be placed on the problem solving decisions made. Minor calculation errors or mistakes in using formulas should not greatly reduce the awarded points.

Make certain NOT to require all the help sections to be filled. These are present simply to help students when they do not know what to do.

If appropriate, have students grade each others explanation using the suggested rubric. This allows them to further analyze the problem solving processes of others.

Suggested Rubric - Adjust the point values and check box explanations as desired.

Credits

Correlation to Standards

Correlation to NCTM Standards

Algebra Standard for Grades 3-5:

• Understand patterns, relations, and functions
  •  describe, extend, and make generalizations about geometric and numeric patterns
  •  represent and analyze patterns and functions, using words, tables, and graphs

Data Analysis and Probability Standard for Grades 3-5:

• Select and use appropriate statistical methods to analyze data
  •   describe the shape and important features of a set of data and compare related data sets, with an emphasis on how the data are distributed

Algebra Standard for Grades 6-8:

• Use mathematical models to represent and understand quantitative relationships
  •   model and solve contextualized problems using various representations, such as graphs, tables, and equations
• Analyze change in various contexts
  •  use graphs to analyze the nature of changes in quantities in linear relationships

Data Analysis and Probability Standard for Grades 6-8:

• Formulate questions that can be addressed with data and collect, organize, and display relevant data to answer them
  • formulate questions, design studies, and collect data about a characteristic shared by two populations or different characteristics within one population
  •  select, create, and use appropriate graphical representations of data, including histograms, box plots, and scatterplots
• Select and use appropriate statistical methods to analyze data
  • discuss and understand the correspondence between data sets and their graphical representations, especially histograms, stem-and-leaf plots, box plots, and scatterplots
• Develop and evaluate inferences and predictions that are based on data
  •  make conjectures about possible relationships between two characteristics of a sample on the basis of scatterplots of the data and approximate lines of fit
  •  use conjectures to formulate new questions and plan new studies to answer them

Correlation to Utah Standards

3rd Grade

5.1.a. Collect, read, represent, and interpret data using tables, graphs, and charts, including keys (e.g., pictographs, bar graphs)

5.1.b. Make predictions based on a data display

4th Grade

5.1.b. Collect, read, and interpret data from tables, graphs, charts, surveys, and observations

5.1.c. Represent data using tables, line plots, line graphs, and bar graphs

5th Grade

5.1.b. Collect, compare, and display data using an appropriate format (i.e., line plots, bar graphs, pictographs, circle graphs, line graphs)

5.1.e. Propose and justify inferences based on data

6th Grade

2.1.a. Analyze patterns on graphs and tables and write a generalization to predict how the patterns will continue

5.1.b. Collect, compare, and display data using an appropriate format (i.e., bar graphs, line graphs, line plots, circle graphs, scatter plots)

5.1.c. Compare two similar sets of data on the same graph and compare two graphs representing the same set of data

5.1.e. Develop and evaluate inferences and predictions based on data

Math 7

2.3.1. Model and solve real-world problems using various representations, such as graphs, tables

2.3.2. Identify information in a problem as needed or not needed

2.3.3. Use graphs and tables to identify and describe changes in related quantities

5.1.2 Collect, organize, and display data using frequency tables, line plots, bar graphs, circle graphs, line graphs, and stem-and-leaf plots

5.1.3. Display the same set of data utilizing two or more different types of representations

5.1.4. Compare two similar sets of data using the same type of graph

5.1.5. Predict basic trends illustrated in a graph

PreAlgebra

5.1.2. Organize and display data using graphical representations such as line plots, bar graphs, stem-and-leaf plots, histograms, scatter plots, circle graphs, box plots (box-and-whisker plots), and pictographs.

5.1.3. Make conjectures from a graphical representation

5.1.4. Make predictions and describe the limitations of the predictions when using data samples

5.1.5. Evaluate reported inferences or predictions based on a data set.

Elementary Algebra

5.1.2. Determine whether the pattern of the data is linear or nonlinear when given in a list, table, or graph

5.1.4. Find a line of best fit by estimation, choosing two points, or using technology for a given set of data

5.1.5. Analyze the meaning of the slope and y-intercept of a line of best fit as it relates to the data

5.1.6. Make predictions based on a line of best fit