Lesson 5
Calculating Measures of Center and Variability
Lesson Narrative
This lesson is optional because it revisits below grade-level content. If the pre-unit diagnostic assessment indicates that your students know how to calculate the mean, median, mean absolute deviation (MAD), and interquartile range (IQR) then this lesson may be safely skipped. This lesson connects to upcoming work because students will interpret data using measures of center and measures of variability throughout the unit, so it is important that they understand what these statistics mean. When students explain the MAD using the meter stick example they are engaging in MP2 because they were reasoning abstractly and quantitatively by interpreting the MAD in context.
Learning Goals
Teacher Facing
- Calculate mean absolute deviation, interquartile range, mean, and median.
Student Facing
- Let’s calculate measures of center and measures of variability and know which are most appropriate for the data.
Required Materials
Required Preparation
You will need a meter stick and 14 pennies (or other small weights) for a demonstration. An optional blackline master is included as a graphic organizer for computing interquartile range. One copy of the blackline master contains 2 graphic organizers.
Learning Targets
Student Facing
- I can calculate mean absolute deviation, interquartile range, mean, and median for a set of data.
CCSS Standards
Print Formatted Materials
Teachers with a valid work email address can click here to register or sign in for free access to Cool Down, Teacher Guide, and PowerPoint materials.
| Student Task Statements | docx | |
| Cumulative Practice Problem Set | docx | |
| Cool Down | Log In | |
| Teacher Guide | Log In | |
| Teacher Presentation Materials | docx | |
| Blackline Masters | zip |