Learning Objectives
After this lesson, students will be able to:
Define mean, median, mode, range, variance, and standard deviation
Demonstrate an understanding of descriptive statistics
Explain the difference between descriptive statistics and inferential statistics
Length
1 -2 Hours
Curriculum Standards
[Link].A.2
Use statistics appropriate to the shape of the data distribution to compare center (median, mean)
and spread (interquartile range, standard deviation) of two or more different data sets.
[Link].A.3
Interpret differences in shape, center, and spread in the context of the data sets, accounting for
possible effects of extreme data points (outliers).
[Link].A.4
Use the mean and standard deviation of a data set to fit it to a normal distribution and to estimate
population percentages. Recognize that there are data sets for which such a procedure is not
appropriate. Use calculators, spreadsheets, and tables to estimate areas under the normal curve.
Materials
Transcripts of the video lesson What Is Descriptive Statistics? - Examples & Concept and
hard copies of the lesson quiz
Audio/visual equipment
Red and Green cards (optional)
Poster paper
Art supplies
Calculators
Descriptive Statistics fact sheet (for true/false game) including such statements as:
o Descriptive statistics allow you to infer information about the world. {F}
o The mean is the average of your data set. {T}
o The median is the most important calculation of descriptive statistics. {F}
o The mode is the datum item that is seen the most. {T}
o Standard deviation is a great measure of variability. {T}
Warm Up
Ask your students if they know what types of calculations are considered descriptive?
Discuss each answer.
Ask why descriptive statistics are used?
Remind your class that the word data is plural, thus a data set is a group of many numbers.
Tell your class that today's lesson is about descriptive statistics and that by the end of the
lesson they should be able to answer these questions.
Instruct students to get out their notebooks and calculators. They should watch for
calculation procedures in the video and take notes on how to calculate each measure.
Instructions
Begin the video lesson. Pause at time marker 0:28 and ask students to write down the data
set. Resume the video.
Pause the video at time marker 2:44. Discuss:
o What is the most important measure of central tendency?
o What is an outlier and how does it impact measures of central tendency?
o Can anyone give an example of an outlier that would greatly alter a data set?
o Why are measures of central tendency important? How can they be used?
Repeat the definition and the instructions for how to calculate mean, median, and mode.
Instruct students to calculate the mean, median, and mode of the data set.
Continue the video pausing after the answers are given in the video. Ask:
o How did everyone do?
o Are there any questions on how to calculate these measures of central tendency?
If students have questions, complete the calculations step by step on the board.
Continue the video pausing at time marker 4:37 to give students time to write down the steps
for calculating the variance. Then continue the video, pausing at time marker 5:13 to discuss:
o Why are measures of distribution important?
o What is the difference between variance and standard deviation?
o When might you use these; in what scenario would they give the most information?
{A very large standard deviation tells you that the data is spread apart, that there are
really not many similarities between data points.}
Remind students of the method for calculating the measures of dispersion and ask them to
calculate each for the data set.
Continue the video. Pause after the results are given to ask how your students did and if they
need help. Work problems out on the board if needed.
Finish the video. Discuss:
o Why can't you make conclusions with descriptive statistics?
o What are inferential statistics?
o Why are descriptive statistics important?
Hand out hard transcripts of the video lesson What Is Descriptive Statistics? - Examples &
Concept and allow students a few minutes to review before the quiz.
Hand out the lesson quiz. Go over each question and answer with the class after they have
finished it.
Learning Objectives
After this lesson, students will be able to:
calculate the mean, median, mode, and range for a set of data they collected
explain why they would use the median to calculate data sets with outliers
Length
40-60 minutes, depending on students' ages
Materials
Calculators
Paper/pencils