Math 2
Exploring Statistical Data WebQuest
picture of linear graph
Introduction Task Process Resources Evaluation Conclusion Teaching Guide

Introduction
When you watch TV, read the newspaper, magazine, or a website, many times you are exposed to statistical data that argues in favor or against an idea. Many political outlets use their own opinions to skew interpretations of statistical data to support their argument. Without the knowledge of how to interpret data we may have to just assume that these loose interpretations that we see in the media are factual. How do you interpret data that you may be exposed to on a regular basis? What are the effects of assumptions made based on statistical data that you may encounter through the media? The measure of great professional athletes will always be closely associated with statistical data. Sports fans always try to compare athletes of past against athletes in the present. How can we truly compare these athletes without imposing our own personal bias? Statistical measures are necessary tools to accurately compare and interpret an athletes data.

Task
Students will work in pairs to collect data that interests them. Students will calculate the pertinent descriptive statistical measures and interpret their values. Once students have collected their data, organized it, and have found the required statistical measures, the students will then need to construct two graphical representations from the four that we learned in class (box plot, dot plot, histogram, and stem and leaf plot). Lastly, students will need to write a conclusion that explains their interpretation of the data that was collected and represented graphically.


Process

  1. Review basic statistical concepts and calculations from Math 1.
  2. Participate in teacher guided activity to learn and practice calculating mean and standard deviation of the NBA scores worksheet.
  3. Read definitions and and write two sentences that describe the differences between population mean and sample mean and also describe the differences between population standard deviation and sample standard deviation.
  4. Visit Edmodo site, create an account, and join the Math 2 Statistics WebQuest group using the group code f9kz8o.
  5. Submit your description of the definition differences in step 3 in the Edmodo Math 2 Statistics WebQuest assignment area.
  6. Participate in teacher guided activity to collect quantitative data about you and your classmates and complete the form as a group and then practice calculating mean, mode, median, range, IQR, and standard deviation. Submit the final answers using the Edmodo assignment submission in our class group
  7. Read and understand the project overview and rubric and discuss the expectation of the project with your teacher.
  8. Use the resources to start searching for quantitative data that may pique your interest. Post two possible topics on the Edmodo group discussion board.
  9. If you decide to collect your own data among the population of students you will need to also post your topic or questions on Edmodo. No student group can use the same topic. The first groups that post will have rights to the topic.
  10. Explore the resources that help you construct the graphical representations that you will need for your final project.
  11. Watch the video about using Glogster to digitize your project with their user friendly, web-based software.
  12. Watch the video tutorial for creating Google forms and spreadsheets to help you collect, organize, and calculate your data.
  13. Use the descriptive statistics that you learned to calculate to interpret your data.
  14. Write a one paragraph summary of your descriptive statistics determination and submit it in the assignment section in Edmodo.
  15. Write a one paragraph conclusion summary of your findings and complete the visual portion of the project using poster board or Glogster. (These will be shared with the class and each group will critique and evaluate another groups work.)

Resources

www.edmodo.com - visit this website, create an account and join the Math 2 Statistics WebQuest group by typing in the following group code f9kz8o. This resource provides an area to reference class notes and to communicate any questions to your teacher or classmates through a discussion board.

Google Spreadsheet video

Google Forms video

http://www.nfl.com/players?playerType=historical

http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/historical/player_stats.jsp?tcid=mm_mlb_stats

http://www.nba.com/statistics/player/Scoring.jsp

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president_obama_job_approval-1044.html

http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/

http://people.hofstra.edu/Stefan_Waner/stats/histogram.html

http://www.rossmanchance.com/applets/DotPlotApplet/DotPlotApplet.html

http://www.alcula.com/calculators/statistics/mean/

Evaluation
Student groups will be given an overall assessment based on the rubric here. Each student will be evaluated based on the time utilized in class by the daily checklist that is to be completed and submitted daily via the computer.

Conclusion
Thank you for completing my Statistics WebQuest. I hope that you gain knowledge of descriptive statistics techniques to interpret and evaluate statistical data that you will be regularly exposed to throughout your lifetime. I hope that you now have tools to make your own predictions based on statistical data that you will encounter and create you can create your own opinions instead of excepting other’s as truth.