Ask students to think about and Charlemagne’s “foot” “inch,” and predict whether a relationship exists between the length of a and Students should person’s “yard” “span.” identify/describe on a piece of paper or in a journal entry what the relationship might be should one exist, or why none exist. Note to Teacher: In all likelihood, the data should provide a positive correlation. Place students in small groups of 3 or 4. Give each group a measuring tape. Have students measure each and lengths, other’s “yard” “span” being careful to match each set of measures with its owner. Note to teacher: a decision must be made re: use of inches versus centimeters. Provide each group with a transparency copied from attached graphic: Remind Attachment #3: Yard and Span Scatter Plot. the students that in this case it which variable is doesn’t matter the dependent or independent variable. Have the class define the scale for the horizontal and vertical axes, including the unit of measure they are using (inches vs. centimeters). Ask group members to copy the chosen class’s scale on their transparencies. After student groups complete their measuring task, have them plot their points on the The coordinates group’s transparency. of the points should match each and student’s “yard” measure measure. “span” Ask students to place their transparencies on top of one another on an overhead (or document camera), taking care to line up the axes and scales. Direct students to respond to the following directions on their papers or in their journal entries. Look at the collection of points that represent data collected from your class: Was your prediction correct? Why or why not? Do the points on the scatter plot create a pattern? Write a brief description of a pattern you observe.
Ask students to think about Charlemagne’s “foot” and “inch,” and predict whether a relationship exists between the length of a person’s “yard” and “span.” Students should identify/describe on a piece of paper or in a journal entry what the relationship might be should one exist, or why none exist. Note to Teacher: In all likelihood, the data should provide a positive correlation. Place students in small groups of 3 or 4. Give each group a measuring tape. Have students measure each other’s “yard” and “span” lengths, being careful to match each set of measures with its owner. Note to teacher: a decision must be made re: use of inches versus centimeters. Provide each group with a transparency copied from attached graphic: Attachment #3: Yard and Span Scatter Plot. Remind the students that in this case it doesn’t matter which variable is the dependent or independent variable. Have the class define the scale for the horizontal and vertical axes, including the unit of measure they are using (inches vs. centimeters). Ask group members to copy the class’s chosen scale on their transparencies. After student groups complete their measuring task, have them plot their points on the group’s transparency. The coordinates of the points should match each student’s “yard” measure and “span” measure. Ask students to place their transparencies on top of one another on an overhead (or document camera), taking care to line up the axes and scales. Direct students to respond to the following directions on their papers or in their journal entries. Look at the collection of points that represent data collected from your class: Was your prediction correct? Why or why not? Do the points on the scatter plot create a pattern? Write a brief description of a pattern you observe.