American Statistical Association
A Sweet Task
Candy is always an effective motivator! A fun math activity uses M&M's and Skittles to explore two-way frequency tables and conditional probability. The candy can serve a dual purpose as manipulatives and experimental data.
Curated OER
Using Commas with Adjectives
Practice using commas with adjectives with a instructional activity highlighting coordinate and cumulative adjectives. After reviewing definitions and examples, learners show what they know by correctly punctuating 10 sentences with...
Statistics Education Web
You Will Soon Analyze Categorical Data (Classifying Fortune Cookie Fortunes)
Would you rely on a fortune cookie for advice? The lesson first requires future statisticians to categorize 100 fortune cookie fortunes into four types: prophecy, advice, wisdom, and misc. The lesson goes on to have learners use...
Statistics Education Web
10,000 Steps?
Conduct an experiment to determine the accuracy of pedometers versus pedometer apps. Class members collect data from each device, analyze the data using a hypothesis test, and determine if there is a significant difference between the...
Statistics Education Web
Odd or Even? The Addition and Complement Principles of Probability
Odd or even—fifty-fifty chance? Pupils first conduct an experiment rolling a pair of dice to generate data in a probability instructional activity. It goes on to introduce mutually exclusive and non-mutually exclusive events, and how to...
Edgemont Elementary School
Scientific Method Unit
Four out of five teenagers experiment with science by accident. This unit teaches the five parts of the scientific method through examples, guided practice, independent practice, and then through a hands-on experiment. Each step is...
Statistics Education Web
The United States of Obesity
Mississippi has both the highest obesity and poverty rate in the US. Does the rest of the data show a correlation between the poverty and obesity rate in a state? Learners tackle this question as they practice their skills of regression....
Statistics Education Web
Are Female Hurricanes Deadlier than Male Hurricanes?
The battle of the sexes? Scholars first examine data on hurricane-related deaths and create graphical displays. They then use the data and displays to consider whether hurricanes with female names result in more deaths than hurricanes...
Statistics Education Web
Text Messaging is Time Consuming! What Gives?
The more you text, the less you study. Have classes test this hypothesis or another question related to text messages. Using real data, learners use technology to create a scatter plot and calculate a regression line. They create a dot...
Statistics Education Web
Types of Average Sampling: "Household Words" to Dwell On
Show your classes how different means can represent the same data. Individuals collect household size data and calculate the mean. Pupils learn how handling of the data influences the value of the mean.
Statistics Education Web
Consuming Cola
Caffeine affects your heart rate — or does it? Learners study experimental design while conducting their own experiment. They collect heart rate data after drinking a caffeinated beverage, create a box plot, and draw conclusions. They...
Statistics Education Web
Saga of Survival (Using Data about Donner Party to Illustrate Descriptive Statistics)
What did gender have to do with the survival rates of the Donner Party? Using comparative box plots, classes compare the ages of the survivors and nonsurvivors. Using the same method, individuals make conclusions about the gender and...
Statistics Education Web
The Case of the Careless Zookeeper
Herbivores and carnivores just don't get along. Using a box of animal crackers, classes collect data about the injury status of herbivores and carnivores in the box. They complete the process of chi-square testing on the data from...
Reed Novel Studies
Dolphins of the World
Pair a novel study of Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell with a presentation on dolphins. The 37-slide PowerPoint shows different types of dolphins all around the world, includes a brief description of each, and provides a photo...
Teach Engineering
Spool Racer Design and Competition
Wind it up and let it go. Individuals build a basic spool racer in the second portion of a six-part unit on energy. After receiving three criteria, pupils modify their designs to meet the new challenge. Pairs compete against each other...
American Statistical Association
Bubble Trouble!
Which fluids make the best bubbles? Pupils experiment with multiple fluids to determine which allows for the largest bubbles before popping. They gather data, analyze it in multiple ways, and answer analysis questions proving they...
K12 Reader
Adjective Antonyms
Easy or hard? Fast or slow? Invite your class members to practice with antonyms. They identify each adjective and then use provided antonyms to rewrite the sentences.
K12 Reader
Animal Adjectives
How would you describe someone who was acting like a dog or a chicken? Teach your class the adjectives that pair with 20 different animals. They'll be able to describe anything canine or crocodilian, and everything in between.
Curated OER
The Shadow Knows - Creating Shadows
Young learners recognize a shadow and witness how shadows occur when light is blocked. They access streamed video, standard video, and websites in order to engage in their study of how light is naturally blocked to create shadows. An...
Curated OER
Funny Ears
Young scientists get a worksheet that has a picture of a dog, a donkey, a person, a mouse, a rabbit, and a cat. Each picture has the wrong ears attached to it! Learners must draw lines matching up the ears with the correct recipient. The...
Curated OER
Plant Parts
Little ones identify the parts of a plant and practice following directions at the same time. They color each part of the flowering plant the color indicated on the sheet. Roots are brown, leaves are green, the flower is red, and the...
Curated OER
Food Preservation: Food Science, Canning, Gardening
Learners consider the procedures and safety issues involved in food preservation. They conduct experiments in canning, freezing and drying. If everyone can preserve food utilizing a variety of methods and science principles, the lesson...
Curated OER
Looking at Leaves Lesson 1
Fourth graders visit an outdoor area and compare/contrast two different leaves using Venn diagrams. They create tree leaf rubbings from their leaves and examine their vein structures or needle patterns.
Curated OER
To Group of Not to Group - That is the Question!
Upper elementary and middle schoolers use their observation skills to group different kinds of candy by similar characteristics. They debate whether or not we should classify objects. Finally, they learn that biologists have developed a...