Comparing counties
http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?ID=L334
A lesson plan for grades 3–5 Mathematics
Students use the data from previous lessons to find the range, median, and mode of the populations and compare their data with their partner’s data.
Students will:
- Compare numbers by ordering data from greatest to least.
- Find the range, median, and mode of their U.S. Census data.
NCTM Standards and Expectations:
- Use measures of center, focusing on the median, and understand what each does and does not indicate about the data set.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Mathematics (2004)
Grade 3
- Goal 1: Number and Operations - The learner will model, identify, and compute with whole numbers through 9,999.
- Objective 1.01: Develop number sense for whole numbers through 9,999.
- Connect model, number word, and number using a variety of representations.
- Build understanding of place value (ones through thousands).
- Compare and order.
- Objective 1.01: Develop number sense for whole numbers through 9,999.
- Goal 4: Data Analysis and Probability - The learner will understand and use data and simple probability concepts.
- Objective 4.01: Collect, organize, analyze, and display data (including circle graphs and tables) to solve problems.
Grade 4
- Goal 1: Number and Operations - The learner will read, write, model, and compute with non-negative rational numbers.
- Objective 1.01: Develop number sense for rational numbers 0.01 through 99,999.
- Connect model, number word, and number using a variety of representations.
- Build understanding of place value (hundredths through ten thousands).
- Compare and order rational numbers.
- Make estimates of rational numbers in appropriate situations.
- Objective 1.01: Develop number sense for rational numbers 0.01 through 99,999.
- Goal 4: Data Analysis and Probability - The learner will understand and use graphs, probability, and data analysis.
- Objective 4.01: Collect, organize, analyze, and display data (including line graphs and bar graphs) to solve problems.
- Objective 4.02: Describe the distribution of data using median, range and mode.
- Objective 4.03: Solve problems by comparing two sets of related data.
Grade 5
- Goal 1: Number and Operations - The learner will understand and compute with non-negative rational numbers.
- Objective 1.01: Develop number sense for rational numbers 0.001 through 999,999.
- Connect model, number word, and number using a variety of representations.
- Build understanding of place value (thousandths through hundred thousands).
- Compare and order rational numbers.
- Make estimates of rational numbers in appropriate situations.
- Objective 1.01: Develop number sense for rational numbers 0.001 through 999,999.
- Goal 4: Data Analysis and Probability - The learner will understand and use graphs and data analysis.
- Objective 4.01: Collect, organize, analyze, and display data (including stem-and-leaf plots) to solve problems.
- Objective 4.03: Solve problems with data from a single set or multiple sets of data using median, range, and mode.


