What Can Scatterplots Tell Us?

Using data from peer surveys and self surveys of popular TV shows, students will create computer-generated scatterplots. Students will culminate a unit on correlation with a Parent vs. Teen scatterplot project.

A lesson plan for grade 8 English Language Arts, Information Skills, and Mathematics

By Hilda Hamilton

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• Learn more about English language arts and mathematics.

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

• create a computer-generated scatterplot from information gathered in class.
• create a project from data collected with parents.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

4 days

Materials/resources

Worksheet - “Correlation - What Makes a Perfect Pair?” (see attachment: rubric.htm)

Rubric - “Parent Scatter Gram Project Rubric” (see attachment: corr.rtf)

Technology resources

Computer

Spreadsheet program with graphing capabilities

Pre-activities

Students will have worked in a lab setting inputing teacher-generated data in a spreadsheet and creating various graphs with the data.

Activities

1. Students will be given the worksheet, “Correlation: What Makes a Perfect Pair?” (corr.rtf)
2. They will rate 10 TV programs and then select a peer to rate the same 10 TV programs. They will enter this data in a spreadsheet and use the graphing options to create a scatterplot. Students will share their scatterplots with the class and identify the correlation as positive, negative, or none. From the scatterplots, the students will write statements that they can infer from the data. (e.g., My friend and I would always argue over what TV program to watch.) Students will share their inferences.
3. Students will have two or three more lessons about scatterplots and correlation of data. Depending on the class, lessons could get as involved as figuring the correlation coefficient using the formula for rank correlation.Students will complete a final project given these directions: Most teenagers complain that the older generation does not understand them. Try and prove that opinion! Think of something to rate that you feel your parent(s) would rate completely differently from you. Create a computer-generated scatterplot to show if a negative correlation really does exist between your parent’s opinions and yours. Mount your ratings, your scatterplot and inferred conclusion statements with an appropriate title, border and illustrations. Complete a rank correlation chart to find the correlation coefficient for extra credit. Overall neatness, creativity, and effort will be graded also.

Assessment

Students’ inferences from their first correlation activity will help the teacher see if students understand the type of information they can infer from a scatterplot versus the literal information that it offers.

Student/Parent correlation projects will assess the overall unit using a rubric given to the students when the project is assigned.

Supplemental information

None

Related websites

Under Data Analysis & Probability (Grades 6 - 8):
Scatterplot ? Plot multiple data points in two dimensions and determine correlation.
http://matti.usu.edu/nlvm/nav/topic_t_5.html

Comments

Feel free to download the attachments and edit them for your personal use. Over time the TV programs on the worksheet would have to be changed to reflect current programming.

Although the rubric has the correlation coefficient as being mandatory, you could delete this part of the rubric to make finding the correlation coefficient extra credit as suggested in the lesson. You will need to weight the rubric as to which areas you think are the most important. I always divide the weight among the topics to be assessed so that a perfect score is 100.