Statistical Questions & Categorical vs Numerical Data Lesson Plan

Overview

Ever wondered how to teach statistical vs. non-statistical questions and categorical & numerical data in an engaging way to your 6th-grade students?

In this lesson plan, students will learn about these concepts and their real-life applications. Through artistic, interactive guided notes, check for understanding, a maze worksheet, and a doodle & color by number activity, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of statistical vs. non-statistical questions and categorical vs. numerical data.

The lesson culminates with a real-life example that explores how knowing how to craft statistical questions can be useful in various real-life scenarios, such as businesses using statistical questions to gather data on customer preferences and behaviors or governments collecting data on population demographics and social issues to inform policy decisions.

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Statistical Questions Guided Notes | Categorical and Numerical Data

Statistical Questions Guided Notes | Categorical and Numerical Data

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Learning Objectives

After this lesson, students will be able to:

  • Differentiate between statistical and non-statistical questions and explain the characteristics of statistical vs. non-statistical questions

  • Identify categorical and numerical data

  • Craft statistical questions

  • Explain the real-life applications of statistical questions in fields such as business, government, science, economics, and social sciences.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites needed for this lesson!

Key Vocabulary

  • Statistical questions

  • Non-statistical questions

  • Variability

  • Categorical data

  • Numerical data

Procedure

Introduction

As a hook, ask your students to brainstorm why learning about statistics might important. Refer to the last page of the guided notes as well as the FAQs for ideas.

Use the guided notes to introduce the concepts of statistical vs. non-statistical questions and categorical vs. numerical data. Walk through the key characteristics of statistical questions and how to craft a statistical questions. Refer to the FAQ below for a walk-through on this, as well as ideas on how to respond to common student questions.

Then, introduce categorical vs. numerical variables. This is on page 3 of the guided notes.

Practice

Have students practice differentiating between statistical and non-statistical questions and identifying categorical and numerical data using the "statistical or not" questions on page 2 of the guided notes. Call on students to explain their answers and their rationale, potentially on the whiteboard or projector.

Then, have students practice crafting categorical and numerical data examples on the bottom of page 3. Based on student responses, reteach concepts that students need extra help with.

Walk around to answer student questions. Fast finishers can dive into the maze worksheet, page 4 of guided notes, for extra practice. You can assign the doodle math, which is on page 5, as homework for the remainder of the class.

Real-Life Application

Bring the class back together, and introduce the concept of real-world data analysis. Discuss how knowing how to craft statistical questions can be useful in various real-life scenarios, such as businesses using statistical questions to gather data on customer preferences and behaviors or governments collecting data on population demographics and social issues to inform policy decisions. Refer to the FAQ for more ideas on how to teach this concept!

Extensions

If you're looking for digital practice for Statistical vs. Non-Statistical Questions and Categorical & Numerical Data, try my Pixel Art activities in Google Sheets. Every answer is automatically checked, and correct answers unlock parts of a mystery picture. It's incredibly fun, and a powerful tool for differentiation.

Here are 1 activities to explore:

FAQs

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