Unit 8, Lesson 13
Median
Grade 6
Preparation
Lesson Narrative
In this lesson, students consider another measure of center, the median. They make use of the structure of the data set (MP7) to see that the median partitions the data into two halves: One half of the values in the data set has that value or smaller values, and the other half has that value or larger. Students learn how to find the median for data sets with both an even and an odd number of values.
Students interpret the median of a distribution in context (MP2) and recognize the difference in meaning between the median and mean of a distribution.
- Comprehend that the “median” is another measure of center, which uses the middle of all the values in an ordered list to summarize the data.
- Identify and interpret the median of a data set given in a table or on a dot plot.
- Informally estimate the center of a data set and then compare (orally and in writing) the mean and median with this estimate.
Let's explore the median of a data set and what it tells us.
Required Materials
Activity 3
Required Preparation
For the "Finding the Middle" activity, each student will need an index card.