Unit 8, Lesson 16
Estimating Population Proportions
Grade 7
Preparation
Lesson Narrative
In this lesson, students estimate population proportions based on data from a sample. The term proportion is used in statistics to refer to a number from 0 to 1 that represents the fraction of data belonging to a given category.
Students see that if a sample is representative of the population, then we can use proportional reasoning to make predictions about the population. However, students construct an argument that, due to sampling variability, these predictions are estimates, unlike the exact answers they get when working with actual proportional relationships (MP3).
The activity about examining a distribution of proportions from many different samples is included as an optional opportunity to deepen students' understanding of sampling variability.
- Compare (orally) proportions for the same category from different samples of a population.
- Comprehend that the term “proportion” refers to a number between 0 and 1 that represents the fraction of the data within a certain category.
- Use the proportion of a random sample that is within a certain category to make inferences about the population, and explain (orally and in writing) the reasoning.
Let’s estimate population proportions using samples.
Required Materials
Activity 2
Required Preparation
Prepare one set of slips from the blackline master in a paper bag for every 2 students.