Unit 6, Lesson 3
What a Point in a Scatter Plot Means
Grade 8
Preparation
Lesson Narrative
In this lesson, students interpret points in a scatter plot in terms of a context, and add points to a scatter plot given information about an individual in the population. They compare individuals represented by different points and informally discuss trends in the data.
There are two levels of analysis needed to successfully make sense of scatter plots: what is happening for a particular individual, and what is happening at a global level for the entire population. The ability to move between these two zoom levels develops over time. In this lesson, students spend a lot of time looking at the details of a scatter plot, naming the quantities represented in a scatter plot, and focusing on the meaning of individual points (MP6).
- Coordinate (orally and in writing) data in a table and points on a scatter plot.
- Describe (orally) the trend of the data, and use the trend to predict unknown values.
- Interpret (orally and in writing) a point on a scatter plot in context.
Let’s investigate points in scatter plots.
Required Preparation
For the digital version of the activity, acquire devices that can run the applet.