It is important to note that at the beginning of the unit, students will not have addressed all the concepts needed to answer the questions, but they can begin to think about what experiment they would like to conduct. After the “Randomness in Groups” lesson, students will be able to answer the first three questions although they will need time to gather their data before answering the third question. They learn about simulations in the “Analyzing Experimental Data” lesson, after which they will be able to answer the remaining questions.

Introducing this prompt early in the unit is beneficial because the more time students have to run their experiments, the wider the variety of experiments they’ll be able to conduct. Consider collaborating with a science class to give students more resources and options.

Giving students access to technology will streamline the process of analyzing the data. Tools for running a simulation, or a randomization test for a difference in means, are available online.

Make sure students check in before beginning their experiments, so that they don’t accidentally use treatments that could cause harm or select experiments that are too ambitious for the time allotted. Students will need at least 8 subjects, but the subjects do not have to be humans—they could be plants or objects, for example.

It is important to note that at the beginning of the unit, students will not have addressed all the concepts needed to answer the questions, but they can begin to think about what experiment they would like to conduct. After the “Randomness in Groups” lesson, students will be able to answer the first three questions although they will need time to gather their data before answering the third question. They learn about simulations in the “Analyzing Experimental Data” lesson, after which they will be able to answer the remaining questions.

Introducing this prompt early in the unit is beneficial, because the more time students have to run their experiments, the wider the variety of experiments they’ll be able to conduct. Consider collaborating with a science class to give students more resources and options.

Modify the launch so that students can discuss questions to investigate related to the prompt, which is about the factors that affect a person’s ability to concentrate. Having time to think about the possibilities may help students decide on the experiment they’d like to conduct. This also is a good time to discuss how to measure a person’s ability to concentrate. One way is to ask subjects to perform a simple task that still requires some thought, such as solving a maze or a word-search puzzle, and time how long it takes them to complete it.

Make sure students check in before beginning their experiments, so that they don’t accidentally use treatments that could cause harm or select experiments that are too ambitious for the time allotted.