The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

Human Dot Plots - Part 1

Human Dot Plot - Part 1

A 9 -12 grade STEM lesson

Laura Richmond

01/31/2024

Notes for teachers

This lesson is best taught with 20+ students to provide enough individual data points to discuss.

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Students will create dot plots to represent their class data and make observations.

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They will first physically make the plot by using their bodies (and then paper plates) as the data points to understand each point represents a different student’s response. They will share general observations about the class data based on where students are standing.

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Then, they will transfer that data to a paper version in their group. Finally, they will use GeoGebra to create a dot plot.

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At the end of the lesson, students will discuss the advantages of using dot plots to understand data.

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This lesson is to solidify conceptual understanding of a dot plot before moving into comparison of two data sets.

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Part 2- Click here

List of Materials

• Teacher Mood Dotplot
• Painter’s Tape
• Pre-made numbered cards (1 - 10)
• Paper Plates
• Grid Chart Paper
• Rulers / Meter Sticks / Yard Sticks
• Markers
• Dot Stickers
• Student Computers w/ GeoGebra access

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Math Standards

A1.S-ID.A Summarize, represent, and interpret data on a single count or measurement variable.

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• A1.S-ID.A.1 Represent real-value data with plots for the purpose of comparing two or more data sets.

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Preparing students for:

• A1.S-ID.A.2 Use statistics appropriate to the shape of the data distribution to compare center (median, mean) and spread (interquartile range, standard deviation) of two or more different data sets.

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• A1.S-ID.A.3 Interpret differences in shape, center, and spread in the context of the data sets, accounting for possible effects of outliers if present.

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Technology Standards

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• 9-12.5.b. Students collect data or identify relevant data sets, use digital tools to analyze them, and represent data in various ways to facilitate problem-solving and decision-making.

Objectives:

• We will collect classroom data and use graphing technology to represent the data with a dot plot.
• We will determine statistics from the dot plot and interpret their meaning in context.
• We will describe the benefits of using dot plots to represent data.

Agenda

1. Teacher Dot Plot (5 minutes)
2. Student Dot Plot (10 minutes)
3. Poster Dot Plot (10 minutes)
4. GeoGebra Dot Plot (10 minutes)
5. Class Discussion / Closure (5 minutes)
6. Ticket Out (10 minutes)

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Intro/Driving Question/Opening

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[Show a dot plot representing teacher moods (rated 1 - 10) when they first woke up that morning]

Ask:

• What information does this dot plot tell you?
• What information does it leave out?
• How do data displays like this dot plot help us communicate information about a group of people?
• What might our class dot plot look like in comparison?

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Hands-on Activity Instructions:

Human Dot Plot

1. Ask students to rate their mood when they first woke up in the morning and write it on a paper plate along with their name.
2. Using painter’s tape and pre-made numbered cards, construct a numberline together on the floor. (Discuss importance of equal spacing, etc.)
3. Instruct students to stand in line (with their plate) “above” the number that matches their response to the question.
4. Ask them to look around and hold a finger up for each unique observation they can make about the class distribution.
5. With a partner nearby, have them share their observations. Then select a few to share as a class. Be sure to elicit discussion of and label mode, extremes (minimum and maximum), range, potential outliers, median, mean, and possible descriptions of the “shape” of the data.
6. Have students place their paper plate as a “dot” above the number line on the floor and encourage them to take a picture of the paper plate dot plot before returning to their seats.

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1. Have students work in pairs or groups of 3 to reconstruct the dot plot on grid chart paper using rulers, markers, and dot stickers.
2. Have them identify key features explicitly shown by the dot plot (lower extreme, upper extreme, mode, median, etc.) and write at least 4 observations/interpretations about the data and its key statistics (extremes, mode, median, mean, range, etc) in the context of the question. For enrichment, encourage them to try and describe the shape of the data as well as the center of the data. If appropriate, introduce the idea of distribution to be revisited in later lessons.
3. Demonstrate how to create a dot plot and identify key statistics using GeoGebra, having kids follow along on their computers at each step.
4. Ask students to discuss in their groups the advantages and disadvantages of using technology to create a dot plot.
5. Discuss the uses of dot plots and when they are most appropriate for displaying data. Include conversation about what they show really well and what they lack.

Hands-on Activity Instructions:

Poster Plot & GeoGebra

Assessment

Given another set of student data, have students make a dot plot using GeoGebra.

Have them answer the following questions:

1. What does each point on the dot plot represent?
2. Using the dot plot, determine each of the following and describe what it tells us about our class:
1. The extremes (upper extreme and lower extreme)
2. The range
3. The mode
4. The median
5. The mean
3. What are the benefits of using a dot plot to represent class data?

Differentiation

For the poster dot plot, consider having pre-made poster templates (with pre-drawn number lines) to allow students to focus solely on dot placement.

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Provide sentence stems and/or anchor charts with definitions/examples of range, median, etc. for students who need support with sharing observations.

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For the GeoGebra dot plot, consider sharing the data with students electronically via GeoGebra link so they don’t have to manually enter the data if data entry is an obstacle.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Ask students to use descriptive language to describe the shape and center of the data distribution.

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If outliers are present, ask students to collaborate on a definition for what qualifies as an outlier and predict what would happen to each statistic if the outlier was removed.

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Have students explore the other chart types in GeoGebra (particularly box plot) to make observations about the similarities and differences between the two representations.