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Notes for Teachers

This lesson is intended to be executed as a small unit over the course of a week. It covers multiple Statistics standards that need to have been previously thought to students, such as Mean, Median, Statistical Questioning, and interpretation of Statistical data.

The lesson focuses on Arizona climate and precipitation.

This can add a personal/local investment for students.

Materials for this lesson will include specific items for each day of the lesson.

Reading links can be located at the following websites:

Arizona climate

Data on long term Arizona Temperatures

Data on long term Arizona Precipitation

Climate vs Weather article

Importance of Fresh Water article

Geography of Arizona link

Climate vs. Weather Video

Introduction to Box and Whisker plots lesson

Large chart paper

Colored markers or large crayons

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Arizona Science

Standards

Earth and Space Science:

6.E1U1.6 Investigate and construct an explanation demonstrating that radiation from the Sun provides energy and is absorbed to warm the Earth’s surface and atmosphere

6.E2U1.10 Use a model to show how the tilt of Earth’s axis causes variations in the length of the day and gives rise to seasons.

Mathematics

Standards

6.SP.A.2 Understand that a set of data collected to answer a statistical question has a distribution whose general characteristics can be described by its center, spread, and overall shape

6.SP.B.4 Display and interpret numerical data by creating plots on a number line including histograms, dot plots, and box plots.

6.SP.B.5 Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their context by: a. Reporting the number of observations. b. Describing the nature of the attribute under investigation including how it was measured and its units of measurement. c. Giving quantitative measures of center (median and/or mean) and variability (interquartile range and/or mean absolute deviation), as well as describing any overall pattern and any striking deviations from the overall pattern with reference to the context in which the data were gathered. d. Relating the choice of measures of center and variability to the shape of the data distribution and the context in which the data were gathered.

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Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS):

MS-ESS2-4: Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth's systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.
MS-ESS3-5: Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.

6.RI.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

6.RI.2 Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments

6.RI.7 Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.

Reading Standards

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Objectives:

Students will understand the climate and precipitation patterns of Arizona and learn how to construct and interpret box-and-whisker plots using collected data. They will make connections to future phenomena based on their statistical calculations. Students will them make a scientific argument on a selected scientific claim based on the analysis of the plotted data. They will also develop reading comprehension skills through analysis of informational texts related to climate and weather.

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Agenda Day 1: Introduction to Arizona's Climate and Precipitation

60 minutes

students are introduced to the geography of Arizona, The difference between climate and weather, and the main climatic regions of the state.

Students watch the video Arizona climate and Climate vs. Weather Video.

Students then read Climate vs Weather article, Importance of Fresh Water article and visit the Geography of Arizona link. to better develop an understanding of the factors they will be learning more about.

Students then discuss their learning in groups of four and prepare for future lessons.

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Day 2: Data Collection and Analysis

60 minutes

Students are introduced to box and whisker plots.

Students view the Introduction to Box and Whisker plots lesson and have a better understanding of collected data is organized and used to organize data to use for future predictions.

Students also view the data from the tables Data on long term Arizona Temperatures and Data on long term Arizona Precipitation. Although Box Plot conhough these data sets may be daunting for stents, they will be provided a list of the data points as well as a calculated median to use in their Box Plot construction.

Students will construct less complicated box plots in preparation for the final lesson assignment.

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Day 3: Constructing Box-and-Whisker Plots

60 Minutes

Students Review the data they will use in their box and whisker plot as well as how to construct the Box and Whisker plot.

Students work in teams of 4 to construct two Box and whisker plots on large Poster paper. A list of the data will be provided to each team as well as the median point. One half of each team will construct the data plot for temperature change; the other will construct the plot for precipitation change. This method distributes the rigor of the task and facilitates the overall task.

Individual students do not feel overwhelmed with the task and can focus on correctly constructing their individual portion.

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Day 4: Data Interpretation and Scientific Claim

60 minutes

Students analyze their Box and Whisker Plots and use this analysis as evidence for their choice in the scientific claim they select.

Students will be given the scientific claims:

The trend in increased temperatures in Arizona had led to a trend in decreased precipitation.
The trend in increased temperatures has not had an effect on Arizona precipitation.

Each team will present their Box and Whisker plot to the classroom. They will then choose the claim they believe is correct and make their scientific argument based on this data.

Since most plots will be similar in construction, it is more important for students to choose the claim they believe to be true and to rationalize their choice based on the data. Even though there is no “correct” answer, students will be assessed on how much of the data they utilize in their arguments.

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Intro/Driving Question/Opening

Students will be asked the question “what is the difference between weather and climate?” Is Arizona getting hotter every year. If that is the issue, is the state receiving less water every year? If so, why is that important? Is the state experiencing a drought? How can we tell? Finally, how can we measure these factors and make scientific predictions to help. They will read the Importance of Fresh Water article in preparation for the lesson unit.

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Hands-on Activity Instructions

Suggested group structure: groups of between four to five students to ensure proper discussion and task delegation.

Step by step instructions: since this a multi unit lesson, each day will have a different set of instructions.

Day 1 will focus on reading articles, watching videos, and group discussions.
Day 2 will focus on box plot construction and analysis.
Day 3 will focus on the construction of the actual Box Plots.
Day 4 will focus on interpreting the data and its use in scientific claims and arguments.

Images may be helpful to show how things are setup

At the end of the unit, student presentations will be posted. These presentations will include the Box plots, the selected claim, and the argument to back the claim.

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Assessment

The assessment of this project based type of lesson will based on three specific criteria.

Did students construct an accurate Box and Whisker Plot.
Did the students use the presented data in their choice of a scientific claim.
Did the students relate and cite the data in their scientific argument as they attempted to make the connection between changes in climate, temperature, and precipitation.

Although there is no ”correct” answer, it is important for students to have a solid evidence structure tied to their scientific claims and arguments. This will be the primary basis for their assessment.

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Differentiation

Some students may have difficulty reading complex articles, or understanding multiple data points as it relates to the material. Providing videos on related topics can help these students better complete the lesson tasks. Additionally, providing the data points as well as the median and mean needed in the Box Plot construction can help challenged students as well.

Working in groups can disperse lesson activities and help different students showcase their specific learning styles.

For students who are challenged with the statistical portion of the lesson, Box Plot construction websites can be used to help students focus on data interpretation which is the key objective of the lesson.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

For students who are interested in the future of water in Arizona, websites can be provided, Including those at Arizona State University, and other institutions that focus on water distribution, and water rites associated with the state.

Students who are proficient in math and other processing abilities may be tasked with gathering and plotting individual data points that are provided to other students via the instructor.

These students can also be tasked with constructing other types of data analysis graphs including histograms or Bell Curve graphs and compare the effectiveness of these graphs to the Box Plot in analyzing trends and making future predictions based on the data.