Project URL:  

http://www.teachnet-lab.org/unhs/mean.htm 

Purpose of the project:
This unit combines mathematics and technology to teach students how to find the mean, median, and mode for a set of data.   

How it works:
Using the website http://forum.swarthmore.edu/,
students will define terms and find examples, as well as complete practice exercises.  They will then work cooperatively to analyze real data from a variety of websites provided.  To demonstrate mastery and reinforce ELA performance objectives, they will explain the procedure to a friend in an e-mail message.

Standards addressed:
Students will be able to………

1. Organize, analyze and display single-variable appropriately.

2. Solve verbal problems involving mean, median and mode.

3.  Utilize web resources to access data for analysis.

4.  Write an explanation of this study and e-mail to a friend and to the teacher.

Computer Applications:
 Internet access, e-mail accounts

The Students:
The students were all 9th graders. Students met for about two days to complete the project. They worked both in the classroom and in the computer lab. The project can be adapted to any age. The higher the grade, the more work can be done in terms of analysis and predictions.

Overall Value:
This a great project to introduce statistics.

The project can be started in the computer lab and then continued in the classroom. Students love to see connections with real life situations. This project will enhance their creativity and will make them understand that math is the key to success.

Tips:  You may substitute other web sites with real data for the exercises, based on student interest and ability level.

About The Teacher

Francesco Ianni teaches mathematics at University Neighborhood High School, located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. His goal, as a new teacher, is to show students that mathematics is all around us and not only in math textbooks.

Estimated Class Periods To Complete: 2

Subject:
Math
Business

Beginning Grade Level: 9

Ending Grade Level: 12