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Lesson Plan Code: M8
Subject: Data Analysis
Grade Level/Course: Math 8
Title: Stem-and-Leaf Plots
Alignments:
a. Standards:
M8.E.1 Formulate or answer questions that can be addressed with data
and/or organize, display, interpret or analyze data.
M8.E.1.1 Choose display or interpret data (tables, charts, graphs, etc.).
M8.E.4 Develop and/or evaluate inferences and predictions or draw
conclusions based on data or data displays
M8.E.4.1 Draw conclusions, make inferences and/or evaluate hypotheses
based on statistical and data displays.
b. Eligible Content:
M8.E.1.1.2 Interpret data shown in stem-and-leaf.
c. Big Ideas:
1. Some questions can be answered by collecting, representing, and
analyzing data, and the question to be answered determines the
data to be collected, how best to collect it, and how best to
represent it.
2. Numerical measures describe the center and spread of numerical
data.
d. Concepts:
a. Representations
b. Prediction and Inference
e. Competencies:
a. Use the appropriate graphical data representation and extend
understanding of the influence of scale in data interpretation.
6. Vocabulary:
Mean
Median
Mode
Range
Stem-and-Leaf Plot
7. Objectives:
 TSW construct a stem and leaf plot and be able to identify its mean,
median, mode and range.
 TSW analyze and draw conclusions using a stem and leaf plot.
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TSW construct a stem and leaf plot given any form of raw data.
8. Essential Questions:
a. How can you choose a scale for your graphs so that the graph best represents a
situation?
b. How can we choose a scale so that the chosen scale distorts the data or misleads
the reader?
9. Duration: 45-minute class period
10. Materials:
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Index Cards
Colored Pencils/markers
Dice (one die per group)
Homework Worksheet
11. Suggested Instructional Strategies: Direct Instruction, Cooperative Learning,
Independent Practice
12. Instructional Procedures:
1. Warm-up - An index card will be on each student’s desk before they walk into the
classroom. Each student will write their favorite number on the index card.
Students will hang their favorite numbers on the blackboard. This will be a data
set for later in the lesson.
2. Review properties of a stem and leaf plot. After discussing how the stem and
leaves are connected and reviewing place value, show the students examples of
stem and leaf plots.
3. Using the data from the warm-up, create a class stem and leaf plot. Using a few
examples have the class guide in the construction of the stem and leaf plot of their
favorite number. Have volunteers come up to the board to finish the stem and leaf
plot.
4. Review the definitions of mean, median, mode, and range.
5. Each student will time each other to see how many seconds it takes to copy a
sentence with your dominant hand and again with your non-dominant hand.
Create a stem-and-leaf plot and also a back-to-back-stem-and-leaf plot with the
given information. “One way I can organize data is by making a stem-and-leaf
plot.”
6. Time Permitting: Students will then be paired up and will work together. Hand
out construction paper and dice. Have the students create 15-20 numbers by
rolling dice. The first roll will be the tens place and the second roll will be the
ones place. (For example, the first roll is a 5 and the second roll is a 2. The first
number of their data set would be 52.) They will then plot their numbers on a
stem and leaf plot. If you were to roll two die and got the number 12 and then 3
to make the number 123, how would it be represented in your stem and leaf plot?
7. Using a piece of notebook paper, students will briefly respond to the question,
“Why is this method of displaying data so efficient? What makes it easy to read
and easy to draw information from?”
8. Students will complete stem- and-leaf plot handout.
13. Formative Assessment:
 The students’ response to the question will help to assess how well the students
understood the material. Based on the depth of detail used in their response, their
understanding can be evaluated.
 The group work will assess the class’ abilities to represent data correctly in a stem
and leaf plot and draw conclusions from the display.
14. Related Material & Resources: