Content Area: Math
Unit Title: Data Analysis and Statistics
Unit: 8
Target Course/Grade Level: Eighth Grade
Timeline: 3 weeks
Unit Summary: Students build on previous knowledge of selecting, organizing, and constructing
appropriate data displays to include scatter plots, and lines of best fit. Students use these displays to
convey information and make conjectures about relationships among the data sets. In addition, students
critically analyze single-variable data and examine how changes in data values affect summary measures.
Primary interdisciplinary connections: Language Arts and Technology
9.1 21st-Centuries Life & Career Skills
Standard 9.1 All students will demonstrate the creative, critical thinking, collaboration, and
problem-solving skills needed to function successfully as both global citizens and workers in
diverse ethnic and organizational cultures.
Strand: A. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
B. Creativity and Innovation
C. Collaboration, Teamwork and Leadership
Content Statement:
9.1.8: A The ability to recognize a problem and apply critical thinking skills and problem
solving skills to solve the problem is a lifelong skill that develops over time.
9.1.8: B Gathering and Evaluating knowledge and information from a variety of sources,
including global perspective, fosters creativity and innovative thinking.
9.1.8: C Collaboration and team work enable individuals or groups to achieve common goals
with greater efficiency.
Leadership abilities develop over time through participation in group and or teams that
that are engaged in challenging or competitive activities.
st
21 Century themes and skills: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, Collaboration, Teamwork and
Leadership, Creativity and Innovation
Mathematical Practices:
8.MP.1 Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
8.MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
8.MP.3 Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
8.MP.4 Model with mathematics.
8.MP.6 Attend to precision.
8.MP.7 Look for and make use of structure.
Learning Targets
Domain: Statistics and Probability
Cluster: Investigate patterns of association in bivariate data.
Standard #
Standards
Construct and interpret scatter plots for bivariate measurement data to investigate patterns
8.SP.1
of association between two quantities. Describe patterns such as clustering, outliers,
positive or negative association, linear association, and nonlinear association.
8.SP.2
Know that straight lines are widely used to model relationships between two quantitative
variables. For scatter plots that suggest a linear association, informally fit a straight line,
8.SP.3
8.SP.4
8.G.7
9.1.8.A.1
and informally assess the model fit by judging the closeness of the data points to the line.
Use the equation of a linear model to solve problems in the context of bivariate
measurement data, interpreting the slope and intercept. For example, in a linear model for
a biology experiment, interpret a slope of 1.5 cm/hr as meaning that an additional hour of
sunlight each day is associated with an additional 1.5 cm in mature plant height.
Understand that patterns of association can also be seen in bivariate categorical data by
displaying frequencies and relative frequencies in a two-way table. Construct and interpret
a two-way table summarizing data on two categorical variables collected from the same
subjects. Use relative frequencies calculated for rows or columns to describe possible
association between two variables.
Apply the Pythagorean Theorem to determine unknown side lengths in right triangles in
real-world and mathematical problems in two and three dimensions.
Develop strategies to reinforce positive attitudes and productive behaviors that impact
critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
9.1.8.A.2
Implement problem-solving strategies to solve a problem in school or the community.
9.1.8.C.2
Demonstrate the use of compromise, consensus and community building strategies for
carrying out different task, assignments and projects.
9.1.8.B.2
Assess data gathered to solve problems for which there are varying perspective (e.g., cross
cultural, gender specific, generational, etc.) and determine how the data can best be used to
design the multiple solutions.
9.1.8.C.1
Determine an individual’s responsibility for personal actions and contributions to group
activities.
9.1.8.C.3
Model leadership skills during classroom and extracurricular activities.
Unit Essential Questions
 How do scatter plots and lines of best fit enable
you to make predictions about data?
Unit Enduring Understandings
 A scatter plot is used to explore possible
relationships between a data set with two
variables. The data may have a positive
relationship, a negative relationship, or no
relationship. A line of best fit is a line that is
very close to most of the data points.
Unit Learning Targets
Students will ...
 Solve problems by using a graph.
 Construct and make conjectures about scatter plots.
 Draw lines of best fit and use them to make predictions about data.
 Select an appropriate display for a set of data.
Evidence of Learning
Summative Assessment
 Organize and construct scatter plots
 Construct lines of best fit
 Select and construct appropriate displays to convey information and make conjectures about possible
relationships
Equipment needed: graphing calculators, counters, index cards, number cubes, string, rulers, protractors,
grid paper, compasses,
Teacher Instructional Resources: Textbook (To be determined)
Study Island
Khan Academy Videos
Formative Assessments
 Skill sheets
 Quizzes/Tests
 Student workbook
 Homework
 Math games
 Study Island
Integration of Technology:
 Smart Board to play online games, utilize online resources, generate models with Smart Software.
 Kahn Academy Videos
 Elmo – for demonstration
 Study Island
Technology Resources:
http://www.purplemath.com
http://www.khanacademy.org – Interactive 2.0 instructional and practice site. Students can view
instructional videos and complete practice modules for additional practice/remediation.
http://www.studyisland.com/ - Web-based instruction, practice, assessment and reporting built from NJ
standards.
http://www.ixl.com/math/grade-8 - IXL 8th grade online interactive activities for the students to
complete
http://www.aaamath.com/grade8.html - AAA math 8th grade – online interactive activities and
problems for the student to complete.
http://www.adaptedmind.com/Math-Worksheets.html?type=hstb – Grade level material for practice,
lessons, games, etc.
Opportunities for Differentiation:
Decelerate: Have students match scatter plots with scenarios. Give three scenarios, such as their weekly
earnings and the number of hours they babysit each week, or the speed at which you run and the amount of
time it takes to run between bases, and so on.
Accelerated: Gather data on the number of hours of television each student watches per week and the
number of hours spent on homework. Students graph the data on a scatter plot.
Teacher Notes: