M. Burgess & J. Cummins
Statistics/Interdisciplinary
Primary—Students will be able to use their test/quiz scores in any given subject area and their knowledge of measures of central tendency to find their marking period average, the class average, the class median, midrange and mode.
Secondary—The strengthening of computational skills in the finding of the measures of central tendency and also the reinforcement of vocabulary used in math and other classes (i.e. ascending, descending order).
Motivation—Everyone wants to know how they did in any class in which they are a participant and this lesson will enable students to calculate their own averages.
Activity —tudents will be provided by their teachers their test/quiz scores for a given marking period. These will be given in the order they appear in the grade book.
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Step I Students will arrange their scores in descending order.
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Step II Students will calculate their mean (average).
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Step III Once all students have calculated their averages they will submit them to the teacher and then the teacher will list
all
student averages on the board.
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Step IV Students will calculate the mean, mode, median, and mid-range for the entire set of individual averages in their class.
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II. Unit Objective: Students will be able to utilize the steps common to the Scientific Method as an aid in the further development of cognitive skills.
Regardless of the academic subject area incorporation of the Scientific Method should not present a problem. This is especially true if one accepts the method as a cognitive approach to problematic situations. The five basic steps should be displayed in the classroom. Students should be made aware of the fact that in large part they have always used this particular method and will continue to do so as they move thru the life-cycle. That a key objective of the class is to heighten proficiency in regard to usage, and to impact positively in regard to cognitive skill development. It is important to remind students that there is nothing new to learn, only to refine that which is already in operation. In presenting lessons (written/oral) the teacher should be consistent in referring to particular steps in the method as situations arise. Whenever possible students should be allowed and encouraged to collect the needed data themselves. To form hypotheses, and to test said hypotheses. In the beginning, first marking period, needed data should be readily available in the classroom (wall charts, classroom demonstrations, textbook, films, etc.) with a gradual and subtle movement in the direction of utilization of outside references (library, on site interviews, etc.). Student usage of the method as a matter of course, without being prompted is the, bottom-line, object goal.
Social Studies
: Lesson II
Objectives:
Primary—Student will be able to utilize the steps common to Scientific Method.
Secondary—
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(a) Students will be able to write simple and/or compound sentences.
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(b) Students will be able to utilize mathematical concepts and/or formulas.
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Motivation—Pass out copies of a news article about a recent “Lotto” winner. Define Random Sample. Define Population as used by statisticians. Briefly discuss how these two concepts relate to one who plays or wins “Lotto.”
Activity
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(1) Inform the class that will serve as a Congressional Committee charged with presenting a proposal for choosing the order in which potential candidates will be inducted into the military. Briefly outline the problem with the class and have them write it down in their notebook.
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(2) Present students with some examples of how Random Samples might be obtained. (Supermarket give-aways, survey participants, radio-call ins, etc.)
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(3) At this step the teacher can divide the class in groups and allow them to come up with their own methods, for presentation to the class. The teacher can proceed with the following activity. Have all the students get out of their seats and stand to one side of the class. The teacher or another student can arrange 12 chairs in a row. The teacher or a student will allow the first 12 students to choose a number from one to twelve from a bag. According to the numbers chosen by the students they will occupy the chairs. After the 12 have been seated they will choose a sealed envelope from another bag. After all the students have received an envelope they will proceed to open them in order. The envelopes will contain the months of the year. The student in seat No. I’s month will be the first month utilized to gain candidates for induction. As each month is revealed it is posted on the board.
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(4) Each student will then be asked to write a letter to the members of his/her district. In the letter the student should include a description of the method under consideration for the order of inducting potential candidates into the military (this method, or the one chosen if the class was divided into groups to choose their own). The letter should also request an opinion of the method, and ask how the voter would want their representative to vote in regard to the proposal.
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(5) After the teacher has collected letters, and made the necessary comments they should be passed back for the final re-write. Arrangements should be made by the teacher with the teachers of an English and a Math class to receive the letters and to respond. This response can serve as the foundation for a lesson on an item coming back to the committee for refinement, change or approval.