CCSS.Math.Content.6.SP.A

CCSS.Math.Content.6.SP.A is a cluster heading. These are the individual standards under it.

• CCSS.Math.Content.6.SP.A.1

  Recognize a statistical question as one that anticipates variability in the data related to the question and accounts for it in the answers.

• CCSS.Math.Content.6.SP.A.2

  Understand that a set of data collected to answer a statistical question has a distribution which can be described by its center, spread, and overall shape.

• CCSS.Math.Content.6.SP.A.3

  Recognize that a measure of center for a numerical data set summarizes all of its values with a single number, while a measure of variation describes how its va...

01

What Students Need to Do

Students decide whether a question expects varied numerical answers. They collect or examine data and describe the distribution using its center, spread, and overall shape.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

Students can explain why a question expects answers that vary. Given a table, dot plot, or histogram, they can describe a typical value, overall spread, clusters, gaps, and unusual values.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may think any question involving numbers is statistical. They may also report only the mean or median and ignore spread, clusters, gaps, or unusual values.

04

How to Assess It

Give students the data 4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 7, 9. Ask them to name a statistical question that could produce it, then describe its center, spread, and shape.

1. 01

   Have students measure their pencil lengths, make a class dot plot, and describe the center, spread, clusters, gaps, and unusual values.

2. 02

   Discuss: Why is “How tall am I?” not statistical, while “How tall are students in our class?” is statistical?

3. 03

   Play a card sort where teams classify question cards as statistical or nonstatistical and defend each choice.

4. 04

   Use one month of local temperatures to describe a typical temperature, the range, clusters, gaps, and unusually warm or cold days.

• CCSS.Math.Content.6.SP.B.5d

  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.

• CCSS.Math.Content.HSS-IC.A

  Understand and evaluate random processes underlying statistical experiments