CCSS.Math.Content.6.SP.B
The standard
Summarize and describe distributions.
Common Core State Standards for Mathematics
What this standard means
Students need to read a set of data and describe its shape, center, spread, and unusual values. They should use dot plots, histograms, and box plots, then connect what they see to the question the data answers.
Mastery looks like a student saying, “Most values are near 12, the range is 4 to 19, and 19 may be an outlier,” with evidence from the graph. Students often mix up mean and median, describe single points instead of the whole distribution, or forget to mention variability.
Ways to teach it
- Have students measure pencil lengths in centimeters, make a class dot plot, then label the center, spread, clusters, gaps, and outliers.
- Ask students to write: Which measure of center best describes our pencil data, mean or median, and why?
- Show a small histogram and ask students to name the shape, estimate the center, and identify one possible outlier.
- Use local weather highs from the past 20 days and have students summarize the distribution for a school news report.
Plan a lesson for CCSS.Math.Content.6.SP.B
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Related standards
- CCSS.Math.Content.HSS-ID.A
Summarize, represent, and interpret data on a single count or measurement variable
- CCSS.Math.Content.6.SP.B.5
Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their context, such as by:
- 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.HSS-ID.B
Summarize, represent, and interpret data on two categorical and quantitative variables