CCSS.Math.Content.6.SP.B.5b
The Standard
Describing the nature of the attribute under investigation, including how it was measured and its units of measurement.
Common Core State Standards for Mathematics
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify the exact attribute represented in a data set. They explain how values were collected and name the units used.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given a data display, students identify the recorded attribute and describe a reasonable way it was measured. They name the correct unit and include useful details such as rounding.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may name the group studied instead of the attribute measured. They may confuse the measuring tool with the unit or leave out measurement precision.
How to Assess It
- Show a dot plot of pencil lengths. Ask, “What attribute was recorded, how could it have been measured, and what unit should label the plot?”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Pairs measure each other’s hand span with a ruler to the nearest centimeter, then label the attribute, method, and unit.
Write which description is clearer, “plant growth” or “change in height measured weekly in centimeters,” and explain why.
Play a card match with attribute cards, measuring-tool cards, and unit cards, rejecting combinations that do not make sense.
Use a weather report to describe rainfall as depth collected by a rain gauge and reported in millimeters.
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Printable 6.SP.B.5b Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.Math.Content.6.SP.B.5b, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
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Where This Standard Sits
Before This Standard
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