CCSS.Math.Content.6.SP.B.5d
The standard
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.
Common Core State Standards for Mathematics
What this standard means
Students need to choose a measure of center and a measure of spread that fit the data and the situation. They should look at the shape first: symmetric, skewed, clustered, or with outliers. Then they connect that shape to mean, median, range, interquartile range, or mean absolute deviation.
Mastery looks like a student saying, “The median and IQR fit better because one high value pulls the mean up.” Students often get stuck by using mean every time, ignoring outliers, or naming a measure without explaining why it matches the graph and context.
Ways to teach it
- Hands-on activity: Give teams dot plots of class shoe sizes, reaction times, and quiz scores, then have them choose and defend center and spread measures.
- Discussion prompt: Which better describes typical rent in a city, mean or median, and what might an outlier do to each value?
- Quick assessment: Show a skewed dot plot with one outlier and ask students to select the best center and spread with one-sentence reasoning.
- Real-world connection: Compare salaries for a sports team roster and decide whether the mean or median gives fans a fair picture of pay.
Plan a lesson for CCSS.Math.Content.6.SP.B.5d
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Related standards
- CCSS.Math.Content.HSS-ID.A.3
Interpret differences in shape, center, and spread in the context of the data sets, accounting for possible effects of extreme data points (outliers).
- CCSS.Math.Content.6.SP.B.5c
Giving quantitative measures of center (median and/or mean) and variability (interquartile range and/or mean absolute deviation), as well as describing any over...
- 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.A.2
Use statistics appropriate to the shape of the data distribution to compare center (median, mean) and spread (interquartile range, standard deviation) of two or...