Florida B.E.S.T. MA.912.DP.5.7
The Standard
Compare and contrast surveys, experiments and observational studies.
Florida B.E.S.T. Standards for Mathematics
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify whether researchers asked questions, observed subjects without intervention, or assigned a treatment. They compare the conclusions each method supports and choose a suitable method for a research question.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student correctly classifies a study by identifying questions, observed behavior, or assigned treatments. The student explains that random assignment supports causal claims, while random sampling supports claims about a population.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may call any study with two groups an experiment, even when researchers did not assign a treatment. They may also think a large survey proves causation or that random sampling and random assignment serve the same purpose.
How to Assess It
- Give students three short scenarios and ask them to label each method, cite the deciding clue, and state whether a causal conclusion is justified.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Teams randomly assign classmates to solve a puzzle with music or silence, record times, and explain why the setup is an experiment.
For a question about student sleep, write one survey plan, one observation plan, and one experiment plan, then compare their limits.
Sort scenario cards into survey, experiment, or observational study, earning a point only when the method clue is correctly cited.
Read a news headline about diet and health, identify how data were collected, and decide whether the headline makes a causal claim.
Free download
Printable MA.912.DP.5.7 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to MA.912.DP.5.7, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
Download the worksheetKeep exploring
Related Standards
- MA.7.DP.2.4
Use a simulation of a simple experiment to find experimental probabilities and compare them to theoretical probabilities.
- MA.912.DP.5.6
Determine the appropriate design, survey, experiment or observational study, based on the purpose. Articulate the types of questions appropriate for each type o...
- MA.912.DP.5.3
Compare and contrast sampling methods.
- MA.912.DP.5.9
Compare two treatments using data from an experiment in which the treatments are assigned randomly.
Turn this exact standard into a lesson
Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.