Virginia SOL 5.PS.2.d
The Standard
Describe and determine the mode of a set of data values representing data from a given context as a measure of center.
Virginia Standards of Learning for Mathematics · The student will solve contextual problems using measures of center and the range.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students organize a data set and identify the value or values that occur most often. They explain what that result means in the given situation.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can use a list, tally chart, or frequency table to find the most frequent value. The student can identify one mode, multiple modes, or no mode and explain the answer in context.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may choose the greatest value instead of the value that appears most often. They may report the frequency as the mode or assume every data set has exactly one mode.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Six students read 2, 3, 3, 4, 3, and 5 books. Find the mode and explain what it means.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups number cards showing daily temperatures, then have them sort, tally, and identify the mode.
Ask students to write why the greatest data value is not always the mode.
Play a matching game with data set cards, mode cards, and context statements.
Use shoe store sales data to find the most commonly sold shoe size and explain how a manager could use that result.
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Printable 5.PS.2.d Worksheet
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Related Standards
- 5.PS.2.e
Describe and determine the range of a set of data values representing data from a given context as a measure of spread.
- 5.PS.2.b
Describe and determine the mean of a set of data values representing data from a given context as a measure of center.
- 6.PS.2.c
Observe patterns in data to identify outliers and determine their effect on mean, median, mode, or range.
- 5.PS.2.c
Describe and determine the median of a set of data values representing data from a given context as a measure of center.
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