Virginia SOL 8.PS.2.e
The Standard
Identify and describe the lower extreme (minimum), upper extreme (maximum), median, upper quartile, lower quartile, range, and interquartile range given a data set, represented by a boxplot.
Virginia Standards of Learning for Mathematics · The student will apply the data cycle (formulate questions; collect or acquire data; organize and represent data; and analyze data and communicate results) with a focus on boxplots.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students read the five marked values on a boxplot. They calculate range by subtracting minimum from maximum and interquartile range by subtracting lower quartile from upper quartile. They describe center and spread.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students correctly read the minimum, lower quartile, median, upper quartile, and maximum from a boxplot. They calculate the range and interquartile range and explain what each spread measures.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may confuse the box edges with the minimum and maximum. They may calculate range using quartiles or calculate interquartile range using the extremes. Some think the median must sit in the center of the box.
How to Assess It
- Give a boxplot with whiskers at 2 and 18, box edges at 6 and 14, and a median at 9. Ask students to list all seven measures.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs a string number line and five labeled cards, then have them place the minimum, Q1, median, Q3, and maximum.
Display two boxplots and ask, "Which group has the wider middle half, and what evidence supports your claim?"
Play a matching game with boxplots, five-number summaries, ranges, and interquartile ranges on separate cards.
Use boxplots of class commute times to identify typical travel time, overall spread, and the spread of the middle half.
Free download
Printable 8.PS.2.e Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 8.PS.2.e, 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
- 8.PS.2.g
Analyze data represented in a boxplot by making observations and drawing conclusions.
- 8.PS.2.f
Describe how the presence of an extreme data point (outlier) affects the shape and spread of the data distribution of a boxplot.
- 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.
- 8.PS.2.h
Compare and analyze two data sets represented in boxplots.
Turn this exact standard into a lesson
Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.