Wyoming Math 8.SP.4a
The Standard
Understand that patterns of association can also be seen in bivariate categorical data by displaying frequencies and relative frequencies in a two-way table. Construct and interpret a two-way table summarizing data on two categorical variables collected from the same subjects.
2023 Wyoming Mathematics Content and Performance Standards · Investigate patterns of association in bivariate data.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students put two answers from each person into a two-way table, such as travel mode and lunch choice. They calculate percentages and compare groups to look for a pattern.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student fills in the counts and totals from paired survey answers. They use each group’s total to compare percentages and describe a pattern without claiming that one choice causes the other.
Common Misconceptions
- Students sometimes count the two answers separately and lose track of which came from the same person. They may divide by the whole class when comparing group rates, or mistake a larger count for a larger percentage.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Eight students report bus and packed lunch (3), bus and bought lunch (1), walk and packed lunch (1), or walk and bought lunch (3). Make a count table, find the packed-lunch percentage for each travel group, and describe the pattern.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs 12 cards labeled bus or walk and packed or bought; have them sort the cards into four piles and make a count table.
Ask: If 12 of 20 bus riders and 3 of 10 walkers pack lunch, which group packs lunch more often? Explain with percentages.
Play table repair: give pairs a two-way table with one wrong row total and one percentage using the wrong group total; have them fix both.
Give students a mock school breakfast survey with each person's travel mode and breakfast answer; have them compare breakfast rates for bus riders and walkers.
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Printable 8.SP.4a Worksheet
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Related Standards
- 8.SP.4
Understand that patterns of association can also be seen in bivariate categorical data by displaying frequencies and relative frequencies in a two-way table.
- 6.SP.5
Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their real-world context.
- 8.SP.4b
Use relative frequencies calculated for rows or columns to describe possible association between the two variables.
- 7.SP.4
Given measures of center and variability (mean, median and/or mode; range, interquartile range, and/or standard deviation), for numerical data from random sampl...
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