Inside Mathematics
Population
Population density, it is not all that it is plotted to be. Pupils analyze a scatter plot of population versus area for some of the states in the US. The class members respond to eight questions about the graph, specific points and...
Curated OER
Mathemafish Population
It's shark week! In this problem, young mathematically minded marine biologists need to study the fish population by analyzing data over time. The emphasis is on understanding the average rate of change of the population and drawing...
Illustrative Mathematics
Modeling London's Population
Looking at London's population from 1801–1961 in 20 year increments, high school mathematicians determine if the data can be modeled by a given logistic growth equation. They explain their thinking and determine the values of each...
Illustrative Mathematics
Foxes and Rabbits 3
Model periodic populations. Here, in the context of foxes and rabbits, pupils look at graphs of the populations of these animals in a national park over a span of 24 months. Groups analyze the graphs and determine trigonometric...
EngageNY
Sampling Variability
Work it out — find the average time clients spend at a gym. Pupils use a table of random digits to collect a sample of times fitness buffs are working out. The scholars use their random sample to calculate an estimate of the mean of the...
Concord Consortium
People and Places
Graph growth in the US. Given population and area data for the United States for a period of 200 years, class members create graphs to interpret the growth over time. Graphs include population, area, population density, and population...
Achieve
BMI Calculations
Obesity is a worldwide concern. Using survey results, learners compare local BMI statistics to celebrity BMI statistics. Scholars create box plots of the data, make observations about the shape and spread of the data, and examine the...
Illustrative Mathematics
Robot Races
Analyze data on a graph to answer three questions after a robot race. Learners practice comparing ratios and reading points on a graph. Answers may vary on the last question based on accuracy of graphing. Use the instructional...
Concord Consortium
Center of Population
Let the resource take center stage in a lesson on population density. Scholars use provided historical data on the center of the US population to see how it shifted over time. They plot the data on a spreadsheet to look the speed of its...
Inside Mathematics
Snakes
Get a line on the snakes. The assessment task requires the class to determine the species of unknown snakes based upon collected data. Individuals analyze two scatter plots and determine the most likely species for five...
Concord Consortium
Broken Spreadsheet I
There is power in spreadsheet formulas and learners use this power to model quadratic data. Given a scatterplot of a parabola, pupils create formulas in a spreadsheet to populate the data. The formulas they use lead to an understanding...
Illustrative Mathematics
Foxes and Rabbits 2
The fox population chases the rabbit population. Groups model the populations of foxes and rabbits with two trigonometric functions. Individuals graph both trigonometric models on the same graph, and then teams determine an explanation...
Curated OER
Logistic Growth Model, Explicit Version
Via the concrete setting of estimating the population of the US, your algebra learners are introduced to a logistic growth model. Comparing and contrasting logistic, exponential, linear and quadratic models, to see which fits the data...
Curated OER
US Airports, Assessment Variation
Determining relationships is all part of algebra and functions. Your mathematicians will decide the type of relationship between airports and population and translate what the slope and y-intercept represent. The problem is multiple...
Illustrative Mathematics
Electoral College
A cross-curricular resource that takes the electoral votes and allows your learners to organize and analyze the data. Young voters can determine which states are more influential and interpret the dotplot provided for more data....
Balanced Assessment
Fit-Ness
Serve four towns with one bus route. Pupils develop a bus route that meets certain criteria to serve four towns. They determine which of the routes would best serve all of them. Individuals then hypothesize where a fifth town should be...
Curated OER
Foxes and Rabbits 3
Use realistic data to find trigonometric models that best fit the populations of foxes and rabbits in a national park. Included are detailed explanations of the answers and process. This is a follow-up exercise to the lesson listed in...
Curated OER
Foxes and Rabbits 2
Explore the relationship between the population of foxes and rabbits in a national park using trigonometric models. Plot data and find the appropriate trigonometric functions. Two questions require interpretation and explanation of...
Concord Consortium
Cultural Growth
Scholars read and interpret a graph relating bacterial growth in a culture over time. They apply knowledge of derivatives, estimation, and graphing to the skill practice questions.
Illustrative Mathematics
Do You Fit In This Car?
A short activity that focuses on the normal distribution as a model for data distribution. Using given means and standard deviations, your budding statisticians can use statistical tables, calculators, or other statistical software to...
Noyce Foundation
Ducklings
The class gets their mean and median all in a row with an assessment task that uses a population of ducklings to work with data displays and measures of central tendency. Pupils create a frequency chart and calculate the mean and median....
Bowland
Ice Cream
Make sure there is enough ice cream on hand. Learners try to find out how much ice cream to buy for a sports event. Scholars use a pie chart showing the percent of a sample of people who like different flavors of ice cream. Using the...
Concord Consortium
King for a Day
Rumor has it exponential functions help solve problems! In a kingdom filled with rumors, young scholars must determine the speed a rumor spreads. The ultimate goal is to decide how many people must know the rumor for it to spread to the...