1st Edition

Statistics for Kids Model Eliciting Activities to Investigate Concepts in Statistics (Grades 4-6)

By Scott Chamberlin Copyright 2013
    152 Pages
    by Prufrock Press

    Perhaps the most useful and neglected content area of mathematics is statistics, especially for students in Grades 4-6. Couple that fact with the notion that mathematical modeling is an increasing emphasis in many standards, such as the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and the NCTM standards, and the necessity for this topic is overdue. In this book, teachers will facilitate learning using model-eliciting activities (MEAs), problem-solving tasks created by mathematics educators to encourage students to investigate concepts in mathematics through the creation of mathematical models. Students will explore statistical concepts including trends, spread of data, standard deviation, variability, correlation, sampling, and more—all of which are designed around topics of interest to students.

    Grades 4-6

    Introduction Chapter 1 Trends: The 10,000 Meters Problem Chapter 2 Spread of Data: The Salesperson Problem Chapter 3 Measures of Central Tendency: The Taxicab Problem Chapter 4 Variability: The Zoo Problem Chapter 5 Correlation: The Stock Market Problem Chapter 6 Covariation: The Health Problem Chapter 7 Statistical Sampling: The Dachshund Problem Appendix A Additional Information Appendix B The 10,000 Meters Problem, Solution 3 Glossary References About the Author Common Core State Standards Alignment

    Biography

    Scott Chamberlin is an associate professor in Elementary and Early Childhood Education at the University of Wyoming. His content area is mathematics education with a special interest in statistics. His research interests pertain to affect (i.e., feelings, emotions, and dispositions) and creativity during mathematical problem-solving episodes. Scott has a strong interest in mathematical modeling and feels that model-eliciting activities have particular utility with students of advanced intellectual and academic abilities. At the University of Wyoming, Scott teaches mathematics education courses to undergraduate and graduate students and prepares pre-service K-6 teachers to enter the elementary classroom. Scott earned his Ph.D. from Purdue University under the direction of Sidney Moon and his master's degree from the University of Utah under the direction of Don Kauchak.

    This book is a collection of seven realistic questions that allow young students to explore statistical measurement. Each activity focuses on a different area of statistics such as correlation or central tendency. The book is a good resource for open-ended statistics problems.,Dave Johnston,Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 11/1/13
    Written specifically for teachers of Grades 4 to 6, Chamberlin uses age-appropriate vocabulary and explains concepts clearly. This is a valuable resource for fostering critical thinking and problem solving with advanced math learners in the elementary school classroom.,Gifted Child Today, 1/20/15