options: Operations & Algebra: students learn to solve problems using algebraic thinking and operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. They may learn to identify and explain arithmetic patterns, evaluate or manipulate numerical expressions, and reason with equations and inequalities.

Measurement & Data: students learn to work with data and measure attributes such as time, money, length, area, and volume. They may learn to compare measurements to operations and convert between different units of measure.

Counting & Cardinality: students learn to know number names and the count sequence, count to tell the number of objects, and compare numbers.

Number & Operations in Base Ten: students learn to work with the base-ten system and build place value understanding.

Geometry: students learn to classify geometric figures by their properties, and understand and compare the relationships between them. Students develop and use formulas to compute lengths, areas, and volumes, and they use transformations to generate new shapes and compare existing ones. Geometry can be studied with and without coordinates.

Functions: students learn to define, use, and evaluate functions to model relationships between quantities.

Modeling: students learn to choose and use appropriate mathematics and statistics to analyze real-world empirical situations, improve decisions, and report on their conclusions and the reasoning behind them.

Ratios & Proportional Relationships: students learn to recognize, describe, represent, and reason with ratios, rates, proportional relationships, and percent.

Statistics & Probability: students learn to analyze and produce data distributions, and build understanding of univariate and bivariate data. They learn to interpret data, make statistical inferences, justify conclusions, understand rules of probability, and use probability to make decisions.

Number Systems and Quantity: students learn to understand the complex number system and reason quantitatively.

Number & Operations - Fractions: students learn to understand fractions as numbers and may work with them using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
problem_activity: Warm-up
In a previous lesson, students were exposed to the ideas of center and spread. Here, they begin connecting that idea informally to the word “typical” and a value that could be considered typical or characteristic of a data set by thinking about two good options and reasonings. They continue to interpret a dot plot in the context of a situation (MP2).
During the partner discussion, identify two students—one who agrees with Clare and another who agrees with Tyler—to share during the whole-class discussion (MP3).
Launch
Arrange students in groups of 2. Give students 2 minutes of quiet work time and a minute to share their responses with a partner. Follow with a whole-class discussion.
Student Facing
This dot plot shows the weights of backpacks, in kilograms, of 50 sixth-grade students at a school in New Zealand.
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The dot plot shows several dots at 0 kilograms. What could a value of 0 mean in this context?
Clare and Tyler studied the dot plot.
Clare said, “I think we can use 3 kilograms to describe a typical backpack weight of the group because it represents 20%—or the largest portion—of the data.”
Tyler disagreed and said, “I think 3 kilograms is too low to describe a typical weight. Half of the dots are for backpacks that are heavier than 3 kilograms, so I would use a larger value.”
Do you agree with either of them? Explain your reasoning.
Student Response
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Activity Synthesis
Ask students to share their response to the first question about data points. Record and display their responses for all to see. Ask the selected students—one who agrees with Clare and another who agrees with Tyler—to share their reasoning. Ask if anyone disagrees with both students, and if so, what value they would consider a better description of the center of the data.
Students should have a reasonable explanation for each argument they favor, but it is not necessary to confirm one way or another at this point. Tell students that we will look more closely at different ways to determine a value that is characteristic of a data set in upcoming activities.


correct_option_index: 8