They produce a scatterplot and recognize a relatively high correlation between the two factors. They write an essay on the possible causes of this relationship and their interpretation of it. Students are asked to predict how many drops of water will fit on a penny. They write their prediction on a postit note along with an explanation of their reasoning. The predictions are collected and displayed on bar graphs or stemandleaf plots.
Students perform the experiment and record their results on another postit note.
They compare their hypotheses with the conclusions. A science lesson on surface tension can easily be integrated with this lesson. Students are studying their community's recycling efforts in an integrated unit. In getting ready for discussion in this area, the mathematics teachers ask the students to predict how many pounds of junk mail comes in to their community in a month. The students collect all junk mail sent to their house over the course of a month.