BOX & WHISKER

Lesson Overview
This will be the final lesson of the unit where students have been analyzing data. Students
have been working on just finding data based on data tables and graph charts. Students
are able to create stem and leaf plots. Now students are required to use everything they
learned to create a box and whisker graph. This will be another method for students to
analyze data and see the relationship between the values.?

Standards
National Standards
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Common Core Math Standards
6-SP.4: Display numerical data in plots on a number line, including dot plots, histograms,
and box plots.
6-SP.5: Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their context, such as by:
6-SP.5(c): Giving quantitative measures of center (median and/or mean) and variability
(interquartile range and/or mean absolute deviation), as well as describing any overall
pattern and any striking deviations from the overall pattern with reference to the context in
which the data were gathered.
S-ID.1:
Represent data with plots on the real number line (dot plots, histograms, and box plots).
S-ID.2:
Use statistics appropriate to the shape of the data distribution to compare center (median,
mean) and spread (interquartile range, standard deviation) of two or more different data
sets.

Prerequisite Knowledge
At this point of the unit students should be extremely familiar with the terms mean, median,
mode and range. Teachers will not be required to restate the definition as students should
know by now.?

Supporting Details
Materials
Student's notebooks will be needed to take notes.
The teacher will be giving the students a handout that will be used as an activity to review
all three sections of the unit for the upcoming test. (This will be done for homework as there
may not be enough time to finish it during class)
Helpful Information for Teachers
Documents
Probability-Data.pptx (1529KB)
Mini Murder Mystery- DATA EDITION.docx (6116KB)

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 Web Links
Instructional Plans
Explain 1 (5 min)
1. Explain Details
Sub-components:
Communicate
Representative Questions:
(1) How would you explain...? (2) What do you mean when you say, ...?
Explain Description:
Before demonstrating how a box plot is used and how to create one it is important that
the students learn the new terms of the lesson. Students will need to undertand the
defintion of: quartiles, lower quartile, middle quartile, upper quartile and interquartile
range. The definitions will be on slide 18.
2. Formative Assessments
Whole Class Discussion, Teacher Presentation
Before defining the terms the teacher may ask the students what they think of when
they hear a word starting with "qua" Students may say "A quarter or quadruplets". They
will show they understand the term means there will be four. From here the teacher will
explain that quartiles are an important term in box and whisker plots as there are four
quartiles in the box and whiskers plot. The teacher will also tell the students how to find
each quartile and the interquartile range. Prior to the student activity, the lesson will be
centered around the teacher defining important terms.
3. Teacher Reflection
(1) Effectiveness of communicating knowledge?
proceed; re-engage; re-explore; remediate; have students clarify

Engage 1 (5 min)
1. Engage Details
Sub-components:
Prior Knowledge, Misconception
Representative Questions:
(1) What do you know about...? (2) What have you seen like this? (3) What have we
studied that might apply here? (4) What have you heard about... that you aren't sure if
it is true or not?
Engage Description:
In slide 19, the students will be asked about what they need to know in order to create
a box and whisker plot. We know that we need to know the quartiles, the maximum
and the minimum value of the set of data. Students must use their prior knowledge to
find the maximum and minimum value.
2. Formative Assessments
Brainstorming, Drawings
The teacher will be demonstrating the information with visuals of a box and whisker
plot. The teacher will show how the minimum, quartile one, two and three, and the
maximum value is placed on the diagram.
3. Teacher Reflection
(1) What did student prior knowledge indicate about readiness to learn and existing

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 schema? (2) Misconceptions evidenced? How addressed?
proceed; quick review; remediate

Explore 1 (15 min)

1. Explore Details
Sub-components:
Design, Test, Collect, Justify
Representative Questions:
(1) How can you best study this problem? (2) What do you need to collect? (3) How
will you organize your information? (4) How much data/information do you need to
collect?
Explore Description:
It is not enough to just state what a box and whisker plot is. The teacher must
demonstrate example on how to find quartiles, what the maximum and minimum is,
and finally create the box and whisker plot. Students will realize that past knowledge of
finding the median will be rather helpful in creating the box and whisker plot.
2. Formative Assessments
Observation, Teacher Prompt, Record/Data Collection, Graph, Think, pair, share
The teacher will present two examples to the class. Each example will show the
student the different type of box and whisker plots there are. To begin in finding the
quartiles, the students should remember that the median is the middlevalue of all the
data values. This will help students find the second quartile. From finding the second
quartile the students can then divide in half on either the left or right side to find the first
and third quartile. Students are left on their own to solve the two examples, but the
teacher will walk around to see if sturdents are struggling.
In the first example we can see that the value 1 is not only the first quartile, but also
the minimum value. This is an example that the teacher can show that there is not
always two whiskers at time there will be no whisker on either side.
On slide 21 there is more values in the data set. If students seem to be struggling, hint
to them that the median helps them find the other quartiles. The median of the value
set shows to be 15 where the first quartile is 7 and the third quartile is 20. The box and
whisker plot shows that the range between each quartile will not always be equal. At
times, the median is closer to the third quartile as is shown in example 2.
It should be emphasized to students that there are different versions of box and
whisker charts.
3. Teacher Reflection
(1) Quality of study design and relation to goals? (2) Conjectures being tested?
Alignment of testing with the question/content being explored? (3) Meaningfulness of
data collected? How organized? (4) Justification of approach used to solve
question/problem? What justification tells about understanding?
proceed; clarify; remediate; re-engage

Extend 1 (25 min)

1. Extend Details
Sub-components:
Apply
Representative Questions:
(1) What would happen if...? (2) How do you think... applies to ...?

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 Extend Description:
If students show to understand that topic then they are to create their own problem and
pass it along to a partner. This will show that they are able to understand the topic and
can explain if a classmate seems to struggle.
Students who complete the assignment and are able to create their own problem and
still have time are able to commence their review sheet for the test next week. On slide
23, you will see that students are to work on a "Murder Mystery Game" this will be a
worksheet that you will see attached with this lesson plan.
2. Formative Assessments
New Investigation, Think, pair, share
Students are to take about 10 minutes in creating their own data values that will allow
them to create their own problem to make a box and whisker plot. From this students
may see different types of box and whisker plots.
After this students are able to begin their review sheet of the unit. This "Murder
Mystery Game" is composed of three parts it will first have students look back at bar
graphs and trying to find the mean, median, mode and range. Then students are to
look at stem and leaf plots where students are to determine the correct format of stem
and leaf plots given certain values. Finally, the students will be given box and whisker
plots and determine what the Interquartile Range, Median, Maximum, Minimum, and
Quartile 1 and 3 are. This will take about 10-15 minutes. If students do not complete
the worksheet they are to finish it at home. If students did not get to the worksheet they
are to complete it at home for homework as well.
3. Teacher Reflection
(1) Quality and number of applications made?
debrief; re-engage; re-explore; have students clarify; another extension

Contributed by:
Aracely Polanco, Manhattan College, NY

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