Lesson Plan Template

ETAP 524
Name: Kelsey ODonnell

Module: 5

Lesson Plan Title

How to Construct Box Plots Given a List of Numbers
Discipline and Topic
This lesson is designed for the students to practice constructing box plots, and understand the
steps necessary to create a box plot, given a list of numbers.
Target Population
This lesson will be presented to a 9th grade Common Core Algebra class, whose population of
students is intermixed with thirteen 9th grade students, seven 10th grade students, five of which
have never taken this course before, two who are course repeaters, and one 11th grade student
who has never completed a Common Core Algebra class.
The majority of the students (more than 80%) in this class prefer to work in partners or groups,
and they enjoy hands on activities and games.
I have two students in particular who would prefer to work alone, and would be considered
logical learners in my eyes
The students are already familiar with the vocabulary terms necessary to understanding this unit,
such as: quartiles, mean, median, mode, range, interquartile range, lower extreme, upper
extreme, and outliers. They have graphed dot plots, and histograms, and have had one day of
constructing box plots.
Curriculum Alignment and Common Core Standards
Summarize, represent, and interpret data on a single count or measurement variable
1. Represent data with plots on the real number line (dot plots, histograms, and box plots).

ISTE NETS Standards

Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or

processes

Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others

employing a variety of digital environments and media

Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed

decisions

Goals
Students will learn how to properly construct a box plot from a list of numbers
Objectives (State)

Students will be able to identify the mean, median (quartile 2), lower extreme, upper
extreme, lower quartile (quartile 1), and upper quartile (quartile 3).

Students will be able to construct a box plot by hand using the information they found
from the first objective.

Underlying Educational Theory

Constructivism:
Role of Teacher:
Supportcollaborationinconstructingknowledge,notcompetitionstudentswork
togetheringroupstohelponeanotherunderstandthestepsnecessaryin
constructingboxplots
ProvideassistancewithassimilationofnewandoldknowledgeTheoldandnew
knowledgewillbedemonstratedthroughthetwochosenvideos
RoleofStudent:
TheroleofthestudenttoactivelyparticipateintheirowneducationEachstudent
mustparticipateandexplainthestepsinarecordingwiththeirpeers.
Forstudentstolearntheyneedtoreceivedifferent'lenses'toseethingsinnewways.
Studentswillbegivendifferentlensesinthislessonthroughvideo,audio,and
collaborativegroupwork.
Materials Description and Timing
Mean Median and Mode video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNdVynH6hcY
Constructing Box and Whisker Plots video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=fJZv9YeQ-qQ
Student iPhones (one per group = 7 iPhones)
Teacher Computer with attached Elmo, and SMART board

Supplemental Materials/Links
The classwork assigned to the students can be found on the website below under the title
Quartiles and Box Plots Common Core Algebra. The first two pages are what the students will
be working on in groups during class and the last two pages, (pages 3-4) will be the homework.
http://emathinstruction.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/CCAlg1-U10L2-Quartilesand-Box-Plots.pdf
Lesson
(13 min.)

The first 2 minutes of class will be spent watching the mean median and mode
video, for these are important vocabulary words for the students to recall, and
they must know how to find the median as well as understand the concept of
mean in order to construct a box plot. The second video will be an informative
video on how to create a box and whisker (box plot) from a given data set. I will
stop the video at various times to ask questions, give students time to think of the
next step in the process, and discuss the examples before the answer has been
worked out.

(5 min.)

1.
2.
3.
4.

Now I will explain the activity of the day, and break the students up into 7
predetermined groups each made up of 3 students based on skill level, and who in
the class has an iPhone. Each group must contain an iPhone in order to record the
discussion and steps they must explain before completing the assigned worksheet.
My expectations will be addressed and here are the points I will be sure to make:
Each group must submit a recording of what steps they would give, to teach someone
how to construct a box plot from a list of unordered numbers.
They must imagine that this person has no prior knowledge of box plots, so they must be
as descriptive as possible, and really take their time in breaking down the steps and
detailed explanations
Each student in the group must speak, and they need to state their name before talking on
the recording.
The recording will be sent to my school email: kodonnell@nvcs.stier.org before the end
of class, and will be graded as a participation grade.

(20 min.)

Students have this time to work collaboratively with their group to work on
recording their detailed steps to construct box plots, and work on a worksheet,
constructing box plots. If they finish early, they may start their homework.

(4 min.) As an exit ticket, each student must construct a boxplot given a list of numbers, and find
the following: median, lower quartile, upper quartile, lower extreme, upper extreme, range, and
interquartile range without using any notes. They will turn in their exit ticket and place their
work in one of three folders labeled: UNDERSTAND, IN-BETWEEN and DONT GET
IT. The exit ticket will be graded out of 10 points.
Assessment of Students
I will grade the exit tickets, out of a score of 10 points. The points will be broken up as follows:
1 point: Rewriting the list of numbers in chronological order

1 point: Finding the median (quartile 2)

1 point: Finding the lower quartile (quartile 1)
1 point: Finding the upper quartile (quartile 3)
1 point: Finding the lower extreme
1 point: Finding the upper extreme
1 point: Finding the range
1 point: Finding the interquartile range
2 points: Constructing a correct box plot based on the numbers they found above.
Evaluation of Students and Lesson
I will consider this lesson a success if the following criteria is met:
1) If at least 80% of the students score 80% or higher on the exit ticket
2) If at least 80% of the class period is used effectively by at least 80% of the students
which means they are working with their partners diligently, and not distracted or talking
of other things
3) If at least 70% of the groups turned in a recording that could be used to explain to
someone with no prior knowledge of box plots, how to construct one effectively. These
recordings will be played back to the students as a whole tomorrow, and they will be
given a problem, and asked to use the steps explained by each group to construct a box
plot. They will not be allowed to do any steps that were not discussed; they must follow
the directions exactly as their classmates explain. If a group is able to construct a box plot
using only the steps outlined by a recording, then I would consider that recording
successful.

Low Tech Modification

If all technology fails, my computer and SMART board, as well as each student iPhone, then I
would give an example on the chalkboard of how to construct a box plot from a list of numbers.
The students would still work in groups to complete the box plot worksheet, but instead of
submitting a recording of the steps needed to construct a box plot, the students would be asked to
submit a handwritten list of steps. Only one list per group would be necessary.