Environmental Module 3 Description

CAN YOU SEE THE DATA?

ESTIMATED TIME TO COMPLETE: 75 minutes

MODULE OBJECTIVES: Students will understand the role of visualization tools to enhance quantitative understanding.

CONCEPT(S) LEARNED IN THIS MODULE: Box and whisker plots and environmental measures

STANDARDS ADDRESSED BY UNIT MODULES:

Hand-held calculators and computers - Computer based interactive software and graphing calculators in problem solving and concept development
Classroom management and motivation
- Problem solving
- Experimentation
- Small group instruction
- Whole group construction
- Efficient instruction
Analysis of students’ work - Use of rubrics
Use of manipulatives and developmentally appropriate materials - Variety and reliability
Content-specific pedagogy - Theories necessary for implementing sound representations of numeric and algebraic concepts
Science as inquiry - Development of ability to ask questions, investigate, observe, construct explanations and communicate results

Organize data into an appropriate presentation - Use of interactive software and graphing calculators for organizing and evaluation of data.
Read and analyze data presented in various forms

Environmental Science - Students will use scientific skills and process to explain the interactions of environmental factors (living and non-living) and analyze their impact from a local to a global perspective.
Life Science - Students will use scientific skills and processes to explain the dynamic nature of living things, their interactions, and the results from the interactions that occur over time.
Algebra, Patterns, and Functions - Students will algebraically represent, model, analyze, and solve mathematical and real-world problems involving patterns and functional relationships.
Statistics and Probability - Students will collect, organize, display, analyze and interpret data to make decisions and predictions and will use experimental methods and theoretical reasoning to determine probabilities to make predictions.
Number Relationships and Computation - Students will describe, represent and apply numbers and their relationships and will estimate and compute using mental strategies and paper/pencil.
Processes of Mathematics - Students will use reasoning to solve problems in mathematics, be able to communicate the processes used and the solution(s) while making connections within mathematics, to other disciplines, and to the real world.

TECHNOLOGY - ENHANCED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES UTILIZED IN THIS MODULE:
Computer and graphing calculator based visualization investigations

Component	Brief Description of Module Activities	Student Grouping	Materials/Technology
Engagement	Students will be given two sets of data (See Teacher Notes) and asked to determine the mean, mode and median. The mean and median values will be equal in both sets of data and there will not be a mode; thus through discussion, the need for other ways to draw conclusions about the data will be noted.	Whole class	Calculators appropriate but not required
Exploration	Students will be instructed in the five number summary for data and how to display it in a box and whisker plot. Students will visit the Interactivate site at www.shodor.org and see the applications of box and whisker plots.	Whole class and pairs	Web access
Explanation	Students will receive instruction on completing a box and whisker plot on the graphing calculator. Students then analyze data given in the engagement using box and whisker display.	Whole class	Graphing calculators
Extension	Students construct comparative box and whisker plots to evaluate a data set.	Individual	Graphing calculators
Evaluation	Students are given real world data and are asked to make an informed decision from information derived in their construction of comparative box and whisker plots.	Individual	N/A

EXPECTED MODULE OUTCOMES:

Students will be able to:

Construct Box and Whisker plots
Use the box and whisker plot as a tool in analyzing the data and drawing conclusions.

PERFORMANCE BASED ASSESSMENT OF MODULE OUTCOMES:

Students construct comparative box and whisker plots of three of the five selected water sites at the web sites indicated below.

SCORING RUBRIC:

	Data Analysis	Display
2	At least three comparative statements regarding water quality Correct five number summaries for each data set	Appropriate title and correct labels Correctly scaled All five number summaries on each plot are labeled
1	Only two comparative statements Minor errors in five number summaries	Appropriate title and correct labels Correctly scaled Five number summary label are incomplete
0	Incorrect comparative statements Five number summaries have major errors	Incorrect scaled line or missing labels

TEACHER NOTES:

Teachers should find (web-based) background reading on dissolved oxygen as a measure of water quality
(e.g. www.dnr.state.md.us/bay/monitoring/water/index.html)

Engagement Activity: The following data exemplifies dissolved oxygen readings and yields nearly equal mean and median values thus necessitating a need for an alternative method to analyze the data. Have the students compute these central tendency measures and then lead a discussion of what they know about other ways to "show" the data.
- Dissolved oxygen levels at Site 1:
  12.21, 10.78, 10.29, 9.28, 8.72, 8.47, 7.53, 6.22 (ppm)
- Dissolved oxygen levels at Site 2:
  10.25, 9.5, 9.05, 8.98, 8.75, 8.5, 8.47 (ppm)
Exploration: As a part of the teacher explanation of the five number summaries and what a box and whisker plot is we recommend a "human" box and whisker based on heights of students in the class. Students are then ready to explore the Box Plots tool at Interactivate.
Evaluation: Maryland environmental water quality data available at www.chesapeakebay.net/data/index.htm

Unit Description
Module 1 2 3 4