Mean, median and mode are ways to compare data. The mean is the average of the data. Add the data set numbers and divide the sum by the number of entries. For example, a data set consisting of the numbers 3, 3, 5, 6 and 8 has a mean of 5; calculate this by plugging in the numbers: 3 + 3 + 5 + 6 + 8 ÷ 5 = 5. The median is the middle number in a set of data. In this example, the median is 5 -- the middle number. The mode is the number that is represented the most. The number 3 shows up the most, so it is the mode. In middle school statistics, knowing how to find each of these comparisons is important.
Middle school students learn how to interpret sets of data in different types of graphs. Look at the title of the graph to know what is being measured. Understanding the unit of measure and the entries for the horizontal and vertical axes will help students comprehend the graph. Data is derived from surveys and observations. Asking a group of students what their favorite song is will be different than asking a group of grandparents the same question. Interpreting this data and how it was collected will help students understand the meaning and validity of the graph.
Probability is the chance that something will happen. Middle school students deal with compound events. The probability of something happening is represented by a fraction. Use tree diagrams, lists, tables and actual simulation to find the probability of an event. If the teacher assigns a problem to figure out how many outfits you can make with four shirts, three pants and two hats, draw them and start making the outfits. Make an outfit with a blue shirt, blue pants and red hat. The next outfit is blue shirt, blue pants and blue hat. Continue making the outfits until all 24 outfits have been made.
Comparing two sets of data and the relationship they have is a part of statistics. The temperature at the football game and the number of cups of hot cocoa sold at the snack shack is an example of two data sets that are related. When the temperature at the football game was in the 70s, only five cups of cocoa were sold. When the temperature was in the 30s, more than100 cups of cocoa were sold. Show the relationship between the data by finding any relationships between the two sets of data. In this case, there is a direct relationship between temperature and the cups of hot cocoa sold.