Name: Melissa Proper!

Title of Lesson: Fish for Math!

Grade Level: 6th Grade!
Goal: Students will show a basic understanding of dot plots and histograms. !

Objectives:

Standards/Assessment Anchors:

Formative Assessment:

1. Students will be able to collect

data and make sense of it.

1: Mathematical Practice
Standard: Use appropriate tools
strategically.

1: Students will collect data by

taking turns in a fishing game. !

2. Students will be able to use

2-3: Content: CC.2.4.6.B.1:
their collected data to make a dot Demonstrate an understanding
plot.
of statistical variability by
displaying, analyzing, and
3: Students will be able to use
summarizing distributions.
their collected data to make a
histogram.

2: Students will make dot plots

with the data they have
collected.
3: Students will make histograms
with the data they have
collected.

Rationale: This lesson allows students to learn about dot plots and histograms while collecting
data by playing a fun game. It will review two key concepts on the PSSA math portion while
allowing the students to relax and have fun during math testing week. !

Content Knowledge/Procedures:!
Lesson Beginning!
- Introductory review of previous days information - !
- Motivation: We're going to make a dot plot and histogram, but we need data. How will we
get data? !
- Anticipatory Set: Let's go fishing and see how many fish we can catch! !
Lesson Development!
- Instruction: Teacher quickly explains the process & the worksheet. Instructions are
provided on the board and on the smart presentation. !
- Student Involvement: Students get into groups of 4 and take turns "fishing" by using their
non-dominant hand to pick up fish one at a time and give them to another student. !
- Teacher Observation: Teacher times each set of students while fishing, giving the start &
stop commands. !
- Student Involvement: Students write down the amount of fish each group member caught
in a chart on the worksheet. !
- Teacher Observation: When the class is done fishing, teacher will write down each
student's fish caught. !
- Instruction: Teacher will review with students how to create a dot plot using the data they
collected, emphasizing selecting an appropriate scale, accurately plotting data, and
correctly using labels.!
- Instruction: Teacher will review with students how to create a histogram using the data they
collected, emphasizing selecting an appropriate scale, accurately displaying data, and
correctly using labels. !

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EDML 322 & 324

April 22, 2015

Lesson Ending!

- Review & Closure: Students discuss why dot plots and histograms are useful tools for data
and when each is appropriate to use.!

- Preview of next lesson: Teacher gives students an idea of what theyll learn during the next

class. !

Materials:!
- Student worksheets (one per student)!
- Paper fishing "ponds" (one per group, 5 groups expected) and 30 paper fish per pond.!
- Stopwatch (Teacher will use stopwatch app on cell phone.)!
- Pencils - students provide, teacher has extras if needed.!

!
Mode: Students will be in groups of 4-5 for this activity. !
!

Special Adaptations: This lesson should not require special adaptations for students. If a student
is unable to use his/her non-dominant hand for whatever reason, the lesson can be completed
using the dominant hand instead. !

Anticipated Difficulties: !
- Smart board presentation does not work: Teacher will have created the presentation on the
Epson software and will have tried running through it during prep period before the day it is
used. Practice the day before should find any errors. Otherwise, the entire lesson can be
easily adapted to use with whiteboard & dry-erase markers. !

Reflection: (This portion would be filled out after I teach the lesson, to provide feedback for
myself - what I would change, spend more or less time on, do differently, what worked, what
didnt work, etc. for when I teach this lesson again.)

EDML 322 & 324

April 22, 2015