Consumer Awareness through Statistics

In this project, you will learn how to use mathematics to make yourself a more
effective and informed consumer. Since every one of us is a consumer, it is valuable
to consider ways that can help us get the quality we want at a price we can afford.
At the end of the project, you should be able to answer these questions, which relate
to becoming a more thoughtful and effective consumer.

1. Can statistics inform, and improve, the choices made by consumers?

2. Can a consumer obtain merchandise of specialty-store quality at a discount
store, and, if so, will that consumer pay significantly lower prices?
3. What criterion will form the basis for your purchase—economy, prestige, or a
compromise between the two? Please note that the project does not attempt
to address every possible factor that might impact a purchase (for example,
type of warranty; optional, additional components to enhance the initial
purchases; or financing arrangements).

By doing calculations of measures of central tendency and making statistical graphs,

you will demonstrate these mathematics competencies:

 Use two or more graphs (box-and whisker, histograms, scatter plots) to

compare data sets.
 Determine the effects of changes in the data set on the measures of central
tendency.

By using a presentation graphics program and producing a Pod cast, you will
demonstrate these technology competencies:

 Apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.

 Use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects,
solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools
and resources.

In addition, you will gain experience communicating mathematics and demonstrating

the validity of conjectures in a written component of the project.

The project involves making purchases to convert a finished basement into a family
entertainment center with areas for games, fitness, audio, and video. You may spend
up to fifteen thousand dollars on the equipment. You will make eight purchases, four
of which are prescribed and four of which require a choice. The prescribed purchases
include:

1. An audio system with iPod® docking station

2. Blu-ray DVD player
3. Weight bench
4. Pool table

You may choose one from each of the following pairs to complete your shopping list:

1. iPod® nano, iPod® classic

2. 42” plasma HDTV, 42” LCD HDTV
3. Stationary cycle
 4. Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360

The project will last several days. The expectations for each day are as follows:

Day 1: The class will decide upon a purchasing criterion and make purchase
decisions. I will demonstrate how to create a folder, save an e-mail attachment to
this folder, and work in the spreadsheet program. You will open and save two copies
of the spreadsheet attached to the Gaggle e-mail with subject Consumer Awareness.
It looks like this:

Entertainment Center Purchases

Purchasing Criterion:

Equipment Store Name Cost

Audio
1 Audio system with iPod® docking station
2 Subtotal

Video
3 Blu-ray DVD player
4
Subtotal
Fitness
5 Weight bench
6
Subtotal
Games
7 Pool table
8
Subtotal
Total

$0.00
Then, in both spreadsheets, you will fill in the gray areas with your equipment
choices, write the purchasing criterion where indicated, and save your changes in a
folder on the desktop.

Day 2: You will collect data using the notebook computer. In one spreadsheet, you
will collect and record data from specialty stores like Academy Sports and Best Buy.
In the other spreadsheet, you will collect and record data from discount stores like
Wal-Mart or Target. You may only collect data from stores that are local to avoid
shipping and handling costs. About ten minutes before bell time, I will demonstrate
how to attach the completed spreadsheets to a Gaggle e-mail. After the
demonstration, you will need to attach your spreadsheets and e-mail them to me.
You may continue the work at home if you did not complete it in class. I will need to
have the finished spreadsheet in my mailbox before class time tomorrow. It is the
first of several grades for the project.

Day 3: There will be a few minutes at the start of the period to correct errors in the
spreadsheets. Then, I will review with you how to do central tendency calculations
and make frequency charts and histograms. When I am through with the review, you
will break into teams and do the central tendency calculations for your product type
and store type. There will be a team of four for each type of product; within these
teams of four, two people will do the calculations and statistical graphs for the
specialty store and the other two people will do the calculations and statistical graphs
for the discount store. In each case, the frequency chart or histogram will exhibit the
range of prices for the products you are purchasing.

I will tell you who is in each team and whether you will do the calculations for the
discount or the specialty store. The calculations are due tomorrow; they are the
second of several grades for the project.

Day 4: I will give you a review of constructing box-and-whisker plots. After the
review, you will break into teams and work on both the box-and-whisker plots and a
document describing how the plots were constructed and what they reveal about the
prices in the retail outlets being compared. Pairs of students will prepare the plots;
the entire group must collaborate on producing the document, since the two must be
used together to make comparisons and since the process is the same in each case.
The plots and a draft of the document are due before class the following day. The
documents must be e-mailed to the instructor in time for her to make corrections.
Both the plots and the finished document will be part of the grade for the project.

Day 5: Each team will decide which store from which to make the purchase based on
the data they have collected. Then, two students in each team will refine the
corrected draft into a finished document, while the other team members prepare two
presentation graphics slides:

 A slide that tells what the team decided to buy, where the team decided to
buy it, and what it cost (a bullet list would be appropriate for this)
 A slide that shows a picture of the product and lists some of its features (an
object box and a bullet list would be appropriate for this)

After each pair of students is done, they will share with each other, decide on any needed
changes to the document or slides, and implement the changes. Then, the team will e-mail
both to the instructor. The presentation will be evaluated using this rubric:

Slide Show : Consumer Awareness through Statistics

Teacher Name: L Thomas

Student Name: ________________________________________

CATEGORY 4 3 2 1
Graphics Sources Graphics are A combination of Some graphics Some graphics
hand-drawn. The hand-drawn and are from sources are borrowed
illustrator(s) are HyperStudio that clearly state from sites that
given credit graphics are that non- do not have
somewhere in the used. Sources commercial use copyright
presentation. are documented is allowed statements or
in the without written do not state that
presentation for permission. non-commercial
all images. Sources are use is allowed,
documented in OR sources are
the presentation not documented
for all for all images.
 "borrowed"
images.

Use of Graphics All graphics are A few graphics All graphics are Several graphics
attractive (size are not attractive but a are unattractive
and colors) and attractive but all few do not seem AND detract
support the support the to support the from the content
theme/content of theme/content theme/content of the
the presentation. of the of the presentation.
presentation. presentation.
Spelling and Presentation has Presentation has Presentation has Presentation has
Grammar no misspellings or 1-2 misspellings, 1-2 grammatical more than 2
grammatical but no errors but no grammatical
errors. grammatical misspellings. and/or spelling
errors. errors.

Cooperation Group delegates Group delegates Group delegates Group often is

tasks and shares tasks and shares tasks and shares not effective in
responsibility responsibility responsibility delegating tasks
effectively all of effectively most effectively some and/or sharing
the time. of the time. of the time. responsibility.

Note. You may choose to do a poster containing the same information as the slides.
The poster will be evaluated using this rubric:

Poster : Consumer Awareness through Statistics

Teacher Name: Linda Thomas

Student Name: ________________________________________

CATEGORY 4 3 2 1
Required The poster All required All but 1 of the Several required
Elements includes all elements are required elements were
required included on the elements is missing.
elements as well poster. included on the
as additional poster.
information.
Content - At least 7 5-6 accurate 3-4 accurate Less than 3
Accuracy accurate facts facts are facts are accurate facts
are displayed on displayed on the displayed on the are displayed on
the poster. poster. poster. the poster.
Attractiveness The poster is The poster is The poster is The poster is
exceptionally attractive in acceptably distractingly
attractive in terms of design, attractive messy or very
terms of design, layout and though it may poorly designed.
layout, and neatness. be a bit messy. It is not
neatness. attractive.
Use of Class Time Used time well Used time well Used some of Did not use class
during each class during each the time well time to focus on
period. Focused class period. during each the project OR
on getting the Usually focused class period. often distracted
project done. on getting the There was some others.
Never distracted project done and focus on getting
others. never distracted the project done
others. but occasionally
distracted
others.

Day 6: I will show you how to download a program called Audacity from the Internet
and install it on your computers. I will demonstrate how to use it to create a Pod
cast. After this short lesson, you will get into your teams and assign speaking roles
to each team member. Once this is done, develop a script for the Pod cast to
announce the purchase decision made by the team and to explain how this decision
was arrived at. Your explanation must indicate clearly how you used the data to
support and inform the selection criterion determined the first day of the project.
Scripts must be submitted by e-mail to the instructor for review.

Note. You may choose to write a report instead of a Pod cast script. Each team
member must contribute to its production. One team member can write the opening
paragraph, which will announce the team's selection and tell, in a very general way,
how data affected the decision-making process. This must contain a thesis sentence.
A second paragraph will contain a more detailed description of the process and the
mathematics involved. This will be co-authored by two team members, since it
contains the bulk of the pertinent information. A closing paragraph will be written by
the remaining team member re-stating briefly what the decision was and the role
statistics played in supporting the decision. This must include a strong, memorable
closing sentence. The first draft must be submitted by e-mail to the instructor for
review.

Day 7: Teams doing a Pod cast will record the Pod cast using Audacity software. Teams doing
a report will work on the final draft. The finished Pod casts will be evaluated using this rubric

Pod cast: Consumer Awareness through Statistics

Teacher Name: L Thomas

Student Name: ________________________________________

CATEGORY 4 3 2 1
Accuracy of All supportive Almost all facts One fact is No facts are
Facts facts are are reported reported reported
reported accurately (2 of accurately. accurately OR no
accurately (3 of 3). facts were
3). reported.

Quality of Oral Speaks clearly Speaks clearly Speaks clearly Does NOT speak
Delivery and distinctly all and distinctly all and distinctly clearly and
of the time and of the time but most of the time distinctly most of
mispronounces mispronounces 1 and the time AND/OR
no words. or more words. mispronounces mispronounces
no words. more than 1
word.
Awareness of All students in All students in There was some Limited attention
Audience group can clearly group can awareness of the to audience in
explain why they explain why they audience, but designing
felt the felt the not all of the newscast
vocabulary, vocabulary, students can AND/OR one or
audio and audio and describe how the fewer members
graphics they graphics they vocabulary, of the group can
chose fit their chose fit their audio and explain how the
intended intended graphics they element relate to
audience. audience. chose fit their the audience.
intended
audience
Group Work The group The group The group Some members
functioned functioned pretty functioned fairly of the group
exceptionally well. Most well but was were often off
well. All members dominated by task AND/OR
members listened to, one or two were overtly
listened to, shared with and members. The disrespectful to
shared with and supported the group (all others in the
supported the efforts of others. members) was group AND/OR
efforts of others. The group (all almost always on were typically
The group (all members) was task! disregarded by
members) was almost always on other group
almost always on task! members.
task!

The report will be evaluated using this rubric

Research Report : Consumer Awareness through Statistics

Teacher Name: Linda Thomas

Student Name: ________________________________________

CATEGORY 4 3 2 1
Organization Information is Information is Information is The information
very organized organized with organized, but appears to be
with well- well-constructed paragraphs are disorganized. 8)
constructed paragraphs. not well-
paragraphs and constructed.
subheadings.
Quality of Information Information Information Information has
Information clearly relates to clearly relates to clearly relates to little or nothing
the main topic. the main topic. the main topic. to do with the
It includes It provides 1-2 No details and/or main topic.
several supporting examples are
supporting details and/or given.
details and/or examples.
examples.
First Draft Detailed draft is Draft includes all Draft includes Draft is missing
neatly presented required most required required
and includes all information and information and information and
required is legible. is legible. is difficult to
information. read.

Mechanics No grammatical, Almost no A few Many

spelling or grammatical, grammatical grammatical,
punctuation spelling or spelling or spelling, or
errors. punctuation punctuation punctuation
errors errors. errors.

Day 8: Each student team will present their deliverables (poster or slides; oral report
or slide show). The whole group will discuss and informally critique the products
generated by their fellow students. Every student will fill out an exit ticket with
answers to the driving question and two ancillary questions posed at the beginning of
the project.