6th Grade Planning An Investigation Lesson Plan (Math)

Topic: Planning an Investigation

Objectives & Outcomes

• To understand how to design questionaires for a statistical investigation
• To specify the problems that need to be investigated and decide which data are needed to solve them

Materials

• Writing materials (e.g. paper, pencils)
• Copies of the questionaire template (provided in the lesson)
• Data collection materials (e.g. pen, paper, calculator)

Warm-up

• Ask students to think about a time when they needed to collect data for a project or an assignment. Ask them to share their experiences and what they learned.
• Next, show the class a picture or video of a data collection method (e.g. a survey or a field study) and ask them to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the method.

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the concept of planning a statistical investigation, including the importance of specifying the problem and identifying appropriate data collection methods.
• Discuss the different types of data collection methods (e.g. surveys, field studies, experimental studies) and their respective strengths and weaknesses.
• Show examples of different types of questionaires and explain how to design a questionnaire to collect the necessary data.

Guided Practice

• Provide students with a real-world problem and have them work in small groups to plan a statistical investigation using a survey method.
• Have each group present their plan to the class and discuss any issues or concerns.

Independent Practice

• Have students work on a project-based activity where they plan and conduct a survey-based statistical investigation on a topic of their choice.
• Students should create a survey questionaire and use it to collect data from a sample of their peers.
• Have students analyze their data and present their findings in a poster or oral presentation format.

Closure

• Review the main points covered during the lesson, including the importance of planning a statistical investigation and using -the proper survey techniques to collect data.
• Discuss any challenges or difficulties that students encountered during the independent practice activity.

Assessment

• Observe students during the group work and independent practice activities to assess their understanding of the -concepts and skills covered in the lesson.
• Review the completed questionaires and surveys to assess students' ability to apply their understanding of -survey techniques in practice.