Too Much gaming

Expectations:

• D1.3 select from among a variety of graphs, including stacked-bar graphs, the type of graph best suited to represent various sets of data; display the data in the graphs with proper sources, titles, and labels, and appropriate scales; and justify their choice of graphs

• D1.2 collect data, using appropriate sampling techniques as needed, to answer questions of interest about a population, and organize the data in relative-frequency tables

• C4 apply the process of mathematical modelling to represent, analyse, make predictions, and provide insight into real-life situations

Key Concept:

• Collection and organization of data; data relationships

***Students will need experience analyzing different types of graphs (including stem-and-leaf plots and multiple bar graphs) and finding the mean, median, and mode using sets of data before engaging in this multi-day lesson.

Materials

• Weekly Gaming Averages: https://www.statista.com/outlook/203/108/video-games/canada#market-arpu

• Anticipation Guide

• Gaming Habits Parent Communication Letter

• Rubric

• SEL Self-Assessments (French and English) and Teacher Rubric

Collecting the Data

Start by having students track the amount of time they themselves spend gaming in a week and what platform they use. Then ask students to work with a partner and design a survey to collect data on the amount of time each of their classmates spent gaming in that week. In addition to the survey question or questions, have the partners decide on the instrument they will use to gather the data. They could consider a class list or a table. At the end of the week, set aside 20-30 minutes to let students survey their classmates.

After each pair of students has gathered information on all classmates, including themselves, lead a discussion on the process of collecting the data, on the difficulties encountered, and on lessons learned. Ask partners to refine their question.

Lead a class discussion to decide upon the question and data collection tool to be used to survey different generations among their family and friends (i.e. parents, uncles and aunts age group vs. grandparents/great grandparents age group). With the students, decide upon a reasonable number of how many people to survey from each generational group.

Analyzing the Data

Ask students to create a relative frequency table to explore the gaming console data. Ask students to create a multiple bar graph to display the data collected.

Ask the following questions to help focus discussion and promote higher-level thinking:

• What is the general shape of the data?

• How is the data spread out? Are there many clusters? Are there unusually high or low values?

• What is the mode in this set of data? How did you find it? What does the mode tell us?

• What is the median in this set of data? How did you find it? What does the median tell us?

• What is the range of values yoru group thinks is typical?

• What can you say about the number of hours you yourself spend gaming in a week? Are the hours similar to those of most of your classmates?

• Will the number of hours that students spend time gaming decrease, increase, or stay the same as they get older? What is your group's prediction?

Answering the Question

To determine whether students spend more time gaming as they grow older, and if a particular gaming console is more popular among different age groups, it is necessary for students to compare sets of data. The mode and median can be used as comparators. Students can compare both the class data with the data from the other generational groups as well as the console data, by creating a stacked bar graph. Use the following starter questions to help them explore the relationship in the data:

• Which graph, a multiple bar graph or a stacked-bar graph, is most useful in representing and analyzing the data you collected?

• According to your group's predictions, which age group spends the most time gaming? Which gaming console is most popular among each group?

• Which age group games the most per week? Which games the least?

• Does the number of hours significantly change from one generation to the next?

• If there is an increase or a decrease, is it steady and constant or does the number of hours move up and down across the generations?

During this time, circulate among the groups and listen to their discussions. Ask more probing questions or lead students back to simpler ideas where necessary.

Reconvene the class. Ask the groups to share their findings with one another. Discuss the relative usefulness of the measures of central tendency for this situation (for example, although the mode might be useful if the data are limited to whole hours, it is not useful if fractions or minutes are used).

Pose the following questions to students:

• Did the data support your predictions?

• What trends did your group observe when you compared the various class data?

• Which was more useful to you in determining trends: the mode or the median? Why?

• What reasons can you give to explain the shape of the data?

• Would you expect the data you have collected to be representative of other schools in our community? Across Ontario? Across Canada? Around the World? → This could possibly lead to an extension by going to: https://censusatschool.ca and creating a class project.

Observation:

Observation and discussion guided by key questions can provide a good sense of student understanding. Consider the following:

• Can students collect, organize, and display primary data using a variety of graphs, including stem-and-leaf plots and multiple bar graphs?

• Can students distinguish among methods of data organization?

• Can students describe similarities and differences between two sets of data?

• Can students choose appropriate scales to display the range of data?

• Can students describe the shape of a set of data, using mathematical vocabulary?

• Can students read, interpret, and draw conclusions from primary and secondary data?

• Can students use a variety of tools to present data graphically?

• Can students find the median in a set of data?

• Can students compare the median and mode and explain the information these measures provide?

• Can students explain the stability of the median? In other words, what effect do extreme values in a set of data have on the median?

Performance Tasks:

The following are some possible assessment tasks for students:

• Using a set of data provided, represent the data graphically, using a stem-and-leaf plot, a multiple bar graph, and one other graph of your choice. Explain which graphic representation would be most appropriate and why.

• Using multiple sets of data, calculate the median and mode and explain what information these measures give ups

• Using one set of data, manipulate the data to change the median, and describe the effect this change has on the mode and median.

Rubric

Summative Infographic Lesson Plan:

SEL Self-Assessments (French and English) and Teacher Rubric

Ask students to use the collected data to answer the following non-mathematical questions:

• What factors may affect the amount of time various age groups spend time gaming in a week?

• What possible positive and negative effects might gaming have on a student’s health and fitness? General knowledge? Contact with family members? Involvement in other activities? Homework completion? Consumer habits? Contact with friends?

• Considering the data you collected, the research you did, and the answers you gave to the previous question, do you feel that you, your classmates, and/or your schoolmates spend too much time gaming? If so, what steps would you like to take to communicate that message? If you don’t think you spend too much time gaming, how could you encourage those who do to change their habits?

Advertising Campaign: Have the class design an advertising campaign to encourage classmates and schoolmates to spend less time gaming and be more physically active in their leisure time. Ask students to present arguments in their campaign that will make sense and be convincing, and to use the data they have collected to support their arguments. (Could use: iMovie, Keynote, Pages / Possible cross-curricular connections to Health, Oral Language, Art)

Exploring the Median: To extend the lesson, give students a number and identify it as the median from a set of data. Explain that their task is to describe what the values in the set might look like. Tell them that the set must have at least 10 values and that no value can be repeated. Students can choose to have an odd or an even number of values in the set. The same task can be set using the mode.

Change Over Time?: Ask students to collect data again after one month (using the same question) and compare the original set of data with the new set. In a follow-up discussion, ask students to use the data to determine whether their advertising campaign has been successful.

Change Over Time?: Ask students to collect data again after one month (using the same question) and compare the original set of data with the new set. In a follow-up discussion, ask students to use the data to determine whether their advertising campaign has been successful.