Math Essentials 11 Desmos Activity Collection - A collection of online student Desmos activities organized by unit.
F1 read and interpret various data displays (bar graphs-single and double; line graphs-single and double; circle/pie graphs; pictographs)
F2 analyze graphs to describe patterns within the context of the data and predict future trends
F3 select an appropriate display for a given set of data and explain the reasons for the choice
F4 represent given data in a variety of displays, using spreadsheets or other technology
F5 collect, display, and analyze data to draw appropriate conclusions about relevant questions or issues
Additional Resources and Activities for Unit 1 (collect, display, and analyze data)
Outcomes F1, F2, F3 and F4 were deemed non-Foundational and are no longer included in Math Essentials 11
Strength in Numbers Desmos Activity - In this activity, students complete three rounds of estimation challenges. After each initial estimate, they view a dot plot of their classmates' responses and decide whether (and how) to revise their estimate. Common strategies include "moving toward the middle" (i.e., median). At the end of the activity, students consider a new (heavily skewed) dot plot and decide whether the mean or median is a better measure of center.
The Money Duck - The Virginia Candle company sells a bar of soap shaped like a duck. Inside each duck is either a $1, $5, $10, $20 or $50 bill. How much should this bar of soap cost?
Average Weight of NFL Rookies - A line graph comparing the average weight of NFL rookies by position. What does this say about how the game of football has changed over time? Additional data can be explored on an interactive graph online.
Candy Stats - Each pair of students will be given a small bag/box of colored candies. How many of each color candy are there? Create a graph to visualize how many of each color candy you had. How does your graph compare to others? What was the average amount of each color candy in the class?
Using Proportions: What If Our High School Was Our Geometry Class? - What would your class look like if it were in proportion to the demographics of the whole school? Use some proportional reasoning to scale the results of the survey to the size of your class and then create an infographic to display the results.
Shut up about the y-axis. It shouldn’t always start at Zero - Watch this video from vox.com about graphing axes. The truth is that you certainly can use truncated axes to deceive. But you can also use them to illuminate. In fact, you often have to mess with the y-axis in order to craft a useful image — especially because data sometimes reaches into negative territory and sometimes goes nowhere near zero. The right principle is that charts ought to show appropriate context.