DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF A STATISTICS
UNIT FOR BEGINNING ALGEBRA
By Mark Mavis
Summer 2001
The purpose of this project was to develop and evaluate a three-week unit on statistics for a high school algebra course. The unit would be a supplement to an existing algebra course that did not already include statistics as a content objective.
The unit was field tested in junior high and high school classrooms during the spring of 2001. The unit was evaluated to determine appropriateness for a beginning algebra course and to determine if the statistics content was relevant.
There is a challenge from national and state (California) standards to teach statistics to all high school students. Most high schools teach a traditional mathematics sequence that ignores statistics. There are also nationwide and statewide emphases on establishing algebraic thinking throughout all grade levels. Proportional reasoning is an essential skill that is part of every algebra curriculum. A review of the research on proportional reasoning is included to show both the complexity of this area of mathematics and the need to develop this kind of thinking throughout the middle grades (6-8) and into high school.
The unit of curriculum developed for this project, entitled Two-Way Tables, is included as an appendix. It is a unit that combines statistical ideas with proportional reasoning activities yet still has students engaged in algebraic thinking. This material consists of directions for the teacher as well as student worksheets, quizzes, and a test.