Title of Book: the Phantom Tollbooth

Title of Book: The Phantom Tollbooth

Author: Norton Juster

Publisher/Year: Yearling 1996

ISBN- 978-0-394-82037-8

Grade Levels for Recommended Use: 6-8 Statistics

TEKS: 6 (10) Probability and statistics. The student uses statistical representations to analyze data. The student is expected to:

(B) identify mean (using concrete objects and pictorial models), median, mode, and range of a set of data;

(D) solve problems by collecting, organizing, displaying, and interpreting data.

Summary:

This is the story of a very unlikely adventure by an even more unlikely adventurer. Young Milo, a boy who never does anything or goes anywhere, comes home one day to find a mysterious note and package waiting for him in his bedroom. He opens the package and constructs a tollbooth in his bedroom. Having nothing better to do, Milo hops in his dusty electric car and drives through his tollbooth. He is immediately transported to “The Lands Beyond,” where he meets very unique people. Along the way, Milo learns the importance of thinking, remembering, and imagination.

Materials: A copy of The Phantom Tollbooth and a worksheet from the NCTM’s website for The Phantom Tollbooth.

Web site for resource:

Suggested Activity:

The students can be seated in groups or as individuals throughout this activity.

Explain to students that they are going to listen to an excerpt of the book.

If your students are unfamiliar with the story, summarize it for them. Tell them that the following excerpt is towards the end of the story as Milo and his companions are about to reach the princesses Rhyme and Reason. Milo just met the Mathematician who is the ruler of Digitopolis and is trying to get to the land of Infinity where the princesses are being held.

Turn to the beginning of chapter 16 on page 193 and read the first part of the chapter aloud to the class. Show the pictures on pages 194 and 195 to the class as you read. Emphasize what a person would look like if they were the 0.58 of a child if they came from the average family from the 1960’s.

Continue reading until the end of the 6th paragraph on page 199 which states “’My goodness,’ thought Milo, ‘everybody is so terribly sensitive about the things that they know the best.’”

Explain to students that we call the average number the mean in mathematics. Explain how the mean is calculated if they have not worked with mean and averages yet.

Hand out a copy of the “Can it Be” activity from the NCTM website listed above. Have students work either individually or as a small group to complete the questions. Then discuss their answers as a class and check to make sure that the students are completing their activity.

Extensions:

~You could have the students count how many pencils they have in the class and then calculate the average (mean) number of pencils per student. As they find the mean, ask them if this is the number that each student has, and have them discuss why the mean is one number and the reality is different.

~Have students look up the current household averages for children now. (I found a range of 1.6 to 1.9 from different census websites for Texas.) Have them draw a picture of the fraction of a child for their statistics.

Adapted by: Michelle Wells 2011