Measure Up Activity
Teacher Notes
Prerequisites
Students should be familiar with the graphing calculator.
Students should be taking Algebra I or a higher math course.
Warmup
- Describe situations to help students understand positive correlation, negative correlation, and no correlation. Example of positive correlation: The longer you walk the more distance you cover. Example of negative correlation: The more you eat the less food you want. Example of no correlation: The more you eat the more you like flowers.
- Divide students in groups of 3 or 4 and let each group write an example of each one. Then have each group report to the class their examples.
Probing Questions
- What is important in a positive correlation? (Both things are related by cause and effect and both increase or both decrease.)
- What is important in a negative correlation? (Both things are related by cause and effect and as one increases the other decreases.)
- What is important in no correlation? (There is no cause and effect relationship between the two things.)
Instructional Sequence
- Warm up activity.
- Students measure wrist circumference and height in inches or centimeters and record them on the board in that order. (wrist circumference, height)
- Students use the data to find correlation, equations and linear regression line on the graphing calculator. For help press Linear Regression Help
- Students use the Celebrity Body Fat chart on the Linear Regression Activity sheet to do the second part of the activity.
Student Assessment
- Students answer the questions on the Regression Activity sheet. The teacher grades the activity and hands it back the following class period. The teacher also informally assesses student understanding from student discussion and questions.
Lesson Assessment
- Opportunity for lesson feedback is included on the Regression Activity sheet.
Plans for flex activities (i.e. what happens if lesson goes too quickly or slowly)
- This activity could be done in two class periods or as homework if more time is needed.
- An extension of this activity would be to use some other student data taken from the student’s food diary such as comparing weight to calorie intake.
For answers to Regression Activity sheet go to the following link: Answers to Regression Activity