This investigation was originally published in Bridging the Gap Between Common Core State Standards and Teaching Statistics by Pat Hopfensperger, Tim Jacobbe, Deborah Lurie, and Jerry Moreno.
(Grade 6 & 8 – Common Core State Standards: 6.RP.3C, 6.SP.3, 8.SP.4) This investigation focuses on students examining an association between two categorical variables. Specifically, they will investigate whether there is an association between gender and whether a person can roll their tongue. As part of this investigation, students will collect, organize, and analyze data in a two-way table; construct and analyze segmented bar graphs; and calculate the percentages of boys and girls who can roll their tongue.
This investigation is based on an activity in Probability Through Data, a module in the Data-Driven Mathematics series (1999).
Keywords: Grade 6, Grade 8, CCSS 6.RP.3C, 6.SP.3, 8.SP.4, association, categorical variables, two-way table, segmented bar graphs, percentages.
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