LESSON #3: Understanding Measures of Central Tendency

Focusing Question:
The Green Mountain National Forest - who donates land, why do they donate, and how much land is generally donated each year to this public forest?

Vermont Standards addressed:

7.8bb.

Students appropriately use measures of central tendency - mean, median, mode.

Length of Lesson:
1-2 class periods

Resources/Materials:
Worksheet #4

Procedure: 

1.	Focus:
	Using worksheet #4, read the initial paragraph introducing the Green Mountain National Forest. Locate the forest on a state map. Introduce a discussion about public land, what are public lands? What are the purposes and uses of public land? Continue to focus on the need for management plans and the role of data when writing such plans.
2.	Opening the lesson:
	Review the measures of central tendency, how each measure is found and how each is used to affectively represent data.
3.	Teach:
	Using the data on worksheet #4 about donated acres to the northern half of the Green Mountain Forest, have students work in pairs to answer the worksheet questions. The lesson focusing question should be written on the white board so that students will answer this question as they sort the data.
4.	Practice:
	Students should complete the worksheet and make a frequency table and line plot or histogram for the data. In addition, students should complete the investigation on the second page of the handout, gathering information on the land area of our homes.
5.	Follow-up:
	Use the data collected through their investigation to focus a follow-up class discussion. Use this opportunity to reinforce our unique sense of place in Vermont, for example, how would this data look different if you went to school in Boston or Miami or Boise? Why do some of us own a great deal of land and others own much less? How is location a factor? How is land-use a factor? In addition, share with students why and how people donate their land for public use. (Currently there is a waiting list to donate/sell land to the Green Mountain National Forest. Many people donate or sell their land for tax purposes. In addition much of the land which is given or sold is not readily accessible for commercial use. Contact the U.S. Forest Service at the national forest for additional information.)

Assessment:

	Students will:
		complete worksheet #4, construct a frequency table
		survey 10 people about land ownership and organize data using the measures of central tendency.
		complete quiz on frequency and central tendency.
	Teacher will:
		facilitate all discussions
		review worksheet (answer key)
		assess quiz (answer key)

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