Bivariate Data

Lesson 3

Math

Unit 8

8th Grade

Lesson 3 of 9

Objective


Identify and describe associations in scatter plots including linear/nonlinear associations, positive/negative associations, clusters, and outliers.

Common Core Standards


Core Standards

  • 8.SP.A.1 — Construct and interpret scatter plots for bivariate measurement data to investigate patterns of association between two quantities. Describe patterns such as clustering, outliers, positive or negative association, linear association, and nonlinear association.

Foundational Standards

  • 8.F.A.3
  • 8.F.B.4
  • 8.F.B.5
  • 6.SP.A.2

Criteria for Success


  1. Identify linear vs. nonlinear associations in scatter plots.
  2. Identify and describe positive associations in scatter plots, where as $$x$$ increases, then $$y$$ tends to increase as well.
  3. Identify and describe negative associations in scatter plots, where as $$x$$ increases, then $$y$$ tends to decrease.
  4. Identify and explain the significance of outliers and clusters in scatter plots. 

Tips for Teachers


Students re-engage in their work on linear relationships as they analyze scatter plots for possible linear associations. They recall positive and negative slopes in the coordinate plane and use this understanding to describe behaviors of one variable in relation to the other.

Fishtank Plus

Unlock features to optimize your prep time, plan engaging lessons, and monitor student progress.

Anchor Problems


Problem 1

For the four scatter plots, answer the following questions:

  • Does there appear to be a relationship between $$x$$ and $$y$$?
  • If there is a relationship, does it appear to be linear?
  • If the relationship appears to be linear, is it a positive or negative linear relationship?
  • If applicable, circle the correct words in this sentence: There is a (positive/negative) association between $$x$$ and $$y$$ because as $$x$$ increases, then $$y$$ tends to (increase/decrease). 

a.   

b.   

c.   

d.   

Guiding Questions

Create a free account or sign in to access the Guiding Questions for this Anchor Problem.

References

EngageNY Mathematics Grade 8 Mathematics > Module 6 > Topic B > Lesson 7Exercise 1-5

Grade 8 Mathematics > Module 6 > Topic B > Lesson 7 of the New York State Common Core Mathematics Curriculum from EngageNY and Great Minds. © 2015 Great Minds. Licensed by EngageNY of the New York State Education Department under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US license. Accessed Dec. 2, 2016, 5:15 p.m..

Modified by Fishtank Learning, Inc.

Problem 2

Pablo is curious if there is a relationship between the amount of time high school students spend on social media and their academic achievement. To explore this, he conducts a survey of 30 randomly selected students from his school, and asks them how many minutes they spent on social media yesterday and what their most recent grade point average (GPA) was. Pablo summarized his data in the scatter plot below. 

a.   Describe the relationship between the amount of time spent on social media and GPA.

b.   Are there any deviations from the pattern? Explain what you see.

c.   Are there any clusters of data? What do they mean in context? 

Guiding Questions

Create a free account or sign in to access the Guiding Questions for this Anchor Problem.

Problem Set

Fishtank Plus Content

Give your students more opportunities to practice the skills in this lesson with a downloadable problem set aligned to the daily objective.

Target Task


Problem 1

Which scatter plot shows a positive nonlinear relationship? Explain how you know.

Two scatter plots with unlabeled axis.

Problem 2

Sketch a scatter plot in the coordinate plane below so that the following statements are true about your scatter plot:

  • There is a negative linear relationship between the variables.
  • There is a cluster of data.
  • There are no outliers in the data.

Student Response

Create a free account or sign in to view Student Response

Additional Practice


The following resources include problems and activities aligned to the objective of the lesson that can be used for additional practice or to create your own problem set.

  • Examples where students sketch their own examples of different relationships; for example, sketch a scatter plot of two variables with a moderate linear relationship and 2 outliers
icon/arrow/right/large copy

Lesson 2

icon/arrow/right/large

Lesson 4

Request a Demo

See all of the features of Fishtank in action and begin the conversation about adoption.

Learn more about Fishtank Learning School Adoption.

Contact Information

School Information

What courses are you interested in?

ELA

Math

Are you interested in onboarding professional learning for your teachers and instructional leaders?

Yes

No

Any other information you would like to provide about your school?

Effective Instruction Made Easy

Effective Instruction Made Easy

Access rigorous, relevant, and adaptable math lesson plans for free