Have you taught your 6th graders mean, median, mode and range? Are you ready to move onto applying those skills to new statistics topics? Then you came to the right place. In this article we’ll dive into different activities and resources to use when teaching dot plots, histograms, and box plots!
Dot plots, histograms, and box plots can be challenging to teach because students don’t always understand the real life application. So, we’ve chosen activities that will help you teach the terms and skills, but also guide your students in some great conversations. As a result, you’ll challenge your students to find real life applications for dot and box plots while getting the practice they need with this set of skills.
In my experience, teachers aren’t always much more excited than students for this unit. But, this can be a really fun math topic to dive into because it’s got such interesting real-world connections. I hope I can change your attitude with this list of ten resources. There’s a wide range of activity types and skills throughout this list, and my hope is that you can add at least TWO to your instruction. (Supports CCSS Standards 6.SP.B.4, 6.SP.B.5 and TEKS 6.12A)
Activities:
- Dot Plots Maze
- Box Plots Graphs Escape Room
- Histograms Maze
- Dot Plot Maps and Mean Gallery Walk
- Dot Plots, Box Plots, and Histograms Knockout Game
- 6th Grade Statistics Task Cards
- Box and Whisker Plot
- Managing Data with Histograms
- Kahoot: Reading Histograms, Box + Dot Plots, Stem + Leaf Plots
- Math Games: Interpret Box and Whisker Plots
Dot Plots Maze
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, if you haven’t used our mazes before you are missing out! I love how quiet my classroom gets when I pass out a maze.
You can use this Dot Plots Maze (set of 3 mazes) for several components throughout your lesson. For example, use one maze as a guided practice, another maze for independent practice, and the last version for homework. You can print off copies or assign digitally, which makes this resource even more valuable in your teacher toolkit!
Box Plots Graphs Escape Room
The Box Plots Graphs Escape Room is so fun, it makes me jealous my math teachers didn’t have these resources growing up. Your students will have 12 task cards to solve, 5 matching puzzles, and 3 puzzles to decode. Students have to solve each part in order, correctly, which makes this one of my favorite review resources.
Sometimes my sixth graders can become sassy, and try to convince me that their wrong answer is actually correct. This Escape Room is fantastic because it has the answer key built into the activity, so students are able to self check as they’re working. While students are working, I’m able to move around the room and help students solve the problems. (Read more about using Escape Room activities in the math classroom here.)
Have you tried a digital math escape room yet? Teachers & students rave about them! To see what all the fuss is about, click the link below, drop your email, and we’ll send you this FREE digital math escape room!
This escape room is built in Google Slides and has 3 puzzles- one for combining like terms, one for distributive property, and the final one for solving 2-step equations. Grab yours today!
Histograms Maze
It can be difficult to find quality histogram resources online. I love the Histograms Maze because students are answering questions based on a graph that is on the same paper.
This set of mazes works great as math stations for my students. I give them the option of completing the maze independently or with a partner. Then, once they’ve finished the maze, they can check their work with the answer key. Any resource that makes my job easier is a win for me!
Dot Plot Maps and Mean Gallery Walk
Gallery walks are an easy way to shake things up your daily classroom routine! This activity has six different sets of data to create six different stations. Simply place them around the room, and students have a great practice activity that will get them moving and talking.
Also, here’s a pro tip- depending on how many students are in your class, you can set up multiple stations for each of the 6 data sets to help students easily flow between stations.
To complete this activity students work with a partner to find the mean and answer three additional questions about the data. These problems can be completed in any order. Then, they use the student record sheet to help keep organized and record their thinking.
I like using the Dot Plot Maps and Mean Gallery Walk as a review. When I have students work in pairs, I require my room to be filled with math talk. This activity is great because students have to explain their reasoning with another student, instead of filling out a worksheet by themselves. Also, it helps incorporate a bit of movement into the classroom.
Dot Plots, Box Plots, and Histograms Knockout Game
Knockout Games are a test review staple with my students. Some of my classes get so excited when we come to the end of a unit because they know they get to play a knockout game. Dot Plots, Box Plots, and Histograms Knockout Game is a digital, whole class review game. All you need is a projector, student answer sheets, and a bit of energy to get your students prepared for their upcoming test.
6th Grade Statistics Task Cards
Task cards are always a great resource to have, no matter which unit you’re teaching. The 6th Grade Statistics Task Cards covers mean, median, mode, range, dot plots, histograms, and box plot graphs in 24 cards. If you don’t want to print off the cards, they’re also available to be used digitally.
Box and Whisker Plot
This resource, Box and Whisker Plot, is free on Leah Wilcox’s TPT store. All you need is measuring tape and a copy of the activity for each student. First, students practice their measuring skills and measure one another’s height in centimeters. Then, once all the data is collected and shared, students will create a stem and leaf diagram and a box and whisker plot. Such a simple, yet effective, activity for your classroom!
Managing Data with Histograms
Did you know that Scholastic makes resources for math teachers?! Scholastic has an entire lesson on Managing Data with Histograms. This activity helps connect the real life application to learning about histograms. During this lesson your students will learn how a histogram can reveal distribution information. They will also learn how actuaries use histograms to determine the frequency of events and potential risk. I know my students are going to learn a lot of new background knowledge and vocabulary after this lesson!
Kahoot: Reading Histograms, Box + Dot Plots, Stem + Leaf Plots
If you are ever in a teaching rut, pull out a game of Kahoot! For example, this Kahoot game has students answer 20 questions about different data sets. I would recommend setting the question timer to 30 seconds or longer. I find that if I give my students more time to review the data, I get more accurate information on what they know.
Math Games: Interpret Box and Whisker Plots
Math Games always has games that I can incorporate into my classroom. This Interpret Box and Whisker Plots game from mathgames.com can be used at the beginning of your unit, when your students are working towards mastery. Each question has four multiple choice answers for students to pick from based on the plot they are given.
This game is a great way to differentiate for your students who are struggling with vocabulary and reading a box and whisker plot. It isn’t timed and the graphs have labels when you hover your mouse. I highly recommend checking out other Math Games for this unit!
Plots, Plots, and Grams
I hope you now feel eager to start planning your lessons for this unit. There are so many fantastic resources online it can become difficult to focus on a few quality activities. But, here you’ve got ten resources that have been tried in a real life classroom. I hope they can be successful for you as they’ve been for other educators.
