A Webquest activity for a high school statistics class.

1. Descriptive Statistics of the NCAA Student Page Title Introduction Task Process Evaluation Conclusion Credits [ Teacher Page ] A WebQuest for 11th Grade Statistics Designed by Susan Thomas [email_address] Based on a template from The WebQuest Page

2. Introduction Student Page Title Introduction Task Process Evaluation Conclusion Credits [ Teacher Page ] This assignment is an investigation into descriptive statistics. We have all heard the about sports stats and hopefully know that that it refers to sports statistics. In this assignment, you will take find sports statistics online and turn then into descriptive statistics which will then be analyzed. I have chosen men’s college basketball, specifically the Big 10 Conference, in honor of March Madness. The goal is to use descriptive statistics to summarize the team’s performance throughout the season. How many points did a team average? What was their point differential? How many wins/successes? There are all sorts of sports stats that can be summarized by descriptive statistics, and analyzed using hypothesis tests and confidence intervals. Now that you know the basics of descriptive statistics, apply them on some real-life data.

5. Evaluation: Student Page Title Introduction Task Process Evaluation Conclusion Credits [ Teacher Page ] Math - Problem Solving : Descriptive Statistics of the NCAA Teacher Name: Susan Thomas Student Name: ________________________________________ CATEGORY 4 3 2 1 Mathematical Reasoning Uses complex and refined mathematical reasoning. Uses effective mathematical reasoning Some evidence of mathematical reasoning. Little evidence of mathematical reasoning. Neatness and Organization The work is presented in a neat, clear, organized fashion that is easy to read. The work is presented in a neat and organized fashion that is usually easy to read. The work is presented in an organized fashion but may be hard to read at times. The work appears sloppy and unorganized. It is hard to know what information goes together. Diagrams and Sketches Diagrams and/or sketches are clear and greatly add to the reader's understanding of the procedure(s). Diagrams and/or sketches are clear and easy to understand. Diagrams and/or sketches are somewhat difficult to understand. Diagrams and/or sketches are difficult to understand or are not used. Mathematical Terminology and Notation Correct terminology and notation are always used, making it easy to understand what was done. Correct terminology and notation are usually used, making it fairly easy to understand what was done. Correct terminology and notation are used, but it is sometimes not easy to understand what was done. There is little use, or a lot of inappropriate use, of terminology and notation. Completion All problems are completed. All but 1 of the problems are completed. All but 2 of the problems are completed. Several of the problems are not completed. Date Created: Mar 24, 2008 12:05 pm (CDT)

6. Conclusion Student Page Title Introduction Task Process Evaluation Conclusion Credits [ Teacher Page ] Congratulations! This is probably the first time you have applied your knowledge from statistics to real world data. Hopefully the concepts of descriptive statistics mean a little more to you now and will stay in your memory for a little while. Who knows, maybe you even enjoyed it (deep down you did) and will have the interest to calculate more statistics. What other scenarios could you find similar information and conclusions for, and how could you use it?

7. Credits & References Student Page Title Introduction Task Process Evaluation Conclusion Credits [ Teacher Page ] Basketball picture on Title page posted on flickr.com by Scuddy on May 14, 2007. Photo on Introduction slide titled UWP Men’s BBall2 posted on flickr.com by Kevin Poirier on January 21, 2008. Links found based on list of Big 10 schools at http://bigten.cstv.com/. Original link where template is located is to The WebQuest Page and The WebQuest Slideshare Group where others can acquire the latest version of this template and training materials.

8. Descriptive Statistics of the NCAA (Teacher) [ Student Page ] Title Introduction Learners Standards Process Resources Credits Teacher Page A WebQuest for 11th Grade Statistics Designed by Susan Thomas [email_address] Based on a template from The WebQuest Page Evaluation Teacher Script Conclusion

9. Introduction (Teacher) [ Student Page ] Title Introduction Learners Standards Process Resources Credits Teacher Page This project was designed to meet the Colorado Mathematical Standards provided by the Colorado Department of Education at www.cde.state.co.us/coloradomath/Standards_and_Assessment.htm . Specifically, it is geared towards standard 3, which is for students to use data collection and analysis, statistics, and probability in problem-solving situations and communicate the reasoning used in solving these problems. For specific benchmarks for grades 9-12, this project meets those for designing and conduct a statistical experiment to study a problem, and interpret and communicate the results using the appropriate technology and drawing conclusions about distributions of data based on analysis of statistical summaries. This lesson is sort of a final project for a unit on descriptive statistics and confidence intervals and t-tests. It will require students to find statistics on their own, with no known right or wrong answer, and to translate their statistical data into something that makes sense to them in the real world. Evaluation Teacher Script Conclusion

10. Learners (Teacher) [ Student Page ] Title Introduction Learners Standards Process Resources Credits Teacher Page The grade level will vary depending on the school and the curriculum. In general, this project will be good for an Advanced Placement statistics class or standard level statistics class, which would typically be taken in 11 th or 12 th grade. It may also fit in with some other integrated curriculums with a different course name, but the same grade level. It involves a lot of basic math, such as addition and multiplication, but more advanced ideas of statistical tests and in-depth descriptions of what results mean. I do not think this would be appropriate for anything prior to 11 th grade. Students are expected to know many specific things. They should know definitions and applications of : sample, population, population mean, population median, sample variance, standard deviation, interquartile range, lower/upper quartile, outliers, confidence intervals, z-tests, histograms, and box plots. They will need to have knowledge of some technology in order to make visuals, which could be a statistical package or excel. The students are also to have written communication skills so that their final project and included summaries make sense to the reader. Evaluation Teacher Script Conclusion

11. Curriculum Standards (Teacher) [ Student Page ] Title Introduction Learners Standards Process Resources Credits Teacher Page Students will be learning real world applications of the statistics they have learned so far. They will not just be discovering this, but applying skills they should have. The outcome should be a quality presentation using statistical language and visuals which use accurately calculated summary statistics. Specifically, standards-based skills that are used are data collection and analysis, statistics, and communication of the reasoning used in solving these problems. This lesson will apply to kinesthetic learners and those who learn by discovery. It will also appeal to visual learners who will have the opportunity to express their knowledge through some sort of graphic. It also includes work for the traditional learning styles that excel in writing and math, because there will be plenty of summarizing/explaining as well as calculations. Teamwork and compromise will be involved due to the assignment of roles and reliance on group members. Critical thinking will be important because the results they get are theirs alone, and they will arrive at unique results. Evaluation Teacher Script Conclusion

14. Evaluation (Teacher) [ Student Page ] Title Introduction Learners Standards Process Resources Credits Teacher Page I will know that the lesson was successful if students can find accurate summary statistics on their own, and if their explanations make sense and are consistent with their results. The product should be a group presentation on PowerPoint, or an pdf file if PowerPoint is unavailable. Students will be evaluated on their final product which should be a reflection of their ability to obtain and analyze data and communicate the reasoning involved in the problem solving. Specifically, these are the categories they will be evaluated on and are given in more detail in the rubric : Mathematical Reasoning Neatness and Organization Math Terminology Completion Evaluation Teacher Script Conclusion

16. Conclusion (Teacher) [ Student Page ] Title Introduction Learners Standards Process Resources Credits Teacher Page This lesson should be a useful exercise in several things. Students will get practice navigating the internet and collecting data. They will get practice calculating statistics that they have learned in class. Students will also link their mathematical skills with their language skills as they describe their findings. Technology should also be used, so they will get practice using programs like PowerPoint and statistical packages. It is also a great lesson because they are all responsible for some specific tasks and must work together to succeed. It also caters to different learning styles and skills, but relates them all in the end to statistics. Evaluation Teacher Script Conclusion

17. Credits & References (Teacher) [ Student Page ] Title Introduction Learners Standards Process Resources Credits Teacher Page Basketball picture posted on flickr.com by Scuddy on May 14, 2007. Links found based on list of Big 10 schools at http://bigten.cstv.com/ . Specific school links: www.uiuc.edu/,www.indiana.edu/, www.uiowa.edu , www.umich.edu/ , www.msu.edu/,www.umn.edu/, www.northwestern.edu/ , www.osu.edu/, www.psu.edu/,www.purdue.edu/ ,www.wisc.edu/ Original link where template is located is to The WebQuest Page and The WebQuest Slideshare Group where others can acquire the latest version of this template and training materials. Thanks to Dr. Folkestad of CSU for teaching me what a Webquest is and giving me the template to create this one. Evaluation Teacher Script Conclusion