Math lesson plan · 6th grade (Year 7 in England) · 30 minutes
Find the median of an even-sized data set
Statistics and probability
CCSS 6.SP.B.5.CEngland: KS3 StatisticsEngland: GCSE Foundation Statistics
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Find the median of an even-sized data set.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Mean, median, mode and range
Leads to: Find quartiles and the interquartile range; Choose the best average and see how outliers affect it
Materials: Squared paper for charts, Class survey data, Sticky notes for a live chart, Mini whiteboards and pens, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 4 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Mean, median, mode and range). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Find the mean of: 19, 18, 17, 23, 16, 21, 19 → 19Prompt: Add all the numbers.
- Find the median of: 5, 30, 26, 28, 24, 18, 3 → 24Prompt: Put the numbers in order first.
- Find the range of: 2, 4, 3, 3, 15, 17 → 15Prompt: Range = largest − smallest.
Hook · 3 min
- Take a quick class survey (favorite fruit, travel to school) and ask what the results tell us.
- Share the objective: Find the median of an even-sized data set. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 7 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Find the median: 18, 40, 34, 28, 3, 21
- Step 1: 3, 18, 21, 28, 34, 40
- Step 2: (21 + 28) ÷ 2 = 24.5
- Answer: 24.5
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 6 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Find the median: 22, 33, 22, 22, 13, 12 → 22Prompt: Put the values in order first.
- Ten students recorded text messages sent in a day: 35, 26, 59, 26, 56, 13, 52, 10, 36, 21. What is the median? → 30.5Prompt: Order the 10 values.
You do: independent practice · 7 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 3 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- Find the median: 17, 17, 23, 39, 4, 36, 26, 14 → 20Prompt: Put the values in order first.
- Ten students recorded kg of recycling collected each week: 33, 30, 45, 45, 16, 13, 14, 39, 12, 58. What is the median? → 31.5Prompt: Order the 10 values.
Watch out for
- Forgetting to put data in order before finding the median.
- Reading a bar's height wrongly when the scale goes up in 2s or 5s.
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Mean, median, mode and range.
- Use concrete materials: squared paper for charts.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Move on to: Find quartiles and the interquartile range; Choose the best average and see how outliers affect it.
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/math/grade-6.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder