Data Analysis: TV Survey

TV Survey is an open-ended problem that was designed to introduce students to this real-life application of sampling. Because TV is a part of students' daily life, this scenario is accessible to all students. And, because students often exhibit a keen sense of "fairness," they are sometimes disconcerted by the notion that a small group of people get to decide what all of us get to watch on TV.

TV Survey was also designed to address different Bloom levels so that students have to use higher-order thinking skills to analyze, synthesize and evaluate information about the sampling method.

• Download the TV Survey open-ended assessment.

See more Mathwire Sampling Activities.

TV Survey

Sampling is a technique that is used in statistics to gather information about a lot of people or things without testing each one.   For instance, scientists pull a small container of water from the ocean to test to see if the beach is safe for swimming.   Many people follow this same procedure with their backyard pools, testing a small container to check pH levels. 

There are companies that gather this kind of information from a small number of people and make predictions about how a larger group will think or act.   For example, the Nielsen ratings gather information on which TV shows a small sample of Americans watch.   The Nielsen company then publishes which shows Americans watch the most or watch the least based on this small sample.   These are called the Nielsen ratings and they determine how much money advertisers pay for TV commercials.   The more people who watch the show, the more an advertiser will have to pay for a commercial during that show.   The Nielsen Company very carefully selects the people who participate in this sample so that they are representative of the country as a whole.   Unfortunately the end result is that sometimes your favorite TV show will not get a high Nielsen rating, and it may be cancelled by the TV station. 

TV Survey is an open-ended problem that was designed to introduce students to this real-life application of sampling.   Because TV is a part of students' daily life, this scenario is accessible to all students.   And, because students often exhibit a keen sense of "fairness," they are sometimes disconcerted by the notion that a small group of people get to decide what all of us get to watch on TV. 

TV Survey was also designed to address different Bloom levels so that students have to use higher-order thinking skills to analyze, synthesize and evaluate information about the sampling method. 

Download the TV Survey open-ended assessment.

Hundred Board Logic Problems

These original Mathwire Hundred Board Logic problems are designed to help students use a hundred board to solve problems.  Students read each clue, then eliminate numbers on the hundred board that do not fit the clue.  After reading through all clues, students should be left with only one solution.  They should check their solution by rereading each clue to be sure their solution fits.  These problems were field-tested in Grades 3-8 classrooms and students loved the experience because the step-by-step process enabled them to be successful at solving these problems.

Enrichment:  After students have solved several of these problems, they may be challenged to create their own original problems.  Provide blank 100 board and logic problem templates.  Students should start by circling their target solution.  They then write clues that will eliminate all other numbers.  Finally, students should exchange problems and use peer review to edit their problems, clarifying and modifying clues to eliminate any confusion.

Creating original problems is a higher-order thinking skill (Synthesis on Bloom's Taxonomy) that extends students' problem solving ability and requires flexible thinking about mathematical concepts, skills and vocabulary terms.  Student-created problems may be added to the classroom math center and used on game days as a problem-solving center.  Additionally, these problems may be used in the initial lesson in subsequent years.  Consider publishing the problems with the author's name and copyright year.  Students love seeing their names in print!

Materials:

• Read more about Hundred Board Logic Problems including classroom management suggestions and ideas for a cooperative learning lesson.  The discussion includes PDF documents for all problems and templates needed for this lesson.