Measures of location
Term 3 starting in week 11 :: Estimated time: 2 weeks
- Understand and use the mean, median and mode
- Choose the most appropriate average
- Identify outliers
- Compare distributions using averages and the range
For higher-attaining pupils:
- Find the mean from an ungrouped frequency table
- Find the mean from an grouped frequency table
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Activities for pupils
Here are some related resources in alphabetical order. Some may only be appropriate for high-attaining learners while others will be useful for those in need of support. Click anywhere in the grey area to access the resource.
Averages Video Revise how to calculate the mean, median, mode and range from lists and frequency tables.
Averages Test your understanding of averages with this self marking quiz about mean, median and range.
Choose Your Average This is a game for two players. You should know how to find the mean, median and range of a set of numbers.
Mixed Medians Find the medians of sets of different types of numbers in these self-marking exercises.
StatGrid Challenge Arrange the numbers one to nine in a three by three grid to obtain the given means, medians and ranges.
Box Plots Video Box plots, sometimes called box and whisker diagrams, are a useful way of visualising data.
Box Plots An exercise on reading and drawing box-and-whisker diagrams which represent statistical data.
Click on a topic below for suggested lesson Starters, resources and activities from Transum.
- Averages "Average" is a very general term that is used commonly in everyday English and most people have an idea what it means. Mathematicians like to be a little more precise however and have come up with a number of different ways of finding a measure of central tendency. Pupils at school should develop their understanding of averages so that they can more precisely communicate information to others and are not misled by statistics presented in a way to distort the facts. Pupils should understand and use the mean of discrete data. They should be able to compare two simple distributions using the range and one of the mode, median or mean. See also the topics called Data Handling and Statistics.
- Statistics Statistics is the study of the collection, organisation, analysis, interpretation and presentation of data. It deals with all aspects of data, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments. It also includes describing mathematical relationships between variables and presenting these to an audience in a way that best conveys meaning. See also the topics called Data Handling, Probability and Averages.
Lesson Starters
Here are some suggestions for whole-class, projectable resources which can be used at the beginnings of each lesson in this block.
1st Lesson
Average Smile
Calculate the mean, median and range of the given scores.
2nd Lesson
Hot Summer Test
Write out a large times table. Get as far as possible in 5 minutes.
3rd Lesson
Birthday Clues
Work out the date Will was born by answering some number questions.
4th Lesson
Starting With
Write down as many mathematical words as possible that begin with a particular letter.
5th Lesson
Mathster Mind
Guess the four digit number with help from the clues.
6th Lesson
Mystic Maths
Work out why subtracting a two digit number from its reverse gives a multiple of nine.
Some of the Starters above are to reinforce concepts learnt, others are to introduce new ideas while others are on unrelated topics designed for retrieval practice or and opportunity to develop problem-solving skills.
