Skip to main content

Matched Pairs: Breezeway Bowling

Matched pairs design is one of those inference topics that can be a little tricky for learners; many students want to try a 2-sample t-test for means.  As an AP Reader, I remember a few years ago when paired data was on the National Exam.  It was bad.  So few responses actually used the correct procedure šŸ˜•

So if there's a way to get my learners to differentiate between these two types of inference (and make it stick), I'm going to do it!

I first found this activity on mathcoachblog (Hallway Bowling) and completely stole it from Bob Lochel- making my own tweaks, of course.  My classes have over 30 students, so bowling in the hallway can lead to some major disturbing of other classes; therefore, I changed it to to the breezeway.  Plus, I am lucky to live in a location where we can play (play = do math) outside pretty much year-round, so taking it to the breezeway was a no-brainer.

This activity is the first time my students will conduct an inference procedure with paired data.  However, they have already been introduced to 1-sample inference for means.  Feel free to view and copy my version of the template by clicking here.  This document includes all instructions for the students and a lesson closing discussion that Bob suggests.  

~SSB

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Exponential Growth & Decay Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger Hunts are always fun (and easy to grade). This particular one is all about applications of exponential growth & decay. My students seem to understand this topic really well, but I still wanted to provide more practice.  When I did this hunt originally, I created the cards with the answer on the front and the question on the back. Once I figured out how to copy and make it work, it was great because I could use the cards over and over again. However, they started looking old, and I lost some of the cards. So t his year, I placed the answer and question on the front. It made it so much easier to copy!  If you would like to try this in your class, here is a copy ! I included the solutions as well.  UPDATE: I created this activity and transformed into a remote version.  Remote Version: SE Scavenger Hunt               TE Scavenger Hunt ~RJ

Modeling Exponential Growth (M&M Activity)

I could present an application problem on the board, have the students plug into their calculator and find the exponential regression equation. However, I think that visualizing the growth is more effective, and allows students to see how fast something like cancer cells can grow. This activity provides a hands on experience with M&Ms while modeling real world concepts.  I found this activity here , but created my own (slightly different) version. I only had enough time for exponential growth, so I eliminated the decay portion.  I really like how students compare the equation that they found to the calculator's regression model. This activity also causes students to discuss each component of the equation, which I think is very important in AFM. Additionally, this brings up a great discussion regarding cancer cells. Do all cancer cells grow exponentially? If time allows, I like for students to do some research (using their phones) to aid with this conversation....

Limit Project

Well...we just got back into school after being out for almost 3 weeks because of hurricane Florence. Our school is okay, but there are many people out there suffering from losing so much. :(  I had planned on a project for Calculus before the storm but will have to put that aside until next year! We have just lost too much time. However, I wanted to still share the project with you guys in case you would like to try it or something similar to it.   I like to make projects a unique experience. I hate when all students do the same thing. #1 - students can and WILL copy. #2 - It's boring to grade!  The idea of this project is floating somewhere on the web. I honestly can't remember where I got the idea. But I have altered it over the years to meet the needs of my students. It has gone through many alterations, and I will continue to change things.  So it is not perfect!  The gist - students find a recipe that has at least 5 ingredients. (The recipe ...