M3.7.3 For the adult
Mean, median and mode
Five friends have 2, 3, 3, 4 and 8 pencils. Shared out equally, how many pencils does each friend get?
What this chapter teaches
The mean is the total shared equally. The median is the middle of the ordered list. The mode is the most common value. The range is the largest take away the smallest and shows the spread.
Three questions to ask
There is no one right wording. Listen for the idea.
- What is the mean of 2, 4 and 6, and how can you show it with counters?
- Why must you put the numbers in order before you find the median?
- Can a list have no mode, or two modes? What about 1, 1, 2, 2?
After the chapter, the learner can
- Find the mean, median and mode of a set of numbers
- Find the range to see how spread out the data is
What they copy into their notebook
Mean: add up, then divide by how many. Median: the middle of the ordered list. Mode: the most common, if any. Range: largest take away smallest. The range shows the spread.