Teacher Page Mathematics: Grade 5 Play

Grade 5 Play : Home  Student Page

Math Benchmarks: 5th grade

CONTENT STANDARD: 

• Carry out and describe experiments using measures of central tendency and variability

• Create charts, tables, and graphs and use statistics to summarize data, draw inferences, and make predictions

• Represent patterns and mathematical relationships using symbols, graphs, numbers and words.

Materials Needed:  calculators
                              Student Page 
                              Student Lab Word.doc ( optional)   
                              Teacher Answers Word.doc ( optional)  

 

Procedure:

1. The student page deals with interpreting graphs and finding the mean and median of two  variables, age and play.  The student's goal is to find out if thee is a relationship between them.

2. After students are finished with the lab, discuss why results might not be true in every sample.  Brainstorm  some variables that come into place. 

Answers to Play

Name________________

A chimpanzee's day is very full. They spend many hours of the day doing a wide variety of behaviors.  During their day they can be seen, foraging for food, grooming, resting, running, climbing and playing as well as many other behaviors..  As with humans, the amount of play is changes with age. Below is a graph and table that compares a chimpanzee's age with the percentage of time it plays.

 

Answer the questions in the following graph

1.  What is represented by the color blue? age the color red? play

2 &3  
                           Age    Play (%)

Mean          19         7
Median       19         5

4. Does the age of the chimpanzee have anything to do with the amount it play, according to this graph?

 In general, according to this graph, play tends to decrease with age

 

5. Do you think the information on this graph is true for all chimpanzees?  Explain your answer.

         It depends on a lot of variables such as: number and age 
         of other chimpanzees, habitat and enrichment
         opportuinities.  

 

 figure 1. The Relationship between Age and Play