Consumer Chronicles

On the Dashboard, press the orange plus sign once to allow students to progress to screen 15. Introduce the Partner Speaks strategy and ask pairs to discuss what a strong or weak correlation would look like visually on a graph. Hold a whole class discussion by asking students to share what their partners said. 

Allow time for pairs to order the graphs from strongest to weakest correlation. Pairs have unlimited attempts to get the correct sequence and will receive feedback on the screen when they click the “Check My Work” button. Encourage them to look back at screen 12 if they do not order the graphs correctly. Once pairs begin to get the correct answer, encourage them to help other groups by sharing their thought process and considerations while ordering.

After all students have completed screen 15, press the orange plus on the Dashboard, sign four times to allow students to progress to screens 16-19.

While students work, walk around the room to answer questions and ensure that pairs are working together on the task.

On screen 16, students will click and drag the points around the coordinate plane and note how the location of points affects the r-value and strength of the correlation. Once students feel they understand how the mechanics of the screen function, ask them to progress to the next screen.

• On screens 17-19, students are asked to move the points to make r equal specific values.

• After students make r = 1 on screen 17, they are asked, “What made this task challenging?” 

• Once students make r = 0 on screen 18, they are asked to describe what their data points look like.

• Then after making r < 0 on screen 19, students are asked to reflect on the activity and how r might be related to the slope, even though it is not the slope.

• Just like on screen 16, students are expected to click and drag the points on the coordinate plane to adjust the r-value on the screen.

Explain to students that they can progress to the next screen after they have completed and submitted their reflection. Just like before, encourage pairs to work on their own devices and support each other through the tasks.

Press the orange plus sign on the Dashboard two times to allow students to progress to screens 20-21.

On screen 20, have students read the definition of correlation coefficient and click on each of the three graphs to learn the definition of a perfect positive correlation, perfect negative correlation, and no linear correlation.

A common misconception is that the correlation coefficient is synonymous with the slope of the line, which is not correct. Screen 21 clarifies this misconception by showing the students that the two terms are represented by different letters. To show they understand the difference, students identify the slope and correlation coefficient of the scatter plot on the screen.

On the Dashboard, press the orange plus sign eight times to allow students to progress to screens 22-29. Just as you have done before, ask partners to work together to progress through these screens and walk around the room as students work to answer questions and keep students on track.

As students progress through these screens, ask them to answer questions about the same scenario as from the first Explain phase. They learn how the value of the correlation coefficient determines how to best describe the strength of a relationship. Screens 24-29 walk students through the process of how to calculate the correlation coefficient of a given set of data by hand, receiving feedback as they progress. Each screen in this portion of the lesson builds upon the previous information so it is important that students understand and get the correct answer before moving on to the next screen. Remind students to use the given feedback to make corrections as needed. Encourage students to take their time and read all the information presented on each screen.