This mini lesson will include the gathering of metric data about each other(height, mass, circumference of head, etc.)and then graphing one of their measurements using Excel. Students will then use two sets of gathered data to see if there is a correlation between the two variables they chose. For example, does height affect mass? or does height affect foot size? I use this lesson to have kids practice using metric measuring tools. I used to have the kids draw the graphs by hand, but will introduce Excel to them with this mini-lesson.

Great idea. I am actually doing this type of lesson this week but students compare two variables by making a ratio. I would love to introduce Excel so I am going to add this component to the rest. Thanks. My only concern with students is measuring mass. Do they find their weight? I teach seventh grade and that would be an issue as some students would not want others to know what they weigh.

Sue, great idea. I hope to do a very similar lesson in my math class for my "real lesson." I want the kids to collect height, foot length and radius length data, organize the data in Excel, create scatter plots, and look for relationships between variables. I want them to use the trend line tool to get an equation relating the variables to see how predicted height compares to actual height. Have you used the trend line tool? If so, how does the predicted data compare to actual data?

Mary,
The kids do find their weight (mass) in kg. I don't usually get resistance, but when I do, especially from girls, I just tell them they don't have to if they don't want to. I have about 22 kids in my class, so kids just keep going around gathering data from kids who want to share their mass.

Rubrics are appropriate. I liked it.