Practice correlating: Pen Bay Buoy Air-Water Temperature data

Practice using a scatter plot to determine if water and air temperature in Penobscot Bay are correlated.
Details

Activity Type: 

Mini-Lesson

Types of Instruction: 

  • Data Practice

Grades: 

  • 6, 7, 8

Subjects: 

  • Earth Science

Topics: 

  • Earth's Surface Systems, Weather and Climate

Statistical Concepts: 

  • Correlation, Variability

Skills: 

  • Correlations

Graph Types: 

  • Scatter plot

Standards: 

Practice 4
Analyzing and interpreting data
Practice 5
Using mathematics and computational thinking
Practice 6
Constructing explanations and designing solutions
Crosscutting 3
Scale, proportion, and quantity
MS-PS1-4
Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.
MS-PS3-4
Plan an investigation to determine the relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in the average kinetic energy of the particles as measured by the temperature of the sample.
8.SP-1
Construct and interpret scatter plots for bivariate measurement data to investigate patterns of association between two quantities. Describe patterns such as clustering, outliers, positive or negative association, linear association, and nonlinear association.
8.SP-2
Know that straight lines are widely used to model relationships between two quantitative variables. For scatter plots that suggest a linear association, informally fit a straight line, and informally assess the model fit by judging the closeness of the data points to the line.
Literacy.RI.7.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.
Literacy.RI.8.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.
Literacy.W.7.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
Literacy.W.8.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
Literacy.W.9-10.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
Literacy.RST.6-8.4
Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6-8 texts and topics.
Literacy.RST.6-8.7
Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).
Crosscutting 5
Energy and matter: Flows, cycles, and conservation
Activity Files

Data Activity : 

Mini Lesson 4 (PRAC) Pen Bay Buoy Air-Water Temperature

Data Sets: 

Penobscot Bay Temperature Data (xlsx)

Data Literacy Instructionals: 

Instruction on correlating: Line of best-fit
Graph Choice Chart
Anatomy of a scatter plot
Language for describing relationships (correlation document)
Language for describing correlations (slideshow)