A fun 10-minute activity to do with your child!
Your child is learning about histograms and box plots - two important types of graphs used to show data. These skills help us understand information in news, sports, science, and everyday life! Below are simple activities to practice together. No special math knowledge needed!
Search for histograms or box plots in news articles, sports reports, or science websites. Look for graphs showing test scores, temperatures, prices, or sports statistics.
When you find a graph, ask: "What data is being shown? What can we learn from this graph?"
For histograms: "Which range has the most data? Which has the least?"
For box plots: "What's the median? How spread out is the data?"
Weather websites (temperature ranges), sports stats pages (player performance), news articles about surveys or polls, health websites (growth charts). Even your child's school report card may include data displays!
Collect ages of family members or friends (aim for at least 7-10 people including grandparents, cousins, etc.).
Put the ages in order from youngest to oldest. Find the middle value (median).
Find Q1 (median of the lower half) and Q3 (median of the upper half).
Calculate the IQR: Q3 - Q1. Discuss: "The middle 50% of our family is between ___ and ___ years old."
Calculate the range: Oldest - Youngest. "Our family's ages span ___ years!"
The "box" contains the middle 50% of data (from Q1 to Q3). The line inside is the median. The "whiskers" show the minimum and maximum. This helps see how spread out data is!
Look at your child's screen time data for the past week. Write down the minutes for each day.
Create intervals (ranges): 0-30 min, 31-60 min, 61-90 min, 91-120 min, etc.
Count how many days fall into each interval. Draw a simple histogram together.
Discuss: "Which range happened most often? Is your screen time consistent or spread out?"
In a histogram, the bars TOUCH because the data is continuous (one range ends where the next begins). In a bar graph, bars are separate because they show distinct categories.
Data displays are everywhere - in news, sports, weather, and business. By practicing at home, you're helping your child become a better reader of information. These skills will help them succeed on the FAST test and in everyday life. Thank you for being part of their learning journey!
Su hijo esta aprendiendo sobre HISTOGRAMAS (graficas que muestran datos en rangos - las barras se tocan porque los datos son continuos) y DIAGRAMAS DE CAJA (graficas que muestran el resumen de cinco numeros: minimo, Q1, mediana, Q3, y maximo). El IQR (rango intercuartil) es Q3 menos Q1 y muestra el 50% medio de los datos. La "caja" contiene el 50% medio de los datos. Las "patillas" muestran los valores minimo y maximo. Estas graficas ayudan a entender como se distribuyen los datos. Las actividades arriba usan datos familiares y tiempo de pantalla para practicar. Gracias por apoyar el aprendizaje de su hijo!