Overview
After completing a game-like simulation to determine a career and
salary, student groups will collect information and decide what is
the “best” city in which to live. Students will
individually choose a “best” city, support their decision,
and create a monthly budget for their “best” city based on
the salary from the simulation.
Concepts
- Students collect, organize, describe, and analyze data.
- Students enter data on Claris Works spreadsheet.
- Students use their spreadsheet to display results as a circle
graph.
- Students present their results verbally and with a poster.
- Students analyze data and use communicate results in a written
document.
Indicators
- Students collect data.
- Students display data.
- Students analyze data and communicate results in a written
document.
Precomputer
- Students will use the game-like simulation, “Odds On You:
Could This Be Your Life?” Activity from the Lawrence Hall of
Science to determine the classifications of their life such as
ethnicity, gender, high school electives, post-secondary
education, career choice, and salary. This is optional, but highly
recommended. Alternatively, students could simply be assigned a
salary randomly by the teacher.
- Students will research the type of monthly living expenses for
a family of four.
- In groups of two or three, students will choose one city from
each of the four time zone regions of the United States. Using the
Internet and other resource materials, students will use Activity
Sheet #1 to collect data on each of their four cities.
- Using the information they collected on each of their four
cities, students will create two line plots. The temperature line
plot will compare the average monthly temperature for each of
their cities, and the precipitation line plot will compare the
average monthly precipitation for each of their cities.
- Using the information they collected on each of their four
cities, students will create a picture graph comparing the median
price of a 3-bedroom house.
- Using the information they collected on each of their four
cities, students will create a bar graph comparing the
unemployment rates and a histogram of per capita incomes.
- Using the information they collected on each of their four
cities, students will create a bar graph comparing the crime
rates.
- Students will use their graphs and other information to
determine the “best” city in which to live, and to
create a poster on it.
- Each group will present the information they collected on
their “best” city to the class.
- Based on classroom presentations, each student will choose a
“best” city, and write a one page paper using statistics
and other information to justify their choice.
- Students will use the Internet (optional) and other related
resource materials to create a monthly budget based on the salary
from the “Odds On You: Could This Be Your Life?”
Activity. The budget should mirror the cost of living in their
individual choice of a “best” city.
On the computer
- Students will put their monthly budget into a Claris Works
spreadsheet. They will use the spreadsheet to find the annual
amount spent in each category and the each category’s percent
of their annual income.
- From this spreadsheet, students will create a circle graph of
their budget categories.
Postcomputer
- In class discusstion, students will compare and contrast their
budget circle graphs.
Related resources
- “Odds On You: Could This Be Your Life?”, Lawrence
Hall of Science, Berkeley, CA.