Analyzing Bivariate Data Activity 2; Animal Brains(IM Grade 8, Unit 6, Lesson 8)
Task
Lesson Purpose All of the big ideas from this section in Illustrative Mathematics about scatter plots comes into play as students analyze data about animal body and brain weights. Students begin with a table of data and create a scatter plot. After seeing the scatter plot, students pick out any outliers and fit a line to the scatter plot. Finally, the slope of the line is estimated and its meaning interpreted in context (MP2). How Tuva Enhances the lesson With Tuva, students construct accurate, ready-to-use scatter plots, so they can focus on analyzing the data instead of struggling with errors from manual graphing. Students can interact directly with the data—adding or removing outliers and instantly seeing the effect on slope—which builds a deeper conceptual understanding of relationships between variables. Tuva includes built-in scaffolds, like labels, color coding, and easy access to mean, slope, and other statistics, supporting students who may need extra guidance. All steps are completed digitally, so there’s no need for physical materials or tools, allowing more time for reasoning, discussion, and exploring “what if” scenarios. Supports Accessibility and Inclusion: Students with visual-spatial, motor, or organizational challenges can benefit from Tuva’s interactive environment, including drag-and-drop features, clear visual cues, and structured prompts. This ensures that all learners can engage meaningfully with the data and participate fully in the lesson.
Let’s Analyze Data like a Pro! Warm-Up: Big Bodies, Big Brains? Think about different animals you know. Some animals are very large, like elephants or giraffes. Some animals are much smaller, like cats or monkeys. Now think about their brains. Let’s Wonder: Do bigger animals usually have bigger brains? Does a heavier body always mean a heavier brain? Today, you’ll look at data about animals’ body weight and brain weight to explore these questions. Let’s see what the data says. Click Next to investigate!
Topics and standards: 8-SP-A-1, 8-SP-A-2, 8-SP-A-3, Grade 8, Illustrative Math & Tuva