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Preliminary Graphing Lesson Plan
  • scatter plot:  a graph that shows the relationship between two sets of data using points.  Each point represents a pair of numbers.
  • correlation:  the relationship between two sets of data.
  • line of best fit:  a straight line that is drawn through the scatter plot that estimates the relationship between two sets of data.

The purpose of this lesson is for students to become familiar with the applications of graphing techniques, specifically scatter plots, in data analysis. 

Click HERE for Core Curriculum Standards.

Learning Objectives

In this lesson, students will learn to:

Materials Needed

     graph paper


       a) positive correlation - when one set increases, so does the other (as Mary's height increases, her arms will get longer).
       b) negative correlation - when one set increases, the other decreases (the further North latitude, the lower the temperature)
       c)  no correlation - there is no relationship between the two sets of data ( as Mary's height increase, it does not change her IQ)


Have the students draw conclusions based on their graphs and explain any correlations they find.  Students may also make predictions about a person's arm span based on that person's height.  Students might prepare a presentation or a final paper according to a teacher made outline.

Some suggested questions to consider:

This lesson could be modified and done for different sets of data which would enable students to observe all three types of correlation.