Objective

By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to understand and create box plots (box-and-whisker plots) using Desmos. They will also learn about the significance of citizen science in studying bee pollen counts and the contributions of Mary Eleanor Spear and John Tukey to data visualization.

Materials and Prep

• Access to a computer or tablet with internet for Desmos
• Notebook and pen for taking notes
• Access to data sets related to bee pollen counts (can be found online)
• Basic understanding of statistics (mean, median, quartiles)
• Familiarity with the concept of citizen science

Activities

• Introduction to Box Plots:

  Start with an online tutorial or video that explains what box plots are and how they are used in data visualization. After watching, summarize the key points in your notebook.

• Exploring Bee Pollen Data:

  Find a dataset related to bee pollen counts from a citizen science project. Analyze this data by calculating the median, quartiles, and identifying outliers. Use these calculations to create a box plot using Desmos.

• Research Project on Mary Eleanor Spear and John Tukey:

  Conduct a short research project on Mary Eleanor Spear and John Tukey. Write a brief biography of each, focusing on their contributions to statistics and data visualization. Present your findings in a creative way, like a poster or a digital presentation.

• Class Discussion:

  Engage in a discussion about the importance of data visualization in understanding scientific data. Share your box plots with the class and discuss what insights they provide about bee pollen counts.

Talking Points

• "Box plots are a great way to visualize the distribution of data. They help us see the spread and identify outliers easily."
• "Citizen science is important because it allows everyday people to contribute to scientific research, like tracking bee populations!"
• "Mary Eleanor Spear was a pioneer in studying pollinators and their environments. Her work reminds us how vital bees are to our ecosystem."
• "John Tukey introduced the concept of exploratory data analysis. He believed that data visualization is key to understanding data better."
• "When we create box plots, we're not just making graphs; we're telling a story about the data. What story does your box plot tell?"