Education > K-12 Education > Online Resources for K-12 Statistics Teachers
STatistics Education Web (STEW)
One of the goals of the American Statistical Association is to improve statistics education at all levels. Through the STatistics Education Web (STEW), the ASA is reaching out to K-12 mathematics and science teachers who teach statistics concepts in their classrooms. STEW is an online resource for peer-reviewed lesson plans for K-12 teachers. The web site is maintained by the ASA and accessible to K-12 teachers throughout the world.
Statistics and probability concepts are included in K-12 curriculum standards, in particular the Common Core State Standards, and on state and national exams; however, few K-12 teachers have formal training or applied experience with statistical concepts. K-12 teachers need a place where they can find peer-reviewed teaching materials available in a standard format. Teachers also can benefit from guidance toward activities that are appropriate for their students' maturity levels and from the ability to select relevant, useful, and meaningful applications. The ASA is the logical entity to host a resource to support teachers in their efforts to master the content and incorporate it into their classrooms.
STEW lesson plans identify both the statistical concepts being developed and the age range appropriate for its use. The statistical concepts follow the recommendations of the Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) Report: A Pre-K-12 Curriculum Framework, Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, and NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. The web site resource is organized around the four elements in the GAISE guidelines: formulate a statistical question, design and implement a plan to collect data, analyze the data by measures and graphs, and interpret the data in the context of the original question. Teachers can navigate the site by grade level and statistical topic.
Lesson Plans
Grades K - 5
Candy Judging
Statistical Topics: bar graph
GAISE Level APDF Format |
Word Format
Spinners at the School Carnival (Equal Sections)
Statistical Topics: simulation; bar graph; frequency table
GAISE Level A
Spinners at the School Carnival (Unequal Sections)
Statistical Topics: simulation; bar graph; frequency table
GAISE Level A
The Taste of Yellow
Statistical Topics: pie chart
GAISE Level A
Grades 6 - 8
Don't Spill the Beans!
Statistical Topics: paired data; descriptive statistics; comparative boxplots; boxplots
GAISE Level B
How Long is 30 Seconds?
Statistical Topics: comparing two distributions; descriptive statistics; boxplots; comparative boxplots
GAISE Level B
You and Michael
Statistical Topics: scatterplot; line of best fit
GAISE Level B
How Tall and How Many?
Statistical Topics: descriptive statistics; scatterplot
GAISE Level B
Scatter It! (Using Census Results to Help Predict Melissa's Height)
Statistical Topics: scatterplot; line of best fit
GAISE Level A
Scatter It! (Predict Billy's Height)
Statistical Topics: scatterplot; line of best fit
GAISE Level A
Step Into Statistics
Statistical Topics: comparing two distributions; descriptive statistics; boxplots; comparative boxplots
GAISE Level B
Tell It Like It Is!
Statistical Topics: writing a statistical conclusion
GAISE Level B
What is the Probability of "Pigging Out"?
Statistical Topics: theoretical probability; subjective probability; experimental probability; simulation; probability area model
GAISE Level A
Grades 9 - 12
An A-MAZE-ING Comparison
Statistical Topics: hypothesis testing (two-sample t test)
GAISE Level C
Colors Challenge!
Statistical Topics: comparing two distributions; descriptive statistics; comparative boxplots
GAISE Level B
Sampling in Archaeology
Statistical Topics: simple random sample; stratified random sample; systematic random sample; cluster random sample; simulation
GAISE Level C
How High Can You Jump?
Statistical Topics: comparing two distributions; descriptive statistics; comparative boxplots; scatterplot
GAISE Level B
What Does the Normal Distribution Sound Like?
Statistical Topics: frequency distribution; histogram; smoothed curve; normal distribution; rate of change
GAISE Level B
Submit Your Lesson Plans to STEW
Please consider submitting several of your favorite lesson plans to STEW. We hope also that you will encourage your colleagues to submit material to STEW. STEW needs your assistance and participation in order to be a viable resource for teachers who teach statistics and probability.
Submitted lesson plans will need to follow the standard STEW template. For additional submission materials, please see: http://stew.groups.curriki.org (under the Curriculum tab).
Example STEW Lesson Plans
STEW Level A Exemplar
STEW Level B Exemplar
STEW Level C Exemplar
To submit lesson plans for publication consideration, send them to Mary Richardson at steweditor@amstat.org.
STEW Editor and Associate Editors
STEW operates similar to an ASA journal. It has an editorial board consisting of an editor and associate editors. Authors submit proposed activities to the editor according to a template prepared for that purpose. The editor has the responsibility of determining which material meets the guidelines for posting on the web site. Generally this is done by passing the material to an associate editor for review and comments.
The ASA/NCTM Joint Committee on Curriculum in Probability and Statistics (K-12) is responsible for appointing an editor for the STatistics Education Web (STEW). Mary Richardson from Grand Valley State University is the current Editor. If you are interested in being an associate editor to review articles, please send your name, email address, and a brief description of your qualifications to steweditor@amstat.org.