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reSolve: Statistics - The Taste of Water

Teacher guide reSolve: Statistics - The Taste of Water

TLF ID M025318

This lesson introduces students to informally conducting experiments to test hypotheses. Students test whether they can taste the difference between tap and bottled water by collecting and interrogating experimental data. They then compare their findings with the likelihood of their findings being obtained by chance. The lesson is outlined in detail including curriculum links, discussion points and student spreadsheets. This lesson is part of the reSolve: Maths by Inquiry program.

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Educational details

Educational value
  • This resource is valuable for the year 10 mathematics content description about evaluating statistical reports by linking claims to displays, statistics and representative data. Students explore whether the claim that 'bottled water tastes better than tap water' can be supported by experimentation and by analysing their collected data. They go on to investigate whether their results could be obtained by chance and develop the idea of confidence supporting an hypothesis.
  • This resource is also of value for the year 10A mathematics content description about investigating reports of studies for information on their planning and implementation. Students investigate sampling methods for their water tasting hypothesis and evaluate whether the graphs they generate from their data support their claims.
  • The resource is of value for supporting the Numeracy general capability. The lesson provides multiple opportunities for students to collect, compare, describe and interpret data, including data from online sources and spreadsheets.
  • This resource is also of pedagogical value as it supports teachers in building an inquiry-focused learning environment with authentic application of mathematical skills and understandings. The unit aims to develop content knowledge as well as assisting students to understand the process of inquiry.
Year level

10

Topics Sampling (Statistics) Data analysis Data representation Critical thinking
Learning area
  • Mathematics

Other details

Contributors
  • Contributor
  • Name: Education Services Australia
  • Organization: Education Services Australia
  • Description: Data manager
  • Address: VIC, AUSTRALIA
  • URL: http://www.esa.edu.au/
  • Copyright Holder
  • Name: Australian Government Department of Education and Training
  • Organization: Australian Government Department of Education and Training
  • Publisher
  • Name: Australian Academy of Science
  • Organization: Australian Academy of Science
  • Description: Publisher
  • URL: https://www.science.org.au/
  • Resource metadata contributed by
  • Name: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Organisation: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Address: AUSTRALIA
  • URL: www.esa.edu.au
Access profile
  • Unknown
Learning Resource Type
  • Online
Rights
  • © Australian Government Department of Education and Training 2017. Unless otherwise indicated, this material may be used in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.