Wheeler County 6th Graders Study Math

Courtesy of Wheeler County Schools

At Wheeler County Middle School, students in Mrs. Theresa Carey’s 6th grade math classes are learning about mean (average). Mean as “fair share” and balance point is used as an introduction to Measures of Center. Throughout this unit, students will also learn to calculate mean, median, and mode, as well as determine the most appropriate measure of center.

In this week’s class, students demonstrated the science behind balance point, much like a seesaw, using a number line and colored counters. The purpose of the activity was for students to see the movement of each data point on a dot plot toward the center or balance point. The science behind the balance point is that the total distance of each data point on the left of the center is equal to the total distance of each data point on the right side of the center.

Luke Ferguson