6th Grade Math Lesson
Fair Pay or Foul Play? Analyzing Salary Data
Shared by A STEM Educator
6th Grade3-Act Math45 min
Learning Objective
Students will calculate mean, median, and mode for a dataset, explain how an outlier affects each measure, and justify which measure of center best represents a given situation.
Lesson Overview
Students use a real-world sports/salary context to explore statistical variability and measures of center (mean, median, mode), discovering how a single extreme value can distort what 'average' really means.
Materials
- Printed salary data cards (one set per pair)
- Whiteboard and markers
- Calculators (one per student)
- Pencils and lined paper
- Rulers (for number lines if needed)
- Printed graphic organizer handout
Scaffolded Task Progression
1Task 1
Order the following quiz scores from least to greatest and identify the middle value (median): 72, 85, 91, 68, 85, 79, 88.
2Task 2
Look at the locker room image. Without any numbers, predict: will the mean salary or the median salary be higher? Explain your reasoning in one sentence.
Unlock the full lesson
See all 6 scaffolded tasks, the full answer key, warm-up, exit slip, and a print-ready version — free to start.
Create a free accountAlready have an account? Sign in
Make it your own
Like this lesson but want to tweak it?
Make an editable copy and adjust the tasks, warm-up, and answer key to fit your class — no need to start from scratch.