Cereal Survey Task
Sugary Cereals Survey Task
How are grocery shelf location and sugar content of cereals related?
The student will design and conduct an experiment/survey. Key concepts include a) sample size;
b) sampling technique; c) controlling sources of bias and experimental error; d) data collection; and
e) data analysis and reporting.
In this task, you will visit two grocery stores to compare the amount of sugar in boxes of cereal that are displayed on the top shelf to the amount of sugar in boxes of cereal that are displayed on the second to the bottom shelf. You will compare results from two different stores.
Submit a written report based on your findings. You must include an introduction, body and conclusion. Your individual report should include your answers from #2-7. Attach your box and whisker plots to your report.
- Record the number of grams of sugar per serving off every other box of cereal on the top shelf of a grocery store. Do the same for every other box of cereal on the second to bottom shelf. In the table below, list your data for each shelf.
TOP SHELF
| SECOND TO BOTTOM SHELF
|
- Comparative Box & Whisker Plots-Sketch the box-and-whisker plots for the data for each shelf. Be sure to include the 5 number summary and the Range. Label your graphs. The title must include the grocery store you visited.
| 5-Number Summary | Top Shelf | Bottom Shelf |
| Minimum | ||
| Q1 | ||
| Median | ||
| Q2 | ||
| Maximum |
- For each data set, report key statistics:
| Mean of Top Shelf Cereal | |
| Standard deviation of Top Shelf Cereal | |
| Mean of Second to Bottom Shelf | |
| Standard Deviation of Second to Bottom Shelf |
Choose your favorite cereal from the list above. Calculate the z-score. Explain what your z-score means. (Compare it to the mean of the shelf it was on)
Your z-score - ___________
- What percentile is your favorite cereal in?
- Partner up with a classmate who went to the other grocery store. Compare your results and write a paragraph comparing the differences and similarities.
- After analyzing the data from both stores, write a data-based conclusion. Within your conclusion, discuss the validity of your results.
TASK RUBRIC
| 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| Mathematical Calculations | Student demonstrates complete understanding of the procedures. | Student demonstrates understanding with a minimal error. | Student demonstrates moderate understanding of the procedures. | Student demonstrates below average understanding of material | Student demonstrates minimal understanding of the procedures. |
| Boxplots | Correct Scale, neat, title, labels | ||||
| Mean | Correct mean | ||||
| 5 critical points | Correct points | ||||
| Standard deviation | Rounded to the nearest hundredth | ||||
| Your favorite cereal’s z-score | Correct z-score | ||||
| The percentile of your favorite cereal | Correct percentile given from z-score |
| 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| Statistical Reasoning(what should be in the report) | Student demonstrates complete understanding of the procedures. | Student demonstrates understanding with a minimal error. | Student demonstrates moderate understanding of the procedures. | Student demonstrates below average understanding of material | Student demonstrates minimal understanding of the procedures. |
| Comparison of boxplots | Compare the 5 critical points, spread of the data, outliersUse of percentages such as middle 50% or lower 25%. | ||||
| Comparison of two stores | Compare specific cereal brands, 5 critical points, spread of the data, outliers | ||||
| Data-based conclusion | Complete sentences, conclusion directly reflects the statistics | ||||
| Discussion of validity | Was this a valid study? Did you use a good sampling technique? |
| 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| Overall Communication |
OVERALL POINTS: ______ YOUR SCORE: _______ GRADE: ________
[1] Frederick County Public Schools AFDA Team