Explaining "averages"

[crabcake]

I'm trying to explain what it means to say "the average monthly temperature" ... to DQ. I showed her how to come up with the average, but trying to explain what the average actually is is difficult. Maybe I need more caffeine, but I'm not finding the right words to explain it.

This is why I wouldn't make a good teacher.

Someone help.

 

[Kain99]

Normal?

 

[crabcake]

Normal?

I tried that, but in regards to this assignment (average temperatures), that doesn't cut it. She knows it's typically cold in December ... but that's not the homework. It's arriving at averages ... in this case, the average monthly temp for December. I'm looking for a 7 yr old definition for "average" as it pertains to math.

 

[crabcake]

I always hated math ... and averages are hard (not challenging, just silly) because I don't find them definite/accurate. For example, say 50 kids scored 100% on a quiz, and 50 kids scored 50% on the same quiz. The 'average' grade would be 75, but no one actually scored a 75. :shrug:

I guess it depends on what you're "averaging" and why.

 

[watercolor]

Ok. I am just finding random sites- so here is a one. Just typed in "How do you teach averages to kids"...


http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/63111.html

dunno if that even relevantly helps...

What about that site- that they are advertising for kids, to help with homework now?

 

[watercolor]

btw- here is that site I was talking about...


http://www.cosmeo.com/


if you go under the math section, and then on the left side- there is a section for ratio's, percentages, etc.. click there- and go by grade- and there is a whole page of stuff.

 

[CableChick]

If it's 70 degrees on day 1 and 80 degrees on day 2 and 60 degress on day 3 how could you tell someone who wanted to visit what the average temperature was so they could pack the right clothes for the weather.

:shrug:

 

[crabcake]

Thanks WC ... she's got it now. I took that "H" diagram, turned it into pieces of pie for 5 kids in uneven stacks, and had her "even" them out, so that she could see that while each kid may not have had the same number of pieces, there was an 'average' of 4 slices for each kid. Then I explained it with the temperatures, and she gets it now.

God, I'm glad I'm not a teacher. I take existing knowledge for granted and just expect she knows it.