Class Activities

Activity #1 (Group)

Working in small groups, revisit the examples on Z scores presented in the chapter. Each group member can choose one example, work through the example, and explain the work to other group members in his or her own words. At the conclusion of this exercise, each member of the group should be adept at converting raw scores into Z scores and vice versa, finding the area under the normal curve under a variety of circumstances (e.g., finding the area between two Z scores), and using the normal table. As a group, determine which examples are the most difficult and focus on these.

Activity #2 (Group)

Figure 5.2 in the text graphically illustrates some important properties of the normal distribution. Working in small groups, develop a strategy that will help each group member commit these properties to memory. For example, the group could put together its own summary to promote memorization.

Class_1

Activity #3 (Group or Individual)

Pass out a sheet with three blank normal bell curves. Each bell curve drawing should have a mean and standard deviation written next to it. Have students work in small groups or individually to practice labeling the bell with the given statistics. A good example would be three bell curves for final exam grades in a statistics class where:

Class 1: mean = 88.7%, SD = 1.2
Class 2: mean = 65.6%, SD = 3.4
Class 3: mean = 71.2%, SD = .75

Ask the students to select which class they would have wanted to be in and why.

Activity #4 (Individual and Group)

Provide the students with three blank normal bell curves with Z scores identified along the y-axis. Have the students complete the following tasks:

  1. Shade the area between the Mean and Z for a Z of +2, and write the percentage of the population that falls within this area.
  2. Shade the area beyond a Z of -1, and write the percentage of the population that falls in that area.
  3. Shade the area between a Z of -2 and +1, and write the percentage of the population that falls within this area.

After the students have completed this on their own, have them come back together as a class and discuss what they found and learned.