Lesson 1: What is Your True Color?

Objective:

Students will collect data that might tell them about their personality type, and will understand how to subset their data.

Materials:

True Colors Personality Test (LMR_U2_L1)
Posted signs for each Personality Color: Blue, Gold, Green, and Orange

Advance preparation required: Posters need to be labeled and posted (see step 5 in lesson)
Poster paper
Markers
Data collection devices

Vocabulary:

subsets

Essential Concepts:

Students will understand that the 'typical' value is a value that can represent the entire group, even though we know that not all members of the group share the same value.

Lesson:

Ask students to consider the following questions (they do not need to record any responses):
1. How well do you know yourself?
2. How well do you know your classmates?
There are things students know and don’t know about themselves. The True Colors Personality Test (LMR_U2_L1) claims to identify personality types (later, students can gather more evidence to test these claims). Students will use these data to explore fundamental statistical concepts.

LMR_U2_L1
Distribute the first 2 pages of the True Colors Personality Test (LMR_U2_L1). DO NOT include the final page, which contains the descriptions of each color. Instruct students on how to complete the test, and allow time for them to complete it (see page 2 in handout).

Note: When adding scores for each color at the bottom of the test, make sure that students have NOT added straight down each column.
Students should have a score for each of the 4 colors. Ask students to record each color and its respective score in their DS journal. Inform them that the color with the highest score describes their personality. We can refer to this as their predominant color. They should record their predominant personality color in their DS journal as well. Tell students that you will show them what each color means at the end of the lesson.
Post a sign for each personality color on different walls of the classroom. For example, Blue on the north wall, Gold on the east wall, etc.
Ask students to gather by the wall corresponding to their predominant personality color. The students should record answers to the following questions in their DS journals.
1. How many students are in your color group?
2. How many students are in each of the other color groups?
3. What is the predominant personality color in your class?
Then ask students to determine some common characteristics of the people in their group. Questions to help steer the discussions are included below. Each team should come up with a consensus to describe their team and will share their descriptions with the whole class. The goal is to get the students to think about “what is typical?” within their groups.
1. What are your likes and dislikes?
2. What things do you have in common?
3. What are your favorite activities?
4. What’s your favorite color?
5. Do you prefer mornings or nights?
6. What’s your favorite type of music?
As the groups are presenting, record some dominant characteristics on the board for each color. The students will be able to compare their perceived traits with the actual descriptions from the activity at the end of the class.
Next ask students in each color group to gather into two subsets: introvert and extrovert. Inform them that subsetting is another way to organize collected data. Create a two-way frequency table like the one below on the board to record the results.
Distribute poster paper and markers to each team.
Inform the students that they will be creating visuals for this data by comparing subsets. The Orange and Gold groups should create visualizations that subset the color variable by introverts and extroverts, and the Blue and Green groups should create visualizations that subset introverts and extroverts by color.
If students are confused or stuck, have them recall the topic of two-way tables and relative frequencies from Unit 1 (Lessons 16 & 17). The Orange and Gold groups will be looking at the columns and comparing introverts/extroverts, while the Blue and Green groups will be looking at the rows and comparing colors.
Once all groups have completed their visuals, the Orange and Gold teams should choose one of their 2 posters to display to the class. The Blue and Green groups should do the same and select one of their visuals.
Display both visuals on the board and discuss their similarities and differences. Ask students to analyze and interpret the visualizations by discussing the following questions for each of the visualizations:
1. What type of plot is this and how many variables are present? Answers will vary by class.
2. What information about this subset can I gather from this visualization? Answers will vary by class.
3. What do I see the most/least of? Answers will vary by class.
4. What is the typical personality color for this subset? Or, what is the typical group(introverts/extroverts) for this subset? Answers will vary by class.
Ask students to summarize their impressions of the class’s personality color data by writing this summary in their DS journals.
Distribute the description of each personality color to students (page 3 of LMR_U2_L1). Remind them that the highest score is considered their predominant color and the second highest score is considered their secondary color. If there is a tie for their predominant or secondary colors, ask students to choose the color that describes their personality better.
Compare the given descriptions on the handout to the characteristics listed on the board for each group during step 7 above. Do the descriptions match what the students originally thought? How accurate are the descriptions? If time allows, ask a couple of students to share their comparisons.
Students will now record their data by completing the Personality Color campaign on the IDS UCLA App or via web browser at https://portal.idsucla.org

Class Scribes:

One team of students will give a brief talk to discuss what they think the 3 most important topics of the day were.

Homework

If not finished in class, students should complete the Personality Color survey either through the IDS UCLA App or via web browser at https://portal.idsucla.org