Lesson Plan

Distinguish between a population and a sample

Explain why statisticians use samples rather than studying entire populations

Define a representative sample and explain why representativeness matters for valid inference

Explain why random sampling tends to produce representative samples

Identify whether a described sampling method is likely to produce a biased or representative sample

Evaluate the validity of statistical claims based on how the sample was collected

7.SP.A.1

7.SP.A.1 -- Understand that statistics can be used to gain information about a population by examining a sample of the population; generalizations about a population from a sample are valid only if the sample is representative of that population. Understand that random sampling tends to produce representative samples and support valid inferences.