How Outliers Change the Mean and Median
Written by Adi Ackerman, Head Teacher
"How Outliers Change the Mean and Median" is written for 6th Grade (Ages 11-12), and it covers Common Core 6.SP.B.5.D. If your student is a year younger but already steady on data & graphing, the page still works. You may just need to read the instructions out loud. And if they are older and mean, median and mode never quite stuck, this is a short review rather than busywork.
6th grade math worksheet: find the mean and median with and without an outlier like 58 in the ages of 7 hikers. Answer key included. Part of our mean, median and mode data & graphing collection. Aligned to Common Core standards.
How do I use this worksheet?
Start with the mean, median, mode and range page. Use the dot plot page next, then the two outlier pages to discuss which measure fits the data.
What students will practice
- Students will find the outlier in 3 data sets, such as 45 minutes waiting for a bus.
- Students will find the mean and median with and without the outlier to the tenth.
- Students will see that the mean changes more, as when it falls from 19 to 12.5.
Curriculum Links
Common Core State Standards
Statistics and Probability · 6th Grade
Standard: Relate the choice of measures of center and variability to the shape of the data distribution and the context in which the data were gathered.
View all 6.SP.B.5.D worksheets →Find this in the curriculum
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FAQ
How do I use this mean, median and mode worksheet?
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Start with the mean, median, mode and range page. Use the dot plot page next, then the two outlier pages to discuss which measure fits the data.
What does this worksheet teach?
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Find the mean and median with and without an outlier like 58 in the ages of 7 hikers. An outlier is a value much greater or much less than the rest of the data. The directions on the page read: Find the outlier in each data set. Find the mean and median with it and without it, then write how much each one changed. Write decimal answers to the tenth. An answer key is included.
Can I use this mean, median and mode worksheet for homeschool or classroom?
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Yes, both. We made it for 6th Grade data & graphing, and the page works the same whether it lands on a kitchen table or a center rotation. At home, most families go through it together and talk the answers out loud, and that talking is where most of the learning happens with mean, median and mode. In class it runs well as independent work while you pull a small group. Print one copy or thirty, whichever the day needs.
How do you find the median of an even number of values?
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Put the values in order and average the two middle values. For 13, 14, 14, 16, 17, 19, the middle values are 14 and 16, so the median is 15.
How does an outlier change the mean and median?
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An outlier pulls the mean toward it but barely moves the median. For the ages 10, 12, 15, 58, 14, 10, 14, the mean is 19 with the outlier and 12.5 without it, while the median only moves from 14 to 13.
How do you find the mean from a dot plot?
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Multiply each value by its number of dots, add the products and divide by the total number of dots. For 10 dots showing hours of sleep, the products add to 79, so the mean is 7.9 hours.
Is there an answer key?
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Yes. All 5 mean, median and mode worksheets have an answer key.
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Worksheet Details
| Grade | 6th Grade |
| Subject | Math |
| Topic | Data & Graphing |
| Standard | 6.SP.B.5.D |
| Pages | 1 page |
| Difficulty | Medium |
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