SUMMER 2009

AP STATISTICS Mrs. McCarthy

Congratulations on choosing to take AP Statistics!! As an advanced placement class, you can expect that AP Stats will be fast paced and challenging, but also very real-world orientated. We will be using the TI-83, TI-83 PLUS or the TI-84 Graphing Calculator in class, as a calculator with Statistical capabilities is required on the AP exam.

The study of Statistics is unlike any Math class that you have taken before. Advanced Placement Statistics acquaints students with the major concepts and tools for collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data. Students will frequently work on projects involving the hands-on gathering and analysis of real world data. Ideas and computations presented in this course have immediate links and connections with actual events.

In order to better prepare you for the exciting year ahead, the following is REQUIRED as a summer assignment:

I. Choose one of the books listed below and write a brief (2-4 pages) reaction paper. (See attached rubric.) Be prepared to hand in your paper on the first day of class. Late papers will be penalized.

II. Read and take notes on pages 3 – 29 in your text book, The Practice of Statistics. Complete the following assignment. There will be a quiz on the Preliminary Chapter on Thursday, September 10, 2009.

P. 11-12 #1 – 4 and #6 P. 25-26 #13 – 15, & #18

P. 19-21 # 8, & 10 – 12 P. 30-33 #19, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at: cmccarthy@glenridge.org.

SUGGESTED BOOK LIST:

Title: How To Lie With Statistics, Darrell Huff, WW Norton Description: "There is terror in numbers," writes Darrell Huff in How to Lie with Statistics. And nowhere does this terror translate to blind acceptance of authority more than in the slippery world of averages, correlations, graphs, and trends. Huff sought to break through "the daze that follows the collision of statistics with the human mind" with this slim volume, first published in 1954. Although many of the examples used in the book are charmingly dated, the cautions are timeless.

Title: 200% of Nothing, A.K. Dewdney, John Wiley and Sons, 1993 Description: 200% of Nothing by A.K. Dewdney is a book that helps the reader understand the ways in which people are deceived by statistics. Dewdney uses real world examples to prove his points in, as amazon.com puts it, "clear and disarming". This book sounds like a good book for students interested in applications of statistics in everyday life.

Title: Statistics You Can’t Trust, Stephen Kent Campbell, Steve Campbell, and Mark V. Hall Description: Statistics You Canít Trust by Stephen Kent Campbell, Steve Campbell, and Mark V. Hall is a very well written user-friendly guide to how one can see through the statistics around us. As amazon.com puts it, “ A nontechnical, cartoon enhanced, tour of misuses of statistical information in everyday life.” I would recommend this book for the student who has never taken statistics and wants to know the basics that they can apply to their daily life.

Title: Damned Lies and Statistics, J. Best, University of California Press, Description: Damned Lies and Statistics by Joel Best is a great book for understanding bad statistics and how they come to be. This looks like a good book for students to read before taking a statistics course because, as amazon.com puts it, "Understanding this book does not require sophisticated mathematical knowledge." and "Best discusses the most basic and most easily understood forms of statistic, such as percentages, averages, and rates." This book is a good introduction to statistics for someone with limited experience in the field.

REACTION PAPER RUBRIC

In writing your reaction paper, you will be expected to do two things: summarize the material and detail your reaction to it. Please use a 12 point font, double-spacing and the paper should be a minimum of two pages and a maximum of four pages. The following instructions explain how you should structure your paper.

Part 1: A Summary of the Work

To develop the first part of a report, do the following:

· Identify the author and title of the work and include in parentheses the publisher and publication date.

· Write an informative summary of the material. Condense the content of the work by highlighting its main points and key supporting points. Use direct quotations from the work to illustrate important ideas.

· Summarize the material so that the reader gets a general sense of all key aspects of the book. Do not discuss in great detail any single aspect of the book, and do not neglect to mention other equally important points. Also, keep the summary objective and factual. Do not include in the first part of the paper your personal reaction to the book; your subjective impression will form the basis of the second part of your paper.

Part 2: Your Reaction to the Work

To develop the second part of a report, focus on any or all of the following questions

• How is the assigned work related to ideas and concepts discussed in the math classroom?
• How is the work related to problems in our present-day world?
• How is the material related to your life, experiences, feelings and ideas?
• Did the work increase your understanding of a particular issue?
• Did it change your perspective in any way?

Part 3: Conclusion

Evaluate the merit of the work: the importance of its points, its accuracy, completeness, organization, and so on. You should also indicate here whether or not you would recommend the book to others, and why.

Points to Keep in Mind When Writing the Report

Here are some important matters to consider as you prepare a report:

· Apply the four basic standards of effective writing (unity, support, coherence, and clear, error-free sentences) when writing the report.

· Make sure each major paragraph presents and then develops a single main point.

· Support any general points you make or attitudes you express with specific reasons and details. Statements such as "I agree with many ideas in this book" or "I found the book very interesting" are meaningless without specific evidence that shows why you feel as you do.

· Organize your material. Follow the basic plan of organization explained above: a summary of one or more paragraphs, a reaction of two or more paragraphs, and a conclusion. Also, use transitions to make the relationships among ideas in the paper clear.

· Edit the paper carefully for errors in grammar, mechanics, punctuation, word use, and spelling.

· Document quotations from the book you are writing about, or from any other works, by putting the author and page number in parentheses after the quoted material.

• You may use quotations in the summary and reaction parts of the paper, but do not rely on them too much. Use them only to emphasize key ideas.