Myths about teaching can hold you back
- Year 8
Understanding the mode
I can understand what the mode is measuring, how it is measuring it and find the mode from data presented in a list.
- Year 8
Understanding the mode
I can understand what the mode is measuring, how it is measuring it and find the mode from data presented in a list.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- The mode is a measure of central tendency.
- The mode is the most frequently occurring value in a data set.
- There can be more than one mode.
Keywords
Mode - the most frequent value. It is a measure of central tendency representing the average of the values.
Bimodal - Sets of data which have two modes are known as bimodal data
Trimodal - Trimodal data has three modes
Common misconception
Pupils may not understand what feature of a data set they're trying to find when identifying a mode
Phrase the question as 'What is the modal colour?' for instance, rather than just 'What is the mode?'
To help you plan your year 8 maths lesson on: Understanding the mode, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 8 maths lesson on: Understanding the mode, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 maths lessons from the Numerical summaries of data unit, dive into the full secondary maths curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which is larger: 5 902 or 5 920?
Q2.Starting with the lowest number, put these numbers in order of size.
Q3.Select the symbols that could be correctly written in the box. $${3} \square {3}$$
Q4.The letter 's' appears times in the tongue twister "She sells seashells on the seashore".
Q5.An is a single number expressing the central or typical value in a set of data.
Q6.In a non-leap year, which calendar month has the same number of Mondays as Tuesdays as Wednesdays as Thursdays as Fridays as Saturdays as Sundays?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The mode is the most value. It is a measure of central tendency representing the average of the values.
Q2.The mode of this data: (-4), (-4), (-4), 2, 2, 3, 7, 8, 10 is .
Q3.Which of these data sets has no mode?
Q4.Which is the best description for the data set shown in this dot plot?

Q5.Match each data set to the description of its modes.
autumn, summer, summer, spring -Â
one mode
3, 5, 2, 8, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 3 -Â
bimodal
a, b, b, c, c, d, e, e, f, g -Â
trimodal
-2, -4, -1, -3, -7, -5, -10 -Â
no mode
Q6.The mode of the data shown on this dot plot is .
