Box plots
Construct and interpret a box plot on a numerical scale from a five-number summary (minimum, lower quartile, median, upper quartile, maximum), using the stated convention that the whiskers extend to the minimum and maximum values; interpret the median, quartiles, IQR and range, recognising that each whisker and each half of the box represents roughly a quarter of the data however long or short it is drawn; explain what a box plot does not show (individual values, clusters, gaps, the number of values, or the mean); and compare two distributions using their box plots
Lesson
Set out your lesson
“Box plots means practising the idea at the table with counters or paper models and one clear check. We will demo once, then your child tries.”
Bring to the table
- Tally sheet or simple bar/dot sketch
- A short set of category counts
Extra for the adult
Worked example. Cats 4, dogs 2 — cats have more. The tally and comparison are the proof.
Optional challenge. For Box plots, add one harder example after success.
What to notice. Keep one parent note: examples tried; results; support used. This session samples Box plots, not mastery.
Share and support
Family records and proof options
Keep a record of your learning
Save photos, notes, and attendance. Export a proof packet for compliance or portfolio reviews.
Practice this concept
Start practiceBox plots practice
Practice key ideas from Box plots.
Free · no login · no ads · Practice answers and completion are not saved. Parent observation remains the lesson record.
Learning resources
Extra practice links — they do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.
NRICH · Practice link — not the full lesson
Secondary
Before you open · source notes
Secondary supports Box plots. An adult previews and guides; this is a learning page, not a scored quiz.
Free educational page, no sign-in required for the tested path.
Before you openAsk the learner one fact they learned and one question they still have.
Opening this link does not save learning or assess mastery.
Source, access and review notes
Public NRICH page. An anonymous GET on 2026-11-12 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt for this URL. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. An adult should preview and guide the learner.
NRICH. “Secondary.” External page; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute materials.
Unknown — link only
Check understanding
- Draw a box plot for the five-number summary 3, 6, 9, 14, 21 on a labelled scale, stating that the whiskers run from the minimum to the maximum, and read the median, quartiles, IQR (8) and range (18) back from a given box plot
- Explain that the longer upper whisker (from 14 to 21) shows the top quarter of values is more spread out — not that it contains more values — and reject claims a box plot cannot support, such as 'the mean is 9', 'most values are close to 9' or the exact number of data values
- Explain with an example how two data sets can have the same box plot but different shapes (e.g. one with values spread evenly, the other with two clusters separated by a gap), and compare two classes' box plots using their medians and IQRs in context
“If your child sees box plots comparing how long two classes spent on homework, could they say which class had the higher middle time and which was more spread out — and explain why a longer whisker doesn't mean more children are in that part?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Representational
- Subject
- Mathematics
- Domain
- Data & Statistics
- Age range
- Ages 11–14
Standards