Charting Attendance Rate of Busch Gardens

* This is intended to be a one day lesson.

Grade : 6

Materials : graph paper, colored pencils, sales record/atttendance record : over the year 1994 (by months), over the busiest month 1994 (by weeks), over the busiest week 1994 (by days)

Objectives : Students will compile a series of tables and line graphs, given the attendance records of Busch Gardens over a year, month, week, and day.

Mathematical Concept : line graph, table, data, comparing whole numbers, title, average, statistics, organizing data, x-axis (vertical), y-axis (horizontal), plotting points,estimation/rounding, range, subtraction

NCTM Standards : Standard 10 : Statistics, Standard5 : Number and Number Relations, Standard 7 : Computation and Estimation

Procedure : Part I :

(1) Given attendance numbers over a year, compile a table of the total attendance of each month.

(2) Once table 1 is completed and labeled, make a line graph of that data (estimating/rounding attendance numbers to convenient numbers to make graph easier). That's Table 1 and Graph 1. (See a attached for an example of table 1).

Hint : Label x-axis - months and y-axis - attendance

(3) Name the month with the highest rate of attendance over the year.

(4) Name the month with the lowest rate of attendance.

(5) Now find the range of the attendance rates, using the knowledge that the range is the highest # - the lowest #.

Part II :

(1) Given a new list of rates from me, create table 2 and line graph 2.

(See attached for an example of table 2).Table 2 will consist of the attendance rates of the busiest month of 1994 (week by week).

(2) Make a line graph week by week. Label the x-axis week 1 through week 4 and the y-axis weekly attendance rate. (Estimate the attendance rate to convenient numbers).

(3) Indicate the week with the largest attendance rate.

Part III :

(1) Lastly, compile table 3 and line graph 3, given a new attendance list of daily rates. Table 3 will be created from the daily attendance rate of the week you found to be the busiest. (See attached for an example of table 3).

(2) Make a daily line graph. Label the x-axis Sunday through Saturday and the y-axis daily attendance rate (Again estimate to make numbers easier).

(3) Label the busiest day.

Part IV : Use Tables 1 -3 and Graphs 1 -3 to answer the following questions :

(1) Why do you suppose the month you named had the highest attendance rate ? Is there a specific reason ? If so, give it.

Answer the same questions for the month with the lowest attendance.

(2) Why do you suppose the week you found was the week with the highest attendance ?

Answer the same question for the week with the lowest attendance.

(3) Why do you think the day you found (from the line graph) was the day with the highest attendance ? Is there a specific reason ?

If so, give it. Do the same for the day with the lowest attendance.

References : Busch Gardens' daily attendance rate of their busiest week (1994), weekly attendance, and monthly attendance (1994) (This can be obtained from Busch Gardens' head office, which I will send to and get records from their auditor/records) ; Office manager of Busch Gardens

websites :
(1) http://www.4adventure.com
(2) http://www.bev.net/education/Seaworld/addresses.html
(3) http://www.bev.net/education/seaworld/zoocampbg95/safclzc.Html

Busch Gardens' address : Busch Gardens - Conservation and Education Department, P.O. Box 9158, Tampa, FL 33674-9158 (813) 987-5555

Mathematics Plus Math Book Grade 6 , Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1992 - used to show how to create tables and line graphs.

Contributors : Major : Tisha Brown
Minor : Carol A. Marinas, Kimberly Collie, Kari Kupfer

ATTACHMENT : EXAMPLES OF TABLES 1 - 3

TABLE 1:

Monthly Attendance of Busch Gardens (1994)

               MONTH                           ATTENDANCE TOTAL            

January                              998,998                               

February                             1,001,236                             

March                                6,837,911                             

April                                6,123,163                             

May                                  5,136,536                             

June                                 8,992,153                             

July                                 9,999,835                             

August                               9,893,975                             

September                            4,321,636                             

October                              3,221,983                             

November                             2,001,836                             

December                             1,000,000                             

TABLE 2 :

Attendance Rate of Busiest Month

                WEEK                           ATTENDANCE TOTAL            

                 1                   2,882,691                             

                 2                   2,815,361                             

                 3                   2,301,783                             

                 4                   2,000,000                             

TABLE 3 :

Attendance Rate of Busiest Week

                DAYS                           ATTENDANCE TOTAL            

Sunday                               451,006                               

Monday                               289,111                               

Tuesday                              300,410                               

Wednesday                            382,993                               

Thursday                             432,617                               

Friday                               482,936                               

Saturday                             543,618