Math · Stage 6

Find the median and compare mean, median, mode and range

The median is the middle value once the data is lined up in order. Put it beside the other three summaries — the mean (fair share), the mode (most common) and the range (how spread out) — and you can describe any pile of numbers four smart ways.

✦ Math📘 Stage 6 · S6⏱ ~10 min🧒 Ages 10–12★ Free to start

I can find the median, and compare mean, median, mode and range.

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Kavi's Middle-of-the-Line Trick 🦉

Kavi lined the acorns up from smallest to biggest and tapped the one right in the middle. "That middle one is the median!" she hooted. "The mean shares the pile out fairly, the mode is the one that turns up most, and the range shows how far the numbers stretch. Four clever ways to sum up a heap of numbers — line them up first and the data tells its story."

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What your child will learn

1The median is the middle value in orderThe median is the value that sits in the middle once you put the data in order from smallest to largest. Order first — always — then find the middle. With an odd number of values there is one middle value. With an even number there are two middle values, so you take the number halfway between them (add the two and divide by 2). Tap each line to hear it.

2Three more ways to sum up the dataThe mean (often called the average) is the fair share: add every value, then divide by how many there are. The mode is the value that appears the most often. The range is not an average at all — it measures spread: the largest value minus the smallest. Mean, median and mode each give a typical/middle value; range tells you how stretched out the data is.

3One data set, four summariesHere are the stickers Kavi won each day. Read the five values off the bars, then work out all four summaries and compare them. Watch how one big day changes the picture.

4Match the question to the measureEach question has one smart move. Decide what the question is really asking — a centre, the most common, or the spread — then pick the matching measure.

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A peek inside

Find the median of 7, 3, 9, 3, 5.

put them in order: 3, 3, 5, 7, 9 — then take the middle of the five

Try this at home: Put in order and find the median: 8, 2, 6, 4, 10. __

Ready to play and learn?

Start the free interactive lesson, or print the handout for screen-free play.

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Part of Math · Stage 6 · S6 on KAVI Academy — a secular, whole-child learning platform for ages 5–12.