Grade 6 · Math · Lesson 31

Two-step Data Problems

A two-step data problem is exactly what it sounds like: you cannot answer the question with one calculation. You need to do something to the data first (Step 1), and only then can you answer what was actually asked (Step 2). Most real questions about data work this way. "How far is 11 from the average?" — first you have to FIND the average, then you can subtract.

What this lesson teaches

1Break a data question into a clear first step and a clear second step
2Compute a summary statistic in step one before answering the real question in step two
3Solve two-step problems involving mean, median, mode, range, and totals
4Explain how the result of step one feeds into step two

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