Presidential Birthday Statisticians: Math Performance Task (Grades 3-5)

Introducing Presidential Birthday Statisticians, an engaging math project where students take on the role of a statistician commissioned to analyze data about U.S. presidents’ birthdays and ages when they took office. This 17-page resource guides students through collecting, organizing, and interpreting data including calculating percentages, means, medians, modes, and ranges. After crunching the numbers, students showcase their findings by creating an informational poster to present to an important government official as part of a televised special ceremony. This cross-curricular activity integrates math, social studies, research skills, and art into one cohesive open-ended performance task. Presidential Birthday Statisticians's real-world connection gets students excited about math. Use it independently, in small groups, or as an assessment.