Infectious Respiratory Disease

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 25.05.10

  1. Unit Guide
  1. Introduction and Rationale
  2. Demographics
  3. Content
  4. Teaching Strategies
  5. Teaching Activities
  6. Bibliography  
  7. Appendix on Implementing District Standards
  8. Notes

Do Masks work?: Analyzing and Evaluating Mathematical Data

Lori Thornton

Published September 2025

Tools for this Unit:

Guide Entry to 25.05.10

This unit is a comprehensive interdisciplinary unit designed to help high school students—particularly those in foundational math courses—develop critical thinking skills through the analysis of real-world data on mask effectiveness in preventing infectious respiratory disease. Rooted in the lived experiences of students shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, the unit empowers learners to interpret graphs, evaluate statistics, and distinguish credible research by examining how different types of masks impact disease transmission. Blending math with science and social studies, this curriculum not only addresses vital questions about public health measures but also responds to students' perennial inquiries about the relevance of math in everyday life. By grounding instruction in current and emotionally resonant topics, this unit equips students—many of whom face academic and cognitive challenges—with the tools to become informed citizens capable of dissecting data-driven claims in an age of information overload.

Keywords: data analysis in education, teaching data analysis, infectious disease data, respiratory disease education, classroom data literacy, teaching mean median mode, teaching box plot, data analysis lesson plan

(Developed for Applied Mathematics Models, grades 10-12; Applied and Business Mathematics, grades 9-12)

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