Coppell High School Honors Statistics students took on the role of educators recently bringing an interactive statistics lesson to second and fourth graders at Town Center Elementary. Under the leadership of CHS Honors Statistics teacher Alison Hadley, the high schoolers created the “ABCs of Statistics” book, which helped younger students understand statistics basics while allowing the high schoolers to reinforce their own knowledge.
For CHS junior Abhiram Konakondla, presenting was both rewarding and eye-opening.
“Explaining statistics in a way younger students could understand was fun and challenging,” he said. Konakondla shared concepts like the “y-intercept” and “negative correlation” using age-appropriate examples, which the younger students eagerly absorbed.
Elementary students also engaged actively in the lesson when they graphed their favorite colors, a visual activity in which purple was the top choice among second graders, while yellow received no votes. This tangible representation of data was a highlight for both presenters and learners.
CHS senior Jacob Phan, who had the letter "G" for “gaps” in the lesson, remembered similar visits from high schoolers when he was a student at Town Center. “It was fun to be on the other side,” Phan said. “I appreciate even more how effective hands-on learning can be in subjects like statistics.”
Hadley reflected on the experience, noting how personal the project was. “We finished our vocabulary lesson, and I thought about how to bring this back to our school community,” she said. “Since my own children attend Town Center, it felt like bringing the book ‘home’.”
Town Center Principal Jennifer Martin added about the experience, “I love watching our students learn from special guests, especially older students,” she said. “This book connects a wide range of ages, and its simplicity makes it a tool that grows with students as they advance in math.”
In bridging the gap between elementary and high school learning, this initiative strengthened the high schoolers’ grasp of statistical vocabulary and also laid an important math foundation for Town Center students.