- Teacher assigns Problem #2 to be completed individually.

- Teacher reminds students that the answer to Problem #1 is necessary to solve Problem #2.

- Teacher polls the class to see which statement they believe is correct: "the grades are higher before" or "the grades are higher after.”

- Teacher asks students about the use of subtraction to compare quantities.

- Class reviews results. Teacher asks students to link the figures back to the topic of the week.

- One student questions whether this is enough data to draw a conclusion and offers suggestion to improve the data.

- Teacher reminds the students of upcoming debate and encourages students to think about this school’s "Scholar Program" (which is a set of requirements and recognitions). Also, teacher asks students to think about responsibilities that are imposed versus one they create on their own.

[clip length—5:07]

TEACHER: —question two, and see if you can solve it on your own. And then we’re gonna take a vote and see if you voted A or B. You can solve question two on your own…

STUDENT: Okay.

TEACHER: …using the correct answer to problem one.

STUDENT: Laughter.  Shhh

TEACHER: The mean math grade after the rule.  How many people think it is A? How many people think it is B, it was higher before they put in the law?  How many people are still not sure? How could we— how could we be sure, Fedrea? What operation could we use? Previous to rule. What did we figure out it was?

STUDENTS: [with teacher] 86.2.

TEACHER: 86.2. After the rule— Pedria, sometimes it makes it more clear if I rewrite my numbers together ’cause there’s a lotta stuff goin’ on here. After the rule?

STUDENT: I circled A but I wrote the answer

TEACHER: Oh, you were distributing[?], okay. What operation would I use? Like, I can tell that this one is higher, but what operation would I use?

STUDENT: Subtraction

TEACHER: Subtraction. From the bigger one. So the difference— Nasha, how do I subtract decimals?

TEACHER: Tyree, I need to really listen.

STUDENT: I can’t hear you

TEACHER: Ssh. I can’t hear. So you said you did 89.8 minus 86.2. And if you remember from fifth grade, you always line up your decimals when you’re adding or subtracting. It’s like making your denominators match in your fractions. So Nava said eight minus two is six, nine minus six was three. So it’s a 3.6 difference. And this number is higher, right?

STUDENT: Yeah.

TEACHER: ’Cause the eights are the same, but the nine in the ones position is definitely higher. So…

STUDENT: Definitely.

TEACHER: Look at this. After the rule— Before the rule, they had a solid B average, which was great. But after the rule, it gave them that extra push to work harder. And look, they almost have an A average, ’cause 90.0 is an A-minus average. So what conclusion— Tyree.

STUDENT: Yeah.

TEACHER: What conclusion can we draw from requiring a grade point average? What does this particular set of data at this school prove about requiring grades?

STUDENT: Ooh!

TEACHER: Catherine Carter, what do you think? I haven’t heard from you.

STUDENT: Ooh!

TEACHER: Ssh, I’m listening to Catherine. Do you think it works or do you think it doesn’t work?

STUDENT: I’m not sure

TEACHER: Not sure? Tyree?

STUDENT: Yep.

TEACHER: Thank you. Call on somebody to give their opinion.

STUDENT: Josetti

TEACHER: I’m sorry?

STUDENT: Josetti

TEACHER: Josetti. What do you think?

STUDENT: I think it’s— I think that the difference bet— after the previous year — is greater, because they have to work harder to be able to play sports and they can’t just do nothing in class.

TEACHER: Okay, so you think that their do-nothing regular selves would get an 86, so these must be pretty smart kids, right? So then when they’re actually working for it, what happened to their grades?

STUDENT: They got higher.

TEACHER: They got higher. Huh. Amani, what do you have to say about that?

STUDENT: But to me, this is like a different school.

TEACHER: Okay.

STUDENT:— and on the different schools doing— making this rule can

TEACHER: Tyree.

STUDENT: …affect their grade level in the wrong way because—

TEACHER: So you’re saying other— in other schools, the data might be different.

STUDENT: Yes.

TEACHER: So what would you suggest? If you were the researcher, what would you do to make sure that this wasn’t just this school?

STUDENT: Well, I would go to different areas, examining potential grades it would take for a B average, an A average, different type of students and stuff.

TEACHER: Okay, so you’re saying that five pieces of data aren’t enough.

STUDENT: Yes.

TEACHER: I agree. So tomorrow you’ll be working on your debate, correct?

STUDENTS: Yes.

TEACHER: Okay. So what I want you to think about as you work toward your debate is how the scholar program and why the scholar program is in place. And—to keep you focused—and…

STUDENT: To help people?

TEACHER: …the difference between self-responsibility and school-imposed responsibility, ’cause that’s a discussion I’d like to have with you guys later in the week. I would like you to close up your Word Generation books.