Mean, Median & Mode
Grade 6
Measure of Center

Mean

The mean is the average. Think of it as the fair share amount. If all the numbers were put together and shared equally, the amount each group gets is the mean.

➗
Simple definition: Add all the values. Then divide by how many values there are.
Ask yourself: “If everything was shared evenly, what would each group get?”
IDEA

Mean in simple steps

📥
1. Put everything together

Add all the numbers so you know the total amount.

👥
2. Count how many values

Count how many numbers are in the data set.

⚖️
3. Share equally

Divide the total by the number of values. That answer is the mean.

VISUAL

See the fair-share idea

Visual Story
Four students have different numbers of stickers
At first, the amounts are uneven. Then we imagine putting all the stickers together and sharing them back equally.
2 + 4 + 6 + 8 = 20, and 20 ÷ 4 = 5
So the mean is 5 because 5 is the fair-share amount.
Bar graph example: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10
2
A
4
B
6
C
8
D
10
E
Mean = 6
The dashed line shows the level where the data would balance out.
STEPS

How to find the mean

1

Add

Add all the values together. Example: 3 + 7 + 5 + 9 + 1 = 25

2

Count

Count how many values there are. Example: there are 5 numbers.

3

Divide

Divide the total by the number of values. Example: 25 ÷ 5 = 5

PRACTICE

Try it

Problem 1
Books read last month: 3, 7, 5, 9, 1. What is the mean?
37591
Show the steps
Add: 3 + 7 + 5 + 9 + 1 = 25
Count: 5 numbers
Divide: 25 ÷ 5 = 5
Mean =
Problem 2
Goals scored in 4 games: 2, 6, 4, 8. What is the mean?
2648
Show the steps
Add: 2 + 6 + 4 + 8 = 20
Count: 4 numbers
Divide: 20 ÷ 4 = 5
Mean =
Measure of Center

Median

The median is the middle value in a data set, but first the numbers must be put in order from least to greatest. If there are 2 middle numbers, find the mean of those 2 numbers.

🎯
Simple definition: Put the numbers in order. Then find the middle.
Think of students lining up. The person in the middle is like the median.
IDEA

Median in simple steps

↕️
1. Order the numbers

Always go from smallest to largest first.

➡️
2. Move to the middle

Cross off one number from each end until you reach the center.

➗
3. If 2 are in the middle

Find the average of the 2 middle numbers.

VISUAL

See the middle

Visual Story
Median is the center after the numbers are ordered
You can cross off one number from the left and one from the right until the middle is left.

Odd number of values

Example: 3, 7, 12, 15, 20

3
7
12
15
20
One number is in the middle, so the median is 12.

Even number of values

Example: 4, 8, 10, 14

4
8
10
14
(8 + 10) ÷ 2 = 9
Two numbers are in the middle, so the median is 9.
STEPS

How to find the median

1

Order

Put all numbers in order from least to greatest. Example: 9, 3, 7, 1, 5 → 1, 3, 5, 7, 9

2

Find the middle

If one number is in the middle, that number is the median.

3

Average if needed

If two numbers are in the middle, find their mean.

PRACTICE

Try it

Problem 1
Ages in a club: 11, 14, 12, 13, 10. What is the median?
1114121310
Show the steps
Put in order: 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
Middle number: 12
Median =
Problem 2
Test scores: 88, 72, 95, 81, 77, 90. What is the median?
887295817790
Show the steps
Put in order: 72, 77, 81, 88, 90, 95
Middle numbers: 81 and 88
Mean of middle numbers: (81 + 88) ÷ 2 = 84.5
Median =
Measure of Center

Mode

The mode is the value that appears most often. It is like the winner of the data set. A data set can have one mode, two modes, or no mode.

⭐
Simple definition: Look for the value that repeats the most.
Ask yourself: “Which number shows up the most times?”
IDEA

Mode in simple steps

🔎
1. Look carefully

Read through the data and notice which values repeat.

🧮
2. Count the repeats

Keep track of how many times each value appears.

🏆
3. Pick the winner

The value with the greatest count is the mode.

VISUAL

See which value wins

Visual Story
Favorite snack votes
Each dot is one vote. The snack with the most dots is the mode.

Apple

2 votes

Chips

4 votes → mode

Cookie

3 votes

One mode

1, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5
Only 3 appears most often.

Two modes

1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5
2 and 4 are tied, so both are modes.

No mode

1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Nothing repeats, so there is no mode.

STEPS

How to find the mode

1

Read the values

Look through the data and notice repeated numbers.

2

Count each one

Figure out how many times each value appears.

3

Choose the most frequent

The value that appears the most is the mode.

PRACTICE

Try it

Problem 1
Shoe sizes: 7, 8, 6, 8, 9, 8, 7, 6, 8. What is the mode?
786898768
Count the repeats
6 appears 2 times
7 appears 2 times
8 appears 4 times
9 appears 1 time
Mode =
Problem 2
Colors: red, blue, red, green, red, blue. What is the mode?
redblueredgreenredblue
Count the repeats
red appears 3 times
blue appears 2 times
green appears 1 time
Mode =
Quick Compare

Review

Here is a simple way to remember the difference between mean, median, and mode.

🧠
COMPARE

What does each one mean?

Topic
What it means
What you do
Helpful clue
Mean
Average / fair share
Add, then divide
Think: share equally
Median
Middle value
Put in order, then find the middle
Think: center of a line
Mode
Most common value
Count repeats
Think: winner / most popular
CHECK

Mini review questions

Question 1
Which measure tells the fair-share amount?
Question 2
Which measure tells the middle number after the data is ordered?
Question 3
Which measure tells the value that appears most often?
MEAN · MEDIAN · MODE · VISUAL STUDENT SUPPORT