Scatter plot worksheets for 8th grade math that turn interpreting data into ten no prep CSI Mini Mystery Detective cases. Every case gives students two real-world scatter plots to read, and they decide whether each one shows a positive, negative or no association, whether the pattern is linear or nonlinear, and which point is the outlier, then read exact points off the graph. It is scatter plot practice that covers the whole 8.SP.A.1 standard, ready for your statistics and data analysis unit as math centers, bell ringers, homework or test prep, with answer keys included - just print and go.
Halfway through the statistics unit is when this pack earns its place, once students know what a scatter plot is and need plenty of graphs to read. Every page pairs two different patterns side by side, so the class sees what makes positive different from negative, and a curve different from a line. Students cross off a suspect with each answer, so every page marks itself.
What's Inside
- Ten one-page crime lab cases, each with two scatter plots and 20 questions, and an answer key for every case
- Positive, negative and no association, linear and nonlinear patterns, and an outlier to find on every patterned plot
- Answers are a point written as (x, y) or a word, so students read the graph and use the vocabulary
- A scatter plot reference page with example graphs for each type of association and for outliers
- A contents page, teacher instructions, a detective case log and a certificate of achievement
- 30 black and white pages, ready to print
The Cases
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The Muddy Footprints - foot length, height and a cooling heater
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The Smashed Showcase - broken glass and a sprinting thief
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The Getaway Skid Marks - braking distance and a fuel log
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The Vanishing Museum Map - witness memories and a speeding van
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The Ruined Prize Roses - spreading mold and drying soil
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The Tracked Phone - battery drain and call records
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The Melted Ice Alibi - melting ice and a warming drink
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The Stolen Show Poodle - paw prints and a barking survey
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The Silent Alarm - footprint depth and alarm loudness
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The Fading Fingerprints - print clarity and hand spans
When to Use This Resource
Use these cases after you have introduced scatter plots, when students need to see many different data sets before the patterns become automatic. Each page mixes the question types, so students move from the big picture (the association and its shape) to the detail (the outlier and single points) on every graph. The evidence is real-world data - skid marks, cooling drinks, footprints and fading prints - which shows students why anyone would plot two variables together in the first place. Every case stands on its own, so you can use one a day across two weeks or give different cases to different groups. It works well for math centers and stations, bell ringers, homework, small group work, sub days, test prep, early finishers and end of year 8th grade math review.
Grade Levels
Written for 8th grade (8.SP.A.1, scatter plots and association). It also makes a quick statistics review for 9th grade Algebra 1 and a challenge for advanced 7th grade classes.
Why Teachers Love Mystery Detectives
- Zero prep - print and hand out
- Self-checking: every correct answer crosses off a suspect, so students catch their own mistakes
- All the 8th grade scatter plot vocabulary in one pack
- A crime lab theme that suits older students
- Twenty different real-world data sets
- Prints clean in black and white
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