6th grade describing distributions worksheets

Tap to see another sample sheet.

Describing distributions worksheets for 6th grade give a small data sample, four times per sheet, and ask for its summary in numbers: the center, the spread, and a note on shape backed by a figure from the data. The worked example sums up 2, 3, 3, 8 as mean 4, median 3, mode 3, range 6. Your child does the same for four new samples.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core 6.SP.B.5.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of problems you'll get

Describe the center (mean and median), spread (IQR and MAD), and shape. Give numerical evidence for a shape feature in each sample.

  1. Find the summaries of 2, 3, 3, 8.

    Answer: Mean 4; median 3; mode 3; range 6.

Most problems on this sheet sit beside a picture, model or diagram, so this is the worked example the sheet itself prints. The answer key on page two prints the answer under every problem.

Every print pulls a fresh set of problems at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.

What's on each sheet

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key after the problems.

This sheet is one of the versions on the 6th grade mean, median, mode & range page, with its own difficulty choices and its own answer key.

How to teach this

Have your child order the data before touching any measure. The median needs it, the range reads straight off the ends, and the mode is easy to spot in a sorted list. Then work the mean: total divided by count. The Remember box on the sheet carries these four recipes, so let the sheet be the reference. The instruction goes one step further and asks for a shape comment with numerical evidence. A bare word like skewed does not count. Have your child attach a number: the mean of 4 sits above the median of 3 because of the 8, and that is the evidence. One check before moving on: every measure of center has to land between the smallest and largest value. A mean outside that window is an adding or dividing slip, and it is quicker to find now than in the key.

Watch for: Kids report the mean and stop, as if one number describes a distribution. A summary names the center and the spread and says something about shape, and the sheet asks for each part. Kids give a shape word with nothing behind it. Skewed right is a claim. The sheet asks for evidence, so point to the number that shows it, such as a mean that sits above the median.

Common questions about 6th grade describing distributions

What does the sheet ask for?
For each of four data samples: describe the center with mean and median, describe the spread, describe the shape, and give one number from the data as evidence for the shape. The worked example shows what an answer looks like for 2, 3, 3, 8: mean 4, median 3, mode 3, range 6.
How is this different from the parent mean, median, mode and range sheet?
The parent sheet asks for one measure at a time. This one asks for the whole picture of one data set at once, with a sentence about shape that a number supports. It is the writing end of the unit, closer to how 6.SP.B.5 is tested, and it takes longer per problem. Four problems is a full sheet.
Is there more than one difficulty?
No, one version. The samples are short, so the arithmetic stays small and the effort goes into the summary. If the four measures are still shaky, do a parent sheet first and come back to this one.

Related worksheets

Ready to print one?

Need a fresh set of problems? Print another copy.

Aligned to Common Core 6.SP.B.5. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated September 2026.

Spot a mistake on this sheet? Tell us. · About these worksheets