Statistics standards found in the Common Core (CCSSI 2010) and other state standards require considerable instructional time and focus for students to develop the depth and breadth of understanding necessary. In this article, the authors offer an approach to teaching a statistics unit that combines student choice with authentic and sustained investigation to motivate seventh-grade students' learning. The article begins with a description of a prior instructional approach and then offers insights for implementing a project-based approach. This approach capitalizes on students' interests and maintains focus during statistics instruction. It can be adapted for use with sixth- and eighth-grade students.