Data Collection (Investigation)

Collecting Data

We collect data in order to answer questions.  For instance, what is the most popular pet among the students in your school?  You could survey the students to find the answer to that question.

 

Objective

Students will understand different ways data can be collected.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Have a think about the following questions, maybe talk about them with a friend or in class with your teacher.  

• What is data?

• Where does data come from?

• What are some questions we might use data to answer?

• What are some ways we can collect data?

• What makes a good question for data collection?

 

ACTIVITY

1. Write 1-2 questions you could ask your class or group of friends to collect some data. (i.e. What is the average shoe size in the class?; What is the most popular pet owned by families in your area?)
2. Write 1 question, then share questions with the class or group.
3. Discuss examples and non-examples of good questions for collecting data.
4. As a class or group, choose 1 question to explore further.
5. Create an x-axis and label it accordingly. 
6. Use a sticky note to plot your answer to the question on the line plot.

 

 

FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS

• Discuss:  What was the process used for collecting data to answer the question?
• Check Your Understanding: On a sticky note, write another way we could have collected the data instead of creating the line plot with sticky notes.