Data Literacy - Sampling
Data Literacy - Sampling
Data literacy is emerging as an essential skill for everyone who wants to understand our data-rich world and make it a better place. The following activities were designed to help students build foundational data literacy skills by learning about the importance of collecting data accurately and meaningfully. They’ll learn to think critically about how data is created and gain a better understanding of interpreting data visualizations. View the full lesson plan here.
Activity 1 - Scissors
In this activity about sample size, students imagine that they have been tasked with purchasing scissors for the school. They need to estimate what portion should be left or right-handed scissors. Start by asking a small subset of the class (4-5 students) to answer first. Based on these results how many of each type of scissor would you get? Have the remainder of the class answer the question and see how the data changes.
Activity 2a - Favorite Drinks
This activity shows students the importance of how data is collected by examining slight differences in the wording of poll questions. Have students consider the data from this activity and from Activity 2b and decide which data is best for various scenarios such as stocking the school cafeteria or planning a party.
Activity 2b - Frequent Drink
This activity shows students the importance of how data is collected by examining slight differences in the wording of poll questions. Have students consider the data from this activity and from Activity 2a and decide which data is best for various scenarios such as stocking the school cafeteria or planning a party.
Activity 3 - Lunch
In this activity students learn about convenient samples and how data collected from a sample may vary depending on how that sample was selected.
Extension Activity - Favorite Season
In this activity you can explore more about sample size and selection. Have your class answer the question about their favorite season and compare your results against classrooms. Does the data look different based on geographic location? Does it look different if you aggregate it together?
Extension Activity - Breakfast
In this activity you can explore more about sample size and selection. Have your class answer the question about their favorite breakfast foods and compare your results against classrooms. Does the data look different based on geographic location? Does it look different if you aggregate it together?