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All About Us

Objective: First Grade Data Analysis

                  Collecting and analyzing data to answer questions

Theoretical Foundation:  Students in grades K-12 must understand the conceptual model for statistics: PCAI. This includes formulating questions that can be answered with data, collecting, organizing and displaying relevant data to answer them, selecting and using appropriate statistical methods to analyze data, developing and evaluating inferences and predictions based on data and understanding and applying basic concepts of probability. First grade students understand how to pose questions and gather data about themselves and familiar situations and organize data by sorting and classifying based upon properties and representing these data using concrete objects and pictures.

Estimated Time: Varies

Materials:  Varies

Description:

1.      As a whole class, generate questions that the students want to know about each other.  As students ask their questions, model writing the questions on chart paper so that it becomes a language experience as well. 

2.      Students will ask questions such as “How many brothers/sisters does everyone have?” “What is everyone’s favorite ice cream?”  In the beginning the teacher will need to model the questions, but as time goes on the students should be generating questions based on what they want to know.

3.      Take the questions and focus on one per day or per week.  For example, first make a board for yes, no questions and have it posted so that students can move their clothes pin to answer the question as they come into class. These yes/no questions can then lead to more detailed questions.  “Do you like ice cream?” can be answered independently by moving a clothes pin. Then the question can become “Of these flavors of ice cream, which is your favorite?”  Give students cut outs of ice cream cones and allow them to color the ice cream the correct color then use the cut outs to make a concrete graph showing the favorite flavors.

Differentiation Suggestions:

1.      Allow students to decide how to display information.

2.      Have students stand in lines according to specific categories so that they will get an understanding of the magnitude of students who fit the criteria.

3.      Create daily opportunities for data collection.

Probing Questions:

1.      Does it look like more or less students like _________________?

2.      If another student joined our class, which __________ do you think they would choose?

3.      Are there any other ways that we can sort this data?

Assessment:

1.      Do students understand the magnitude of how many students chose each category?

2.      Are students making connections between data collections? i.e.  Both Ana and Tameka like chocolate ice cream the best and both of them have 2 brothers.

3.      Are students able to connect information to themselves and their daily lives?