Data Management

Today’s problem (Nov 16):

We activated our thinking by asking the question, “What is DATA?” and “What does MANAGEMENT of data mean?”.  This is what the students came up with:

Today’s question:

Some students put the information into charts:

Some students connected this work to the work we did in patterns.  They found the pattern in the data and extended it!

Some students used a pictogram to display the data:

Some students used bar graphs (Some made separate bar graphs for boys and girls, some groups put the boy and girls on the same graph, some groups graphed only the totals):

Consolidation:  We engaged in a discussion around why people manage data at all.  These were the ideas the students came up with:

Today’s problem (Nov 21):

To activate our thinking we reviewed the components of a good bar graph:

Then we looked at today’s problem:

Some students answered using a circle graph:

Some students used a tally chart:

Some students used a line graph:

Most students used bar graphs.

Consolidation:  Our discussion focused on two ideas.  First was the use of a scale.  Some students used a scale counting by 2’s and some by 5’s.  They realized that the advantage of counting by 2’s is that you can be more accurate.  They also saw that the advantage of counting by 5’s was that the graph was smaller (easier to fit in a notebook).

The second point we looked at was the use of a line graph by one group.  It opened up a discussion about the effectiveness of a line graph when using data that is spread over time.  A line graph allows us to better interpret the data (and here is an example):

Good discussions!

Today’s problem (Nov 22):

We were focusing on how two sets of data can be compared when graphing.

Some students used line graphs or bar graphs setting the two graphs (primaries and juniors) side by side:

Some students focused on having the primary and junior results side be side on the same graph:

Consolidation: Our discussion focused on how using a double-bar graph is effective when comparing two sets of data.

Today’s problem (Nov 24):

We focused on graphing data when there is a lot of it.

Some students graphed each piece of data on a line, bar, or stem and leaf graph:

Some students realized that if they set up intervals, they could put more than one piece of data into an interval, and therefore the graph would have less bars:

This is what it looks like when we are consolidating 🙂

Consolidation: Our discussion focused on how and when to use intervals (when graphing).

Today’s problem (Nov 28):

The focus was on creating graphs using intervals.

Some students created graphs with 2 bars (intervals of 6)

Some students used graphs with three bars (intervals of 4)

Some students used four bars in their graph (intervals of 3):

Some students used five bars in their graph (intervals of 2):

Consolidation: We focused on what kind of conclusions we can draw by looking at the graphs, and if that information is different depending on which graph you look at.