Home Plan and prepare Scope and Sequence (F-10) 3-4 Use data to solve problems

Unit Use data to solve problems

Year level: 3-4 Topic: Data: Collect, organise and create Time: 7 hours

Data is the vital ingredient to creating information and digital solutions. Students should collect different types of data, such as text, numeric, sound and image (still and moving) to answer a meaningful question and then use different software to organise and present data, such as spreadsheets and animation software. Explicitly teach students how to input data into a spreadsheet to organise and present the data. Use different software to present data. Students Explore a range of different formats for presenting data and information.

Topic Overview
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Topic Unit Map
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Unit Overview
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Unit SOLO Taxonomy
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Flow of Activities

Activity Collecting and organising data

How do we organise data?

Australian Curriculum Alignment

What's this about?

Data can be classified into groups according to common characteristics present in the data.

Data can be classified according to a range of factors, such as:

  • attributes, for example country of origin, gender, eye or hair colour, animal type or car type
  • amounts/values: for example, height, age, weight, number of family members, cost ($)
  • geographic location; for example, state or territory, country or postcode
  • time occurrence; for example, days, weeks, months or years.

Learning tasks

  1. Look at a range of data sets and discuss the use of text and numbers.
  2. Use a meaningful context for collecting data to answer a question. For example, waste and recycling is a topic that can be used to integrate HAAS: Geography with data collection and presentation.
  3. Collect data via interviews or surveys, or use existing data sets. For example, using the context of waste and recycling, set up ways to acquire the data and then guide students in ways to organise the data – such as, by:
    • attribute – sort data into waste types.
    • amount (kgs) of waste disposed or recycled, estimated on bin size
    • geographical location – sort waste data by state and territory
    • time occurrence – sort waste data by weeks or months.
  4. Discuss how data can be presented; for example as an image (photos/collage), text (notice for information kiosk or daily bulletin), or numbers, presented in a table or as a kind of chart.

AI note

Alternatively you may want to introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI) and explore how a computer sees using data from images and video. The AI detects an object and makes a prediction of its classification for example a car or a traffic light. Introduce classification using the sorting of images for example Australian animals. Identify features or characteristics and sort according to these. Data can be organised in different ways.

Supporting Resources

Google Forms This site provides easy ways to create and organise information, including surveys and quizzes. Data in 3-4 Ideas for teaching about patterns in data, representing data as pictures, symbols and diagrams as well as ideas for teaching about collecting, sorting and using digital systems to present data.

Lesson Ideas

Rubbish recording and reduction: Part 1 This lesson idea focuses on how students survey and collect data about what is brought to school each day and subsequently becomes rubbish. Collecting data about litter in the community The litter students find in the local environment can provide a good source of data. The interpretation of this data can help students answer a range of inquiry questions. How can AI recognise what it sees? This lesson provides a context of animal classification to enter data into a spreadsheet and sort and filter by headings. It enables students to represent data in different ways.

Assessment

Achievement Standard

Collect and manipulate different data when creating information and digital solutions.

Suggested approaches may include

  • Data acquired and then organised into relevant headings and columns. Look for different ways to classify the data.

Assessment Resources

Data project: Clean school Students collected, collated and recorded data about rubbish in an assigned area of the school. They represented data as a series of graphs and on a map. They enhanced the map by adding images and a key.

Activity Using a spreadsheet

How do you use a spreadsheet?

Australian Curriculum Alignment

What's this about?

Spreadsheet software is particularly useful for manipulating numbers by methods such as sorting, filtering, calculating. Spreadsheet software includes MS Excel for windows, Numbers for iOS and Apache OpenOffice as an open source alternative.

When entering data into a spreadsheet, it is important to think about how the data is to be organised; for example, what headings and what format will each cell require – numbers, text, etc?

Guidelines may include these instructions:

  1. Put one piece of data in per cell.
  2. Put similar items in the same column.
  3. Use column labels to identify data.
  4. Use cell borders to distinguish data.
  5. Use colour when presenting a table, to assist with analysis.

Charts are used to display series of numeric data in a graphical format, to make the data easier to understand and to clarify any relationships between the different series of data.

Learning tasks

  1. Input data into a spreadsheet, placing related data into the same column (as you would in a column within a table). Use the spreadsheet to organise and present the data.
  2. Discuss how creating a chart from the spreadsheet data will show patterns or trends and allow the viewer of it to make interpretations.
  3. Explicitly teach students how to make a chart using spreadsheet software. Discuss the most appropriate type of graph to present the information.
  4. Create a graph of data using conventional processes of hand drawing and colouring. Compare the same data set and modify data, sort the data or organise the data in a different way to show the benefits of using a computer and spreadsheet software.
  5. Ask students: What information can we create from the data?

Supporting Resources

Kids’ Zone: Create a graph This is an online, easy-to use graphing tool that provides five different graphs and charts for students to explore and use.

Lesson Ideas

Rubbish recording and reduction: Part 2 This lesson idea focuses on how students use Excel to present data in a variety of ways. How can AI recognise what it sees? This lesson provides a context of animal classification to enter data into a spreadsheet and sort and filter by headings. It enables students to represent data in different ways.

Assessment

Achievement Standard

Collect and manipulate different data when creating information and digital solutions.

Suggested approaches may include

  • A table of data and its corresponding graph.

Activity Presenting data

What software should I use to present data?

Australian Curriculum Alignment

What's this about?

Different types of software that we use have certain functions that make them suitable for particular purposes.

Spreadsheet software enables us to organise, find patterns in data and present the data as information. Image editing software enables photographs to be modified to suit a purpose. Photographs, for example, can be increased or decreased in size, repositioned or have their brightness adjusted.

Learning tasks

  1. Explore different types of software to present data that includes word processing, slideshow, spreadsheet, animation, movie and sound.
  2. Focus on how to sort data using a spreadsheet. For example, using the context of personal data you could sort and/or filter a spreadsheet of information by:
    • attributes, such as eye or hair colour; a specific eye colour and specific hair colour
    • values, such as height or age
    • geographical location: such as country of birth.

    Discuss the power of computing. Contrast this with doing the sorting by hand.
  3. Explicitly teach students how to edit, save, insert new data. Also teach them any shortcuts that would increase the efficiency and accuracy of the information or digital solution.
  4. Create a presentation, using presentation software such as PowerPoint, Google slides or Keynote, that represents information in some form. For example, using the context of waste, display a graph of the type of rubbish from heaviest to lightest, then from most numerous to least numerous, then from length of time to breakdown etc.
  5. You could also explicitly teach students some conventions regarding different styles for the presentation of information. For example, charts should have their axes labelled and have a heading. Slideshows should have text that is at least 18 pt in size and each page should not be full of text. Word processing documents, where appropriate, should use such items as headings or a number sequence to help organise the information.

Supporting Resources

Google slides Free online presentation software. Enables students to collaborate on one document. Data in 3-4 Ideas for teaching about patterns in data, representing data as pictures, symbols and diagrams as well as ideas for teaching about collecting, sorting and using digital systems to present data.

Assessment

Achievement Standard

Collect and manipulate different data when creating information and digital solutions.

Suggested approaches may include

  • Presentation or demonstration.
  • Presenting some ‘finished’ pieces of information and then asking students to annotate the information using an agreed process.

Assessment Resources

Data project: Clean school Students collected, collated and recorded data about rubbish in an assigned area of the school. They represented data as a series of graphs and on a map. They enhanced the map by adding images and a key.

Activity Formats for presenting data

How do I inform others?

Australian Curriculum Alignment

What's this about?

Y charts, Venn diagrams and T charts are some useful ways to present simple information visually and to organise thinking.

Infographics are a way to visually present data, and are intended to give a simple overview of a complex subject. They may include charts, graphics and, usually, minimal text.

Learning tasks

  1. Explore some of the formats used to present information, such as charts, tables, infographics, digital presentations, digital stories and videos.
  2. Decide on a suitable way to present information to a particular audience for a purpose. For example, using the context of waste and recycling:
    1. a Y chart to show the what it feels like, looks like and sounds like to be an effective recycler
    2. an infographic displayed in the office to show visitors the school’s approach to recycling – and its progress
    3. a video created to show students what to recycle, and explaining the benefits of using data as evidence
    4. a presentation made to school council to organise bin placement around the school, based on litter data
    5. a digital story for a young child, aiming to help them understand about littering.

Supporting Resources

Picktochart This provides easy ways to make infographics. Data in 3-4 Ideas for teaching about patterns in data, representing data as pictures, symbols and diagrams as well as ideas for teaching about collecting, sorting and using digital systems to present data.

Assessment

Achievement Standard

Collect and manipulate different data when creating information and digital solutions.

Suggested approaches may include

  • Presentation showing at least three different ways of presenting the same data.

Assessment Resources

Data project: Clean school Students collected, collated and recorded data about rubbish in an assigned area of the school. They represented data as a series of graphs and on a map. They enhanced the map by adding images and a key.
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