Lesson 7.2- Practicalities of Working with Data
Note: This is the second of two lessons that prepare students to undertake the course’s Capstone Project.
Key Question: What are the practical steps for collecting and handling data?
Content: Preparing for the Capstone Project by planning experiments, designing surveys, and handling/visualizing data.
Teacher Guide
See the video on YouTube.
Course Resources
Resources for teaching our AP® Statistics curriculum.
- Lesson Flow - timing and flow of class, using our lesson materials
- Pacing Guide - pacing our units, with daily or block schedules
- CED Alignment Guide - aligning our lessons to the AP® Statistics Course and Exam Description
Teaching Resources
Resources for teaching with Skew The Script.
- Discussion Norms - our model discussion norms for the classroom
- Letter to Parents - letter to share with parents about our nonpartisan approach
- Teaching Math on Civic Topics - tips for teaching math lessons that cover civic topics
Lesson Notes
Lesson-specific insights from the creators of this lesson.
Having just evaluated example projects in Lesson 7.1, students will now explore the practical skills needed for collecting and handling their own data. Specifically, students will design a plan for an experiment, create a survey, compile data in a google sheet, and handle and visualize data in CODAP. By encountering these skills – and facing / overcoming roadblocks along the way – students will feel more prepared for collecting and handling their own data for their forthcoming capstone project.
- Plan a well-designed experiment to answer an investigative question.
- Create and share a well-designed survey for data collection.
- Import and visualize raw data using statistical software.
Students have now spent a full year learning key statistical concepts (Units 1 - 6 of this course), and they’ve just reviewed several model capstone projects (in Lesson 7.1). However, they have yet to tackle an important part of any statistical project: navigating the practicalities of collecting and handling their own data. This lesson allows them to explore those practicalities, as students design an experiment, design a survey, handle data in google sheets, and import/visualize data in CODAP. By navigating these steps and encountering potential roadblocks along the way, students will feel more prepared to tackle the bigger data collection and handling effort on the horizon: their final capstone projects.
- The lesson is broken into two class days (for 45-minute class periods):
- Day 1: Lesson Starter, Activity A, Activity B (Phase 1 only)
- Day 2: Activity B (Phases 2-3), Activity C, Discussion Question
- For block periods (90-minute class periods), all of the above can be completed on the same day.
- This lesson was designed to have flexible pacing. Segments can be extended to suit student needs or conversation topics.
See the Teacher Activity Guide (linked under the Teacher Items above) for tips on facilitating this activity.
Instructional routine: Ten-Minute Talk. The lesson provides space for students to jot down their thoughts on the prompt, before discussing with a partner and engaging in whole group discussion. You can find more background on implementing a ten-minute talk here.
Purpose & Background: In this Lesson Starter, students analyze an investigative question. Later in the lesson, they’ll have to design an experiment to answer the same investigative question. This exercise not only primes students to start thinking about this specific investigative question, but it also resurfaces an important concept that they learned earlier in the year (and that will be important for their capstone projects): the 3 components of a good investigative question.
Student Supports
Lesson-specific resources to support all learners.
- Seek structures that ensure that all students participate in the group development of the experimental design task in Activity A. Options include:
- Assign group members roles such as organizer, time keeper, facilitator, and scribe
- Give each group member a different color marker, with the expectation that all colors will be included on the chart paper
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Vocabulary used in the context of the lesson may include words that are unfamiliar or have several meanings. The following technical terms are surfaced here and may need clarification or a definition provided:
- Spreadsheet
- Import data
- Responder link / URL
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In addition, the following contextual terms may need clarification or a definition provided:
- Self-reported energy levels