Practice Data Moves without Using Content Data...to Help Teach Your Content

Data Moves & Topics October 26, 2022

Somehow the middle of October is already upon us — I am not going to lie; I still can’t really figure out how that happened as Labor Day feels like last week ;). Which means we are settling into our classroom routines. Our classroom cultures have been started and are growing.

It also means now is a GREAT time to bring out some new “low floor, high ceiling” ways to get our students working with data in our classrooms. And for this, I am suggesting that we think beyond the graphs, data collection, and CERs that we are using to teach our content (although that is really important). What?! You may be saying inside of your head. But stick with me.

I am going to outline 3 options for how to use ~10-15 minutes a week to help students practice their data skills in ways that get them thinking, engaging, and maybe even enjoying themselves a bit.

And here is the kicker…that time “off content” can actually pay out in HUGE dividends for your graphs, data collection, and CERs of your content data down the road!

Curious? Check these out…

#1 Get them graphing about themselves

Kids (ok, pretty much all of us) love to talk about themselves or something they are interested in. Why not use that to our advantage while practicing the skill of graphing data?

You don’t need much at all:

• marker,

• large sheets of paper or a whiteboard,

• stickers or post-it notes.

Step 1, come up with some fun questions (I recommend 3-5) and post questions around the room with the structure of the graph already laid out (see example of empty graph structure —>).

Step 2, when you are ready to start the activity pass out enough stickers or post-it notes to your students from them to answer each question. Explain that you want them to add their responses to each question around the room.

Give them a few minutes to walk around answering the questions (<— see example of completed flipchart, note different question than empty sheet above) …aka they need to put their sticker or post-it note onto each graph corresponding to their response to the question.

Step 3, have them look at the classes co-created graphs and consider things like:

-       What do you notice about your response versus us as a class?

-       What surprises you about what you see?

-       What is something new you learned about our class as a whole?

-       What questions are coming to mind as you look at our data?

The key is that there are no right or wrong answers.

Instead, we are providing opportunities for students to connect with their own responses (see themselves represented in the graph) AND think about the group overall (what we call “aggregate thinking” and is SUPER critical to making sense of data). And we creating that space all while they engage with the graph structure you create and plot their data point accurately in the graph.

We are also helping students to see that there are many different ways we can make graphs (not just in Google Sheets) and the power of looking at data to ask questions and make some observations (without having to write out a CER).

Interested in trying it out, but not sure what questions to ask? Check out some ideas in the Observe, Collect, Draw!: A Visual Journal, by Stefanie Posavec and Giorgia Lupi for some great ideas. Note, you can go all in and explore their free-hand ways of making data visualizations (which can create a whole other set of ways that students can practice making graphs, but are different than what I describe above).

#2 Get them laughing as they analyze patterns in graphs

Rarely do our students get to practice describing and analyzing patterns in data that are not related to our content. But here is the deal…that comes with a LOT of pressure to succeed at the data move (describe and analyze patterns) AND the content move (connecting it to what they are learning about at that moment). Cognitively that can be a lot for novices as they are building their data skills, that we rarely ask them to do in other contexts in education…think we learn how to read before we learn our content through reading.

Now, I am NOT saying that we should stop asking our learners to make sense of data to learn our content (in fact I think we can use data WAY more…but that is a whole separate topic). What I am saying is vary it up every once in a while and give kids a fun way to practice the skill with less pressure to succeed and less of a cognitive lift.

How you might ask? Well, I would suggest playing a game!

But not just any old game, specifically I would play Charty Party in teams.

I like to play where I give everyone the same graph but each small group has a different set of options for the y-axis. The groups compete to see who can come up with the best y-axis. I find that the first round is a bit slow, but by the third round it is an on-task, raucously good time as they debate in small groups and beyond what the y-axis should be.

Let’s unpack why I think this is such an incredible way to help learners practice the skill of describing and analyzing patterns.

First, they are laughing often as they play (always good as long as it is not at the expenses of someone in the class)…I mean learning. And they get to see that data can be fun!

But more importantly, because in order to make a proposal for what the y-axis should be they have to make sense of the data in the graph, consider the x-axis variable, and then consider what of multiple options could work in that scenario for the y-axis. Aka, they are practicing the skill from a different angle. More often than not we give them a graph with all of the variables already plotted and ask them to analyze it. Playing Charty Party trains the “describe and analyze pattern” muscle from a different angle.

Interested in using Charty Party in your class? Then I recommend the All Ages Edition that they specifically released for non-adults and adults, and includes some suggested ways to use it in your classrooms. And…we arranged a 15% discount for all teachers/schools that we work with for getting your own copy. Visit www.veryspecialgames.com and use the discount code: DATASPIRE.

#3 Get them looking at others’ graphs as they practice interpreting graphs

If none of those are resonating with you (or as something that you think would go well with your learners this year) consider using resources like:

• What is Going on in this Graph (by New York Times)

• Data Talks (by youcubed)

• From the news that you or they come across

These a great resources, that are updated often, highlighting graphs out in the world. Having learners look at graphs other people have made (before they know the takeaway from the graph that the data visualizer/journalist intended) about a variety of topics can sometimes be more fun than looking at a graph for your content…sorry facts are facts with pre-teens and teens. Therefore, let’s use that to our advantage!

Share a graph and ask them:

• What do you notice?

• What do you wonder?

Ideally have them work in groups of 2-3 to generate ideas on a white board or post-it notes to share out onto a full group brainstorm.

They will see synergy amongst their noticings and wonderings. Which reinforces the self-efficacy that they can do this. They will also realize that different folks within the class notice or wonder different things about the same graph. This helps plant seeds for multiple ways to look at a graph AND that there is no ONE right answer from a graph (something that they easily fall into presuming when we are looking at content-based graphs in our classes).

So there you have it, three easy things you can do in 5-15 minutes a week to help your students build their data skills muscles. Trust me the time on these “off task” practicings can pay huge dividends the next time they are graphing, analyzing, or interpreting your content data! 

Let us know how it goes.