Week 7 · Theme 1, Lesson 7 Collecting, Analyzing and Graphing Data · 3 lessons
1
Where does data come from?
ICT P4 Term 1, Theme 1: pp. 34–37
GoalName four sources of data and say how to choose a source I can trust.
New words
data · facts and numbers that we collectsource · the place where information comes fromsurvey · asking the same question to many people and counting the answersrecord · a list that someone keeps of what happened and when
Explanation
Scientists, explorers and children all begin a project by collecting data. Data can come from different sources. Books and articles, on paper or on a screen, tell what others have found out. Records, such as a log of the days a school bus was late, show what happened. A survey asks the same question to many people. An experiment tests an idea and measures what happens. It is very important that the data is correct. So always choose sources you can trust: a school book is usually better than a rumour, and a record that is kept every day is better than a guess. If two sources disagree, ask a teacher or a family member and check a third source.
Source
What it gives
Example
Books and articles
what others found
a book about the Nile
Records
what happened and when
a log of rainy days
Surveys
what many people think
favourite break-time game
Experiments
what happens when we test
which paper plane flies furthest
Worked examples
Youssef wants to know how many children are absent each day. He asks the school office for its attendance record. A record kept every day is a good source.
Salma wants to know which fruit her class likes best. A book about fruit cannot tell her, because it does not know her class. She makes a survey instead.
Omar and Mariam test which paper plane flies furthest. They measure each flight with a tape. This is an experiment, and the measurements are the data.
Class activity
Source hunt. Choose a question, for example “Which month has the most birthdays in our class?” Write which source you would use: a book, a record, a survey or an experiment. Why is it the best one? Then choose a second question and a different source. Tell a partner how you would be sure the data is correct.
Practice
1
Name the four sources of data from the lesson.
Books and articles, records, surveys and experiments.
2
You want to know how many children walk to school. Which source is best: a book, a record or a survey?
A survey, because you ask the children.
3
Which two pictures show a source of data? Say the letters.
A (a book) and C (a clipboard with a record). The ball is not a source.
4
Two books give different numbers. What should you do?
