D1.2 Collect data from different primary and secondary sources to answer questions of interest that involve comparing two or more sets of data, and organize the data in frequency tables and stem-and-leaf plots.
Activity 1: Identifying the Situation
This activity uses a contextualized situation to demonstrate how an educator has students clarify an issue and pose a question of interest. In addition, since the choice of the question of interest suggests the use of survey through a poll, the step of formulating survey questions is also presented.
Note: this scenario can be adapted to a multitude of contexts, to the dynamics of each classroom, and to a problem situation that addresses current events.
Earth Day
As part of the planning for learning about data, Martin Tremblay, a junior teacher, wants to conduct an investigation with his students. Seeing that Earth Day is approaching, he decides to contextualize the situation by proposing the reading of a text on pollution. He gives each student a copy of the text Respirer c'est mauvais pour la santé (due to copyrights, this text is only available in French).
Mr. Tremblay asks the students, in an independent reading session, to read the text carefully. Then, he encourages them to clarify the problem by asking them questions such as:
- Had you ever heard of smog before reading this?
- What are some of the causes of air pollution?
- What do you think are the possible solutions?
- Have you ever witnessed "impressive natural phenomena"?
- Do you know people who have respiratory problems like Luis'?
- Do you think that other types of pollution can have an impact on people's health?
All of the students' ideas are written on the board and then organized using a concept map.
Example
image The concept map contains expressions written in bubbles linked together by arrows. It begins with the bubble containing the expression 'Smog'. Encountering the out-of-bubble phrase 'It causes', 'Smog' is linked to 'Air pollution'. 'Air pollution' is linked to 'respiratory illnesses'. Encountering the non-bubble expression 'solutions', 'Smog' is also linked to 'concrete actions', which is linked to 'public transportation' and 'carpooling'. Encountering the non-bubble expression 'caused by', 'Smog' is linked to 'cars', 'lifestyle', and 'altitude and heat'.
Note: From the analysis and discussion of this concept map, students will be presented with many important considerations related to the issue of air pollution. Students then realize that they have the opportunity, through their questions, to guide the direction of the survey. Mr. Tremblay then leads a discussion oriented towards the formulation of questions of interest, of which the following is an extract.
Mr. Tremblay: Apart from the ideas on the board, is there anything else you would like to know about pollution?
Students:
Student 1 - I wonder if there are other diseases that are caused by pollution.
Student 2 - Is smog a recent phenomenon?
Student 3 - In our city, how many people use public transit to get to work? Do many of the parents of students at our school use public transit?
Student 4 - Are Canadian cities as polluted as Mexico City? Which are the most polluted Canadian cities?
Student 5 – Do you think the families of the students at the school could leave their cars behind once a week like the residents of Mexico do in order to reduce the emission of harmful pollutants? What would be the impact of this action?
Student 6 - I think we can do something about it too. I wonder what actions students at school could take to highlight the importance of air quality.
By consensus, the class decides to look more closely at Student 6's question. The students choose to conduct a survey of their peers to obtain data to answer it. The following excerpt demonstrates how Mr. Tremblay helps them formulate the survey questions.
Mr. Tremblay: If we were to survey the students in the school about activities to raise awareness about the importance of air quality, what questions could we ask them?
Student 1 - We could ask them if they want to improve the air quality at school.
Mr. Tremblay: What could be the possible answers?
Students:
Student 2 - It would be yes or no... We would know if the majority of students want to improve air quality.
Student 3 - But if we really want students to participate, we should include suggestions for activities or actions in our question. For example, we could ask them a multiple choice question such as, To celebrate Earth Day, would you like to:
- improve the air quality in the classroom?
- buy a new plant for the classroom?
- organize a wind festival?
- plant trees in the schoolyard?
Mr.Tremblay: A series of possible actions or activities are proposed here. What would the person who chose the statement improve the air quality in the classroom tell you about the action they want to take?
Student 4 - It's true that this person might also want to buy a new green plant for the classroom.
Mr. Tremblay: Can you rephrase your question to be more specific?
Students:
Student 3 - If we really want to know what activities young people prefer, we might want to ask them which one they prefer.
Student 6 - Younger students don't have the same preferences as older ones, so we could also ask them if they are in the Primary Division or the Junior Division.
After this discussion, students design a questionnaire with a few questions whose data will paint an interesting picture of the situation. Here is a sample questionnaire developed by the class.
Earth Day Activities
Circle the appropriate choice:
Are you in the Primary Division (P) or the Junior Division (J)?
- P
- J
To celebrate Earth Day (April 22), grade 4 students will organize an activity related to the importance of air quality. From the activities below, mark with a check mark the activity you would prefer to participate in.
- Make a presentation during the Earth Day ceremony (for example, plant a tree, recite a poem, perform a skit).
- Make kites to promote wind energy.
- Take a walk outdoors.
- Participate in the creation of a collective mural that would illustrate elements related to air quality.
- Write short pieces (for example, poems, articles) about the importance of air quality. These articles will be posted on the school's website.
Students are now ready to begin the next steps in the inquiry process: collecting data, organizing the data, and interpreting the results.
Source: translated from Guide d’enseignement efficace des mathématiques, de la 4e à la 6e année, Traitement des données et probabilité, p. 38-43.