Statistics
Henderson/Te Atatu Lead Teachers
PAT Y6 Question (time-series data)
Emma went for a run from home. She stopped for a while and
then walked home. Which graph shows how far from home
she was during her journey?
What is statistics about?
• Statistics involves identifying problems that can be
explored by the use of appropriate data, designing
investigations, collecting data, exploring and using
patterns and relationships in data, solving
problems, and communicating findings. Statistics
also involves interpreting statistical information,
evaluating data based arguments, and dealing with
uncertainty and variation.
Posing and answering
questions
Communicating
findings
Gathering,
sorting and
displaying
How is Statistics different in the
new curriculum?
• Data is still key
• Enquiry cycle (PPDAC)
• Verbs
– Posing, gathering, sorting,
displaying, communicating, displaying, using
• Specific graph types not mentioned
So what’s new? (www.wordle.net)
Statistics in the NZC and Standards
Highlight the difference in
progression from Y1 to Y8
Circle any vocabulary that you
are unsure of.
Collecting data
What are these data types?
• Category data (Y1 onwards)
• Whole Number data (Y3 onwards)
• Multivariate category or whole number data
onwards)
• Time-series data (Y6 onwards)
• Measurement data (Y7 onwards)
(Y6
Problem Question Types
• Summary (Years 1- 8)
– A description of the data, usually a single data set
“What is the most common birth month in our class”
• Comparison (Y5 onwards)
– Comparing two (or more) sets of data across a common
variable, e.g.
“Do females typically live longer than males?”
• Relationship (Y7 onwards)
– Interrelationship between two paired variables,e.g.
“Does watching a lot of TV increase your IQ?”
Classifying
Sort / classify the questions according to the
following categories:
• Summary
• Comparison
• Relationship
Category Data
Numerical Data
Time-Series Data
Analysis
• Use I notice… as a starter for statements.
• For category variables: (e.g. birth month etc)
– Shape
– The most common category, the least common category,
other categories of interest
– Anything unusual, or of interest
• For measurement variables: (e.g. bed time)
– Shape
– Spread (difference between lowest & highest values)
– Middle group(s)
– Anything unusual, or of interest
Collecting category data using post it
notes
Leisure
activity
=
Reading
Collecting bivariate data using post it
notes
Leisure activity
Leisure activity
=
Reading
=
Playing
sport
Girls
Boys
Collecting multivariate data using
post it notes
What school subject do you most enjoy teaching?
Birth
month
What time did
you go to bed
last night?
What school subject did you most
enjoy at school as a child?
Analysis: Key words for describing data display
Describing Categories
Most (N.B. “most” must be more than half), least, some, all, more
than, less than, more than half, about half, roughly a quarter, a
lot, not many, a few, most popular, least popular, most typical,
least typical
Shape
Clump (s)
Middle
Spread
gap,
The middle of the
data is …..
Close together,
spread out,
symmetrical,
rectangular,
about..,
between,
evenly spread,
mostly between,
most of the data is, a higher/lower
few points are
Same/different
less/more spread out
than…
Analysis
• Use I notice… as a starter for statements.
• For category variables: (e.g. birth month etc)
– Shape
– The most common category, the least common category,
other categories of interest
– Anything unusual, or of interest
• For measurement variables: (e.g. bed time)
– Shape
– Spread (difference between lowest & highest values)
– Middle group(s)
– Anything unusual, or of interest
• I notice that the most common birth month is August with 5
people in the group.
• I notice the least common birth months are January and
November with no one in the group born in these months.
• I notice that four months have four people born in them, they
are May, June, October and December.
• I notice that the Winter months have the most people born in
them, 12 people. Spring has the least number of people born
with only 5 people born then.
Useful Websites:
http://www.stats.govt.nz/
http://www.babynamewizard.com/
www.censusatschool.org.nz
Are you a
Masterpiece?
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was a
scientist and an artist. In 1492 he drew this picture.
Can you see how the man is standing
In a circle and a square? Leonardo thought that
The span of someone’s arms is equal to their
height. Why do you think he was interested in
working out body proportions?
Do you think Leonardo’s theories still work today?
Plan
–
–
–
–
–
What variables do we need to collect?
How shall we pose the survey questions.
Who shall we ask / how many?
How will we know when we have asked everyone?
How are we going to record and collect the data?
Data cards
Arm span
Leisure
activity
No. of
members in
your family
Height
Brainstorm all possible
questions from the
available information on
the data cards.
Analysis
• Make a graph using your data cards that will
help you to answer your question.
• Describe the graph identifying patterns and
trends in context.
• Remember the context. If I cover any labels
can I still tell what the graphs are showing?
Relationship Question
• Are you a masterpiece?
• What is the relationship between your height
and arm span?
Useful Websites:
http://www.stats.govt.nz/
http://www.babynamewizard.com/
Resources:
• www.nzmaths.co.nz
(Second tier material, statistics units)
• www.censusatschool.org.nz
• Figure It Out Statistics,
• Data Cards:
Gender: female
Age: 12
Height: 155 cm
Arm span: 155 cm
Travel: walk
Time: 10 - 20
Lunch: ran
And remember…
98% of all statistics
are made up!
Gender: male
Age: 12
Height: 163 cm
Arm span: 163 cm
Travel: walk
Time: less 10
Lunch: ran
Thought for the day
Remember that frequently…
The student knows more than the teacher
about what he has learned even though
he knows less about what he was
taught.
Just because you’ve taught it doesn’t
mean they’ve learned it!