Mal2 Teachers Notes Census at School

Census at School60 minutes

A Year 8 lesson using ICT to explore the representation and interpretation of comparative data and the use of a large database.

Oral and mental starter

10 minutes

Objectives
•Discuss a problem that can be addressed by statistical methods and identify related questions to explore.
•Construct, on paper and using ICT:
–pie charts for categorical data;
–bar charts and frequency diagrams for discrete and continuous data;
–simple line graphs for time series;
–simple scatter graphs;
–identify which are most useful in the context of the problem. / Key vocabulary
Database
Pie chart
Interpret
Represent
Table
Spreadsheet / Resources
Computer room with at least one machine per 3 pupils
Whole-class display linked to one computer
Either:
Access to Census at School website
Or:
Data set from Strategy CD-ROM Interacting with mathematics in Year 8: Handling data

Starter activity

Ask pupils to look at one aspect of the data from the Census at School website (or from the KS3 Strategy CD-ROM Interacting with mathematics in Year 8: handling data). Focus on travel to school. Ask pupils to make a conjecture about the data about pupils who cycle to school, or pose a question such as: In urban schools, are boys more likely than girls to cycle to school?
Tell pupils that you don’t want them to try to answer this question, but to consider what they would do and how they would use the data to answer this question.
Ask them to discuss this in their groups/pairs.
Note that, to tackle this problem effectively, pupils need to realise that to consider the likelihood of a boy cycling to school they need to see how many boys cycle as a proportion of the whole group of boys, and similarly for girls. Being able to recognise that these proportions, one for boys and one for girls, are best represented by pie charts is essential prior knowledge for this lesson. The Wise words activity (Y7) from the Securing progression in handling data materials may be of help in this.
Take responses and, if necessary, reinforce the connection between proportions and pie charts.
Finally, say that you want them to compare the data from this class with the national data. Ask pupils how many of them cycle to school. Collate the number of girls and number of boys who cycle and the totals of girls and boys present. Ask pupils to use their computers to construct pie charts and answer the question.

Main teaching

40 minutes

Objectives

Mathematics objectives
•Discuss a problem that can be addressed by statistical methods and identify related questions to explore
•Construct, on paper and using ICT:
–pie charts for categorical data;
–bar charts and frequency diagrams for discrete and continuous data;
–simple line graphs for time series;
–simple scatter graphs;
–identify which are most useful in the context of the problem.
•Interpret tables, graphs and diagrams, and draw inferences that relate to the problem being discussed; relate summarised data to the questions being explored. / Key vocabulary
Pie chart
Proportion
Database
Interpret
Represent
Spreadsheet / Resources
Computer room with at least one machine per 3 pupils
Whole-class display linked to one computer
Either:
Access to Census at School website
Or:
Data set from Strategy CD-ROM Interacting with mathematics in Year 8: Handling data
Teaching/learning activity
Say that, in the main part of the lesson they are going to begin by answering the question:
In urban schools, are boys more likely than girls to cycle to school?
Remind them to select the urban schools data before drawing the charts that will help them to answer the question. Circulate to ensure that all are able to access the task.
As pupils are completing this task, sort out any difficulties. Ask them to compare the national results with their own class. Ask them why they might expect some differences with national results. Ensure that pupils are aware that their class is unlikely to be a representative sample.
Next, tell them that you want each pair/small group to ask a similar question relating to the data on the database. It can relate to the travel to school section or to any other part of the database.
Ask each group/pair to write down their question and then use the data from the appropriate part of the site to answer it. Say that you want one member of the pair/group to note down each step they take in answering the problem.
When they have finished, ask them to give their question to another group/pair to answer.
When both have finished responding to each other’s questions, ask them to work together to discuss how they went about answering each question. Ask, Did you use the same methods? Did you come to the same conclusions?

Plenary

10 minutes

Plenary activity

Ask groups to report back on how they answered each other’s questions.
Were methods and conclusions the same?
Where there were differences, ask which pairing found the best method and why? Would this method work for other questions?
Finally, ask pupils to write on their whiteboards the most important thing they have learned about finding the answers to comparative questions using databases.
Share responses and emphasise again the usefulness of pie charts in answering questions that involve proportion. / Resources
Individual whiteboards and pens

Lesson 2 Year 8: Census at schoolKey Stage 3 National Strategy