Teaching Statistics in Years 4-6

Louise Graham and Landis Cunningham

No Glendene ahau

Ko Tirimoana Primary toku kura

Ko Louise Graham toku ingoa

No Henderson ahau

Ko Edmonton Primary toku kura

Ko Landis Cunningham toku ingoa

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What is effective practice in Year 4-6 for teaching Statistics and Probability?

• An effective introduction to Statistics is the use of data cards
• It offers opportunities for exploration, discussion, motivation, interest, noticings and own ways for displaying data
• Statistical literacy - provide graphs of interest - animal tongue lengths, animal teeth/tail lengths, size of sharks (topics that generate student interest)
• Encourage questions, what do they notice or wonder? Does the data look correct?
• Write and pose questions for investigation; use of PPDAC cycle
• Go deep, introduce ways of displaying data; plan for worthwhile conclusion and outcome

The teaching of Statistics/Probability specific vocabulary

• Vocab requires explicit teaching
• Variety of ways - T chart, mix and match
• Make visible in the classroom with displays of graphs, labels and information
• Discuss with learners as new terms are �introduced
• Class maths dictionary
• Regularly revisit vocabulary

Census at School - Year 4 - 6

- Updating activities for learners in Years 4 - 6

- Refresh of resources to make them more current and relatable to our learners

- With the creation of resources we have also mapped out an overview for teaching Statistics and Probability over a year

- The intention is for Statistics and Probability to be woven throughout the year

- This is a more strategic, robust way of teaching in a more connected cross curricular manner

- Always listen to and notice the interests of your learners

Refreshed resources

• Plan to share 4 activities that can be used as a stand alone or can be used as part of a year-long investigation�

1. How many skips can we do in 30 seconds? - Year 4

2. Screen time - Year 5

3. What do Year 5 students do at lunch time?

4. Data cards - Year 4 - 6

How many skips can we do in 30 seconds?

How many skips can we do in 30 seconds?

• Recommendation is Year 4
• Combine with fitness - Some of the most enjoyable learning for children is connecting physical activity and engagement with maths
• Learning goals… number of lessons
• Resources include skipping ropes, stop watches or clocks to time 30 seconds, paper and pencil to record times on, PPDAC one pager
• Problem - Pose the investigative question
• Plan - How will students collect the data?
• Data - Gathered and recorded
• Analysis - Students make a data display

How many skips can we do in 30 seconds?

• Students will need support on how to display the data and explicit teaching on how to write descriptive statements about the findings
• Conclusion - answer investigative question by choosing the best statements from the analysis
• Refer back to initial predictions - what did they notice or surprise them about the data?
• Question: When and how could they compare their data to other Year 4 students? Other Year levels?
• Follow up - Make comparisons throughout the year. Plan to revisit
• How many skips can we do in 30 seconds?

Year 5 - How much screen time do we have each day?

How much screen time do we have each day?

• Recommended for year 5 students - can be adapted
• Can be combined with Zespri Young and Healthy Virtual Adventure
• Learning goals
• Frontloading - prior learning - Excel or Google sheets / Codap
• Resources
• Problem = Pose the investigative question.
• Plan = Decide and define screen time? Timing / rounding?
• Data = How often to be recorded? Where to record?
• Analysis = Who has spent the most time? What were they doing?

How much screen time do we have each day?

• Discussion with student on how to display findings and reasoning (explicit teaching)
• Conclusion = What can we deduce from the data?
• Where to next? Could they do it in winter - comparison between seasons? Older students - comparison do they do more?
• Put strategies in place to reduce amount of time on screen and reasons for screen time? Measure and compare - any differences?

What do Year 5 students like to do at lunch time?

What do Year 5 students like to do at lunch time?

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• Recommendation is Year 5
• Statistical focus: summary investigations
• Learning goals…number of lessons
• Resources - 2005 CensusAtSchool questionnaire, Google slides from ‘What do Year 5 students do at lunch time?, Student Projects & Ethics, Data Detective Poster
• Introduction - view 2005 questionnaire and findings
• Problem - Pose the investigative question; requires discussion
• Plan - confirm investigative question, discuss possible additional variables
• Data - how should this be recorded?

What do Year 5 students like to do at lunch time?

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• Analysis - Question: What is the best way to display the collected data?�Model and discuss a range of graphs�Students write descriptive statements about their findings
• Conclusion - Refer back to predictions? What do they notice? When and how could they compare data to other Year 5 students or other year levels?
• Follow up - Make comparisons throughout the year. Plan to revisit in your planning/term overview
• What do Year 5 students like to do at lunch time
• Google slides

Data cards - Year 4 - 6

-The Year 4-6 data cards have 14 variables.

-The 78 “students/children” are from the CensusAtSchool 2023 database.

-They are a random selection of Year 4-6 students/children from across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Learning in progress - using data cards

Data cards - Year 4 - 6

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• Use of data cards is an effective way of introducing Statistics and Probability
• Example provided - there are 78 individual cards to manipulate; create a number of sets to allow for group collaboration
• Allow for exploration and discussion; introduce enabling/extending prompts as required
• Initiate investigative question, create display, write descriptive statements
• Follow up - design own data card

Year 4 - 6 data cards

Links to new Refreshed Curriculum

• Six learning areas to be taught under the Know part of Understand/Know/Do
• Statistics and Probability are included in the six learning areas
• PPDAC cycle must be taught in Phases 1, 2 & 3
• Teaching methods include:
• Demonstrate posing investigative questions, and support students to write their own
• Demonstrate the use of context analysis diagrams to represent school-related issues
• Demonstrate asking evaluation questions about sources and ethical practices

Final quotes:

-In Mathematics the art of proposing a question must be held of higher value than solving it.

-There should be no such thing as boring Mathematics.

- Maths is a language

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