Teacher Cheat Sheet — Session 7: What Did We Find?

Data Science for Young Minds · Grade 1 · Ages 6–7

~45 min Ages 6–7 Session 7 of 8 ND-Friendly

Session Agenda

Time	Block	What's Happening
0–5	Hook	Draw a fresh 3-category pictograph on the board (fruit: apple/banana/grape). "What does this graph tell us?"
5–14	Teach	Introduce sentence frames for data statements. Model using frames with the hook graph. Post frames visibly.
14–28	Activity	Students make statements about the hook graph (partner share first, then whole class). Then use the class animal graph from Session 5 to make more statements.
28–33	Brain Break	"Stand up and show it!" — teacher reads a statement; students show thumbs up if true, thumbs down if false.
33–40	Work	Worksheet: fill in sentence frames about the class graph, draw what the graph shows.
40–43	Recap	"What is ONE thing our class graph found? Say it in a complete sentence." Quick share around.
43–45	Close	Preview Session 8: "Next time is our big project — we will sort, count, and make our own pictograph!"

Key pacing note: Sentence frames are the heart of this session. Post them large. Model filling them in YOURSELF before asking students. Let partners discuss before whole-class share — talking to one person first is far less intimidating than speaking to the whole class. Accept any reasonable statement about the graph.

Materials Needed

Prepare before class:

Fresh pictograph drawn on board (3 categories, clearly labeled) Session 5 wall chart (still visible) Sentence frame poster (large, posted beside the graph) Student worksheets Pencils and colored pencils

Hook graph suggestion: Apple=6, Banana=4, Grape=2. Simple numbers that make comparisons easy. Draw it large with clear column labels.

Key Vocabulary

Shows — what the graph tells us about the data

Found — what we discovered from looking at the graph

Most — the category with the highest count

Least — the category with the lowest count

About — what the graph is describing (topic)

Many — a large number of something

Discussion Questions + Teacher Notes

"What is this graph ABOUT?"
→ The topic — what question was asked. "This graph is about which fruit people like." Model the sentence: "This graph is about ___." This is the most basic data statement and the entry point for all students.
"What does this graph SHOW us?"
→ Accept any observation: "it shows that apple is the most popular," "it shows that grape has fewer than banana." All correct. Validate ALL statements that accurately describe what the graph shows.
"What did we FIND OUT from our class graph?"
→ More personal — connects to their own data. "We found out that more people in our class like dogs than cats." Let students fill in the sentence frame first, then share. Partner share before whole class.
"Did the graph surprise you? What did you expect to be different?"
→ Optional extension. Comparing expectation to result is early critical thinking. "I thought cat would be most but dog won." Don't push if students struggle — this is above the core goal of Session 7.
"Can you make a statement WITHOUT using a number?"
→ Yes! "Most people like apple" is valid without a number. This shows that data statements can use comparison language without exact counts. Both types (with and without numbers) are correct data statements.

Sentence Frames — Post These Large

"This graph is about ___."

"The most ___ is ___."

"The least ___ is ___."

"___ has more than ___."

"We found out that ___."

"I notice that ___."

Usage tip: Point to the frame, fill it in yourself first as a model, then ask students to fill it in. "The most ___ is ___. For our graph, the most ANIMAL is… DOG." Say it slowly, pause at the blank.

Opening Hook

Draw a fresh pictograph on the board (apple/banana/grape, ~6/4/2 stickers drawn as dots).

"What does this graph tell us?" Collect observations.

Then: "Can you say it as a full sentence?" Model filling in a frame.

→ A fresh graph (not the class animal one) removes personal investment and lets students focus purely on reading and stating.

Brain Break

"True or False?" (~28 min)
Teacher reads a statement about the graph. Students show if true, if false.

Examples: "Apple has the most." () "Grape has more than banana." () Fast, low-stakes, reinforces reading the graph. 60 seconds.

ND-Friendly Tips

Sentence frames — Post large, point to them always. Students who struggle with open-ended language need the scaffold of a frame. Never ask for a statement without pointing to a frame first.
Partner share first — Always say "tell your partner first" before whole-class sharing. Talking to one person is much less anxiety-provoking than talking to the whole class.
All sharing forms valid — A student can point to the graph and point to a frame. That counts. A student can draw their statement. That counts. Verbal is not the only valid form.
No pressure to invent — Filling in a frame is enough. Students do not need to create original sentences. The frames are the goal.
Celebrate all statements — "The apple has more" is as valid as "The apple column has six stickers which is more than the four stickers in the banana column." Both are data statements.