Session Goal
Students design and run their own class survey. They choose a good data question, make a recording sheet, survey 8 classmates, and build a tally chart from their results — applying every skill from Sessions 1–6.
Agenda
| Time | Activity |
|---|
| 0–5 | Hook: "What would YOU want to ask?" quick share |
| 5–12 | Review: what makes a good question? Sentence starters card |
| 12–22 | Question Planning: students draft + teacher checks fairness |
| 22–35 | Survey Time: survey 8 classmates, record on sheet |
| 35–43 | Build Tally Chart from recording sheet |
| 43–47 | Brain Break: act out most popular answer |
| 47–50 | Share out + Wrap-Up |
Vocabulary to Reinforce
- Design — plan something on purpose
- Investigate — look closely to find an answer
- Question — what we want to find out
- Sample — the group we ask (not everyone)
- Results — what we found out
Post these on the board. Students don't need to memorize — just recognize and use them.
Question Starters Card — Print 1 per Student or Post on Board
"What is your favorite ___?"
"How many ___ do you have?"
"Which do you like more: ___ or ___?"
"Do you prefer ___ or ___?"
"What color is your ___?"
"How often do you ___?"
Answer choices should be 3–4 options and cover all possibilities (add "Other" if needed).
Fairness Check — Review Each Student's Question
Can it be answered with one of the choices? Does everyone understand what it means? Are there 3–4 clear answer choices? Is it kind — not about looks or personal things? Would you feel comfortable answering it yourself? If a question fails any check, say: "Great idea! Let's make it even better. Can you change ___?"
Suggested Survey Script (give to students)
Step 1 — "Hi! Can I ask you a question for our class data?"
Step 2 — Ask your question out loud: "My question is: ___?"
Step 3 — Show your answer choices: "Your choices are: ___, ___, or ___."
Step 4 — Wait for the answer, then mark a tally next to it.
Step 5 — "Thank you!" — move to the next person.
Survey Setup Tips
- Model the whole survey process before students begin
- Set a visible timer for 10–12 minutes of survey time
- Assign a "home base" so students aren't chasing each other
- Remind students: survey 8 people (a sample, not everyone)
- If stuck, reduce to 5 people — results still valid for practice
- Circulate to help students mark tallies correctly
Brain Break (min 43)
Act Out the Winner
- Each student shares their most popular answer
- The class acts out or mimes that answer
- E.g., "My most popular was swimming" → everyone pretends to swim
- Fast-paced: 10 seconds per student, keep it moving
ND-Friendly Instructor Notes
- Question starters card on every desk — reduces blank-page anxiety; students can point to a starter instead of generating from scratch.
- Fewer people is okay — surveying 5 instead of 8 still produces real data. Never make a student feel behind for a smaller sample.
- Pre-approved question bank — have 4–5 pre-made questions ready for students who struggle to design their own. Let them choose one and add their own answer choices.
- Non-verbal survey option — student shows a card with their question + choices; classmate points to their answer. Mark the tally for them.
- Visual timer on board — reduces anxiety about "how long do I have?" during the survey activity.
- Fairness check is collaborative — frame it as "making your question even better," not as correction or rejection.
- Tally chart template pre-drawn — on the worksheet, the chart header and column labels are already set up; student fills in their own question + choices + tallies.
Supplies
Pencils Session 7 worksheets (1 per student) Question starters cards (1 per student or projected) Rulers (optional, for tally chart lines) Visual timer Pre-made question bank (backup) Wrap-Up Prompts
Turn and Tell
"Tell your partner: what question did you ask and what did you find out?"
Sentence Frame
"My question was ___ and the most popular answer was ___ with ___ votes."
Preview Session 8
"Next time, we'll turn our tally chart into a bar graph and make our Class Data Book!"