Data Science for Young Minds · Grade 2
Our Second Survey
This time, YOU design the question, YOU make the recording sheet, and YOU collect the data. Let's become real data scientists!
~50 min Ages 7–8 Student-Designed Survey Tally Chart Builder
Today's Plan
0–12 min
Hook + Review
What makes a great data question?
12–22 min
Plan Your Question
Design + fairness check
22–43 min
Survey + Tally Chart
Ask 8 classmates, record, organize
43–50 min
Brain Break + Share Out
Act out the winner!
What Would YOU Want to Know?
If you could ask our whole class one question, what would you ask?
"What's your favorite animal?"
"What's your favorite food?"
"What do you like to do after school?"
Think of your own! You'll use it today.
What Makes a Good Data Question?
We learned this in Session 2. Let's remember!
1It can be counted — answers are numbers or categories2It has clear answer choices — 3 or 4 options that make sense3It is kind and fair — everyone feels comfortable answering4It covers all possibilities — add "Other" if you're not sure Quick Check: "What is your favorite season?" — Good question?
Can be counted · 4 clear choices · Kind · Everyone has a season
Question Starters
Use one of these starters to build your question:
- "What is your favorite ___?"
- "Which do you like more: ___ or ___?"
- "How many ___ do you have?"
- "Do you prefer ___ or ___?"
- "What color is your ___?"
Your turn: Pick a starter and write your question on the worksheet Part 1.
Now Add Your Answer Choices
Every good survey question has clear answer choices. Aim for 3–4.
Example:
Question: "What is your favorite sport?"
Soccer Basketball Swimming Other
Include "Other" when someone might not fit your choices
Make choices short — one word or two words is best
Write your 3–4 choices in the boxes on the worksheet
Is Your Question Fair?
Before you start asking — let's check!
Can it be answered with one of your choices? Does everyone understand what it means? Is it kind — not about looks or personal things? Would you feel comfortable answering it yourself? If yes to all four — your question is ready! Show your teacher, then start your survey.
Ask 8 Classmates
"Hi! Can I ask you a question for our class data?"
Ask your question out loud
Show your answer choices
Mark a tally next to their answer — right away!
"Thank you!" — move to the next person
Goal: ask 8 people. If that feels like a lot, start with 5 — that's still great data!
Mark Tallies Right Away
Every time someone answers, make a tally mark next to their choice.
Example tally recording:
Soccer ||||
Basketball |||
Swimming | |
Other |
Write the tally before you move on — don't try to remember later
Each person gets exactly one tally mark
Double-check: total tallies should equal number of people asked
Build Your Tally Chart
Now take your recording sheet and fill in your tally chart.
1Write your question at the top of the chart 2Write each answer choice in its own row 3Copy your tally marks into the tally column 4Count and write the total number in the last column When you're done, check: do all the totals add up to the number of people you asked?
Act Out the Winner!
Each person shares their most popular answer — the class acts it out!
"My winner was Swimming" → everyone pretends to swim
"My winner was Dog" → everyone barks like a dog
Keep it fast — 10 seconds per person. Energy up!
What Did You Find Out?
Use this sentence frame to share your results:
"My question was ___ and the most popular answer was ___ with ___ votes."
"The least popular answer was ___ with only ___ vote(s)."
Turn and Tell your partner:
- What was your question?
- What did you find out?
- Were you surprised by anything?
Words We Used Today
Design
To plan something on purpose — you designed your survey!
Investigate
To look closely at data to find an answer
Question
What you want to find out — the starting point of a survey
Sample
The group you ask — we asked 8 people, not the whole school
Results
What you found out — the data from your survey, organized in a tally chart
Worksheet Time
Your worksheet guides you through the whole process:
1Part 1: Write your question + 3–4 answer choices 2Part 2: Recording sheet — mark tallies as you survey 3Part 3: Tally chart — organize your results 4Part 4: Read your chart — answer 3 questions 5Part 5: Write one sentence using a sentence frame Take-Home: survey 3 family members with your question tonight!
You Are Data Scientists!
Today you did everything a real data scientist does:
Next time: We'll turn your tally chart into a bar graph and make our Class Data Book!