Grade 4 Data Science · Final Project
You will ask a question, collect real data from your classmates, organize it, build a chart, and write a complete data story — all in one session.
Look how far you've come. Today you use every skill from the course.
Today you will design a question, decide what type of data to collect, write a clear survey question, organize the results, choose the right graph, and write a story with a claim and evidence. That is the full data cycle.
Write your data question in the PLAN box on your planner. Get it approved before you start collecting.
→ Ask your teacher to approve your question before moving to Collect.
Walk around the room and ask at least 10 classmates your question. Record each answer with a tally mark or number in your COLLECT box.
For categorical data: use tally marks next to each answer choice. For numerical data: write each number down in order as you collect it — you'll need to sort it in the Organize phase.
Count up your tallies, find totals, and answer the analysis questions in your ORGANIZE box.
→ If your totals don't add up, recount — data accuracy matters!
Choose the right chart type and build it carefully in your VISUALIZE box. Add a title, axis labels, and scale.
☐ Title that describes the data
☐ X-axis labeled with categories or values
☐ Y-axis labeled and starting at 0
☐ Scale is consistent (equal spacing)
☐ All bars/points are accurate to your data
Write at least 3 sentences that tell the story of your data. Every sentence should include real numbers from your data.
→ Strong writers: use all 5 frames. Aim to have at least one number in each sentence.
My question was: "What is your favorite school subject?" I surveyed 12 classmates.
The most common answer was Math, chosen by 5 out of 12 people. Science came second with 4 students, and Reading had 3 students.
I was surprised that no one chose Social Studies, because I expected at least 1 or 2 people to pick it.
My data shows that most students in our class prefer Math or Science, which means they may enjoy subjects with problem-solving.
If I could survey more people, I would want to find out whether students in other grade levels have different favorite subjects.
Notice: every sentence has specific numbers, and the last sentence asks a new question — that's what real scientists do.
Post your project on your desk or the wall. Walk around and look at 2–3 classmates' data stories. Leave a sticky note or use this sentence frame:
Walk quietly · Read before commenting · Only positive and curious feedback · Every project deserves attention
The hardest part of data science is often choosing the right question. Every scientist revises their question at least once before collecting data.
In Session 1 we learned that a claim needs evidence. In your data story, every claim you make must be backed by a number from your chart.
"Most students like Math."
"Most students like Math — 5 out of 12 students surveyed chose it as their favorite subject, more than any other option."
→ Go back and check your writing. Does every claim have a number attached to it?
Doctors ask: "Which treatment works better?" and study patient data.
Sports coaches ask: "Which plays score the most points?" and study game data.
City planners ask: "Where do people walk most?" and study traffic data.
The only difference is the scale — they survey thousands instead of 12.
Stand up if your data question was about categorical data.
Stay seated if your question was about numerical data.
Look around — that's real data about our class right now!
Now: stand if you chose a bar chart · stay seated for any other chart type.
What does this quick survey tell us about what questions our class asked?
Every time you look at a chart, ask three questions: What does it show? What does it not show? What would I need to know more?
On the back of your planner, complete this sentence:
"The most interesting thing I discovered in my data was ___, and it made me wonder ___."
Grade 4 Data Science · Session 8 · Data Story Capstone · sdabagh.github.io