| Time | Block | What You Do | Student Activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–5 | Launch | Celebrate completing 7 sessions. Explain: today students are real data scientists completing a full research project. | Receive worksheet; read through entire project |
| 5–12 | Stage 1: Question | Help students choose a testable research question. Circulate and approve questions before they move on. | Write research question and hypothesis (Part 1) |
| 12–20 | Stage 2: Plan | Guide methodology planning — what data, how to collect, potential bias. Emphasize sample size. | Complete methodology plan (Part 2) |
| 20–38 | Stage 3: Collect | Students conduct their chosen data collection (survey, observation, or experiment). Circulate to assist. | Collect data in data table (Part 3) |
| 38–50 | Stage 4: Analyze | Guide students to calculate percentages, draw graphs, and look for patterns. Prompt analysis questions. | Complete graphs and analysis writing (Parts 4–5) |
| 50–57 | Stage 5: Share | 3–4 volunteers share their research with the class (30 seconds each). | Brief presentations; class asks one question each |
| 57–60 | Celebration | Acknowledge growth across 8 sessions. Hand out completion certificates if available. | Complete course reflection sentence |
Goal: Form a specific, testable question and hypothesis.
Watch for: Questions that are too broad ("Do people like food?") or untestable ("Is the universe infinite?"). Guide toward "What percent of students in this class…?" or "Is there a relationship between X and Y in our class data?"
Approve before moving on: Question must be answerable with data they can actually collect in class today.
Goal: Decide what data to collect, how, from whom, and acknowledge limitations.
Watch for: Students who want to survey the whole school (not feasible). Redirect to class survey, personal experiment, or 5-minute observation.
Key prompt: "What could make your sample biased? How will you address it?"
Goal: Record real data systematically in the data table.
Watch for: Students recording results before they finish collecting, or changing their question mid-collection.
Key prompt: "Fill in every cell. If a value is missing, write 'N/A' — don't skip it."
Goal: Calculate totals and percentages, draw 2 graphs, identify patterns, write C-E-R conclusion.
Watch for: Students who state their hypothesis was "proved" — prompt them to say "supported" or "not supported." Data can never fully prove anything.
Key prompt: "What pattern do you see? Is your hypothesis supported by the data?"
Goal: Identify limitations, apply ethics check, think about next steps.
Watch for: Students who think their study is perfect. Every study has limitations — help them find them.
Key prompt: "What would you do differently if you had more time, a bigger sample, or better tools?"
Good starter questions for this class:
Remind students: correlation ≠ causation even in their own data!
| Criterion | 3 — Strong | 2 — Developing | 1 — Beginning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research Question & Hypothesis | Question is specific and testable; hypothesis uses "I predict... because..." format with clear reasoning | Question is testable but somewhat vague; hypothesis present but reasoning is thin | Question is too broad or untestable; hypothesis missing or just a guess |
| Data Collection | Data table complete with 10+ entries; method clearly described; potential bias identified | Data table mostly complete (7–9 entries); method described; bias not addressed | Data table incomplete (fewer than 7 entries); method unclear |
| Analysis & Graphs | Both graphs drawn and labeled correctly; percentages calculated accurately; clear pattern identified | At least one graph drawn; percentages attempted; pattern partially identified | Graphs missing or unlabeled; percentages not calculated; no pattern identified |
| C-E-R Conclusion | Claim clearly states whether hypothesis was supported; evidence cites specific data; reasoning explains connection | Claim and evidence present but reasoning is weak; hypothesis result mentioned | Conclusion is vague; no data cited; C-E-R structure not used |
| Reflection & Ethics | At least 2 meaningful limitations identified; ethics check thoughtfully completed; next steps proposed | 1–2 limitations identified; ethics check attempted; next steps vague | No limitations identified; ethics check skipped; no next steps |
Percentage Formula Reminder (post on board):
% = (count ÷ total) × 100