Session 2: Practice Activities
Time to Practice!
6 activities to reinforce what you learned. Try them all!
Difficulty levels: Easy Medium Challenge
1 Question Sort Game Easy Group Activity
Write 20 questions on cards. Sort them into 'Data Can Answer' and 'Data Cannot Answer.' Discuss any that are hard to classify.
2 Fix the Bad Questions Easy Activity
Here are 5 bad survey questions. Rewrite each one to be clear, specific, and unbiased: (1) 'Don't you love recess?' (2) 'What do you think about everything at school?' (3) 'Is pizza good?' (4) 'Why is math the worst?' (5) 'Do you like stuff?'
3 Sample Size Experiment Medium Activity
Ask 3 classmates their favorite color. Then ask 10. Then ask 20. Record results each time. How did the answers change as you asked more people? What does this teach about sample size?
4 Bias Detective Medium Discussion
Read these 3 survey scenarios and identify the bias: (1) Asking only 5th graders what grade has the best students. (2) Surveying about favorite food at a pizza restaurant. (3) Asking 'Don't you think we should have longer recess?'
5 Design Your Survey Medium Writing
Write a 5-question survey about a topic you care about. For each question, explain: Is it clear? Is it specific? Is it fair? Who will you ask?
6 The Question Challenge Challenge Critical Thinking
Start with the vague question: 'Is our school good?' Turn it into 5 different specific, data-answerable questions (e.g., 'What percentage of students feel safe at school?'). Explain why each version is better than the original.