Lesson 4: Checking Your Organized Data

About 30 minutes — Activity-based lesson

What You Will Learn

This lesson covers:

Why checking matters: totals should match
Counting entries: do you have the same number of responses?
Looking for mistakes: impossible values, missing data
Activity: swap tables with a partner and check each other's work

Why checking matters: totals should match

This section covers the key ideas about why checking matters: totals should match. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

Counting entries: do you have the same number of responses?

This section covers the key ideas about counting entries: do you have the same number of responses?. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

Looking for mistakes: impossible values, missing data

This section covers the key ideas about looking for mistakes: impossible values, missing data. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

Activity: swap tables with a partner and check each other's work

This section covers the key ideas about activity: swap tables with a partner and check each other's work. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

Check Your Understanding

1. How do you check if your organized data is correct?

Answer: Count the total entries in your table and compare with your raw data count. If you surveyed 25 people, your table should have 25 rows or your tallies should add up to 25.

2. What is a missing data point?

Answer: When someone did not answer a question or you forgot to record something. Missing data is common but should be noted, not ignored.

3. Why should you look for 'impossible' values?

Answer: If someone's recorded age is 200, that is clearly an error. Looking for values that do not make sense helps you catch recording mistakes.

4. Why is it useful to have a partner check your work?

Answer: Because you are more likely to miss your own mistakes. A fresh pair of eyes catches errors you might overlook.

Key Takeaways

Why checking matters: totals should match
Counting entries: do you have the same number of responses?
Looking for mistakes: impossible values, missing data
Activity: swap tables with a partner and check each other's work

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Practice Activities

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