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Lesson 2: Finding Patterns in Data

About 30 minutes — Discussion-based lesson

What You Will Learn

This lesson covers:

What a pattern looks like in a graph

This section covers the key ideas about what a pattern looks like in a graph. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

Comparing groups: which has more? less? the same?

This section covers the key ideas about comparing groups: which has more? less? the same?. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

Simple trends: going up, going down, staying flat

This section covers the key ideas about simple trends: going up, going down, staying flat. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

The difference between a pattern and a coincidence

This section covers the key ideas about the difference between a pattern and a coincidence. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

Check Your Understanding

1. What is a pattern in data?

Answer: Something that repeats or shows a consistent relationship. If every winter month has fewer ice cream sales, that is a pattern.

2. How do you compare groups in data?

Answer: Look at the numbers or graph bars for each group. Which is bigger? By how much? Are they close or very different?

3. What is a trend?

Answer: A trend is a general direction the data is moving — going up over time, going down, or staying about the same.

4. Is a pattern the same as a coincidence?

Answer: No. A pattern repeats reliably. A coincidence happened once or twice by chance. You need multiple data points to confirm a pattern.

Key Takeaways

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