Lesson 1: Choose Your Question

About 30 minutes — Activity-based lesson

What You Will Learn

This lesson covers:

Brainstorming topics you are curious about
Turning curiosity into a clear data question
Checking: is this question specific? unbiased? answerable with data?
Planning: who will you ask, how many, what method?

Brainstorming topics you are curious about

This section covers the key ideas about brainstorming topics you are curious about. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

Turning curiosity into a clear data question

This section covers the key ideas about turning curiosity into a clear data question. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

Checking: is this question specific? unbiased? answerable with data?

This section covers the key ideas about checking: is this question specific? unbiased? answerable with data?. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

Planning: who will you ask, how many, what method?

This section covers the key ideas about planning: who will you ask, how many, what method?. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

Check Your Understanding

1. How do you choose a good data project question?

Answer: Pick something you genuinely wonder about — your school, family, neighborhood, or hobbies. The best projects come from real curiosity, not forced topics.

2. What makes a question 'data project ready'?

Answer: It must be specific, unbiased, and answerable by collecting information. 'What is the most common pet on my street?' is ready. 'Are pets good?' is not.

3. How many people should you plan to survey?

Answer: At least 15-20 for a class project. More is better, but quality matters too — make sure you record every answer carefully.

4. What should your plan include?

Answer: Your question, your method (survey, observation, or measurement), your sample (who you will ask), how you will record data, and a timeline for completion.

Key Takeaways

Brainstorming topics you are curious about
Turning curiosity into a clear data question
Checking: is this question specific? unbiased? answerable with data?
Planning: who will you ask, how many, what method?

Ready for More?

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Continue to Lesson 2: Collect and Organize

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