SP01: Differentiate between first-hand and second-hand data (students…
Differentiate between first-hand and second-hand data (students collect first-hand reaction-time and hand-span data).
The Nova Scotia Mathematics curriculum outcome SP01 (Statistics and Probability) for Grade 5 says: “Differentiate between first-hand and second-hand data (students collect first-hand reaction-time and hand-span data).” This Fieldbook unit teaches it hands-on, with everyday materials and a printable teacher guide and student sheet for every lesson. Official wording: Nova Scotia Mathematics curriculum.
Data Detectives Grade 5
How fast are our reflexes? Which graph is telling the truth? Do taller people really have bigger hands? Three lessons where students collect their own measurements and find out what numbers can and can't tell you.
- How fast are our reaction times? 50–60 min
Partners drop a ruler and catch it, five times with their writing hand and five times with the other hand. Students find the mean, median and range of their own catches and the class's, then decide whether our writing hand really is quicker.
- Which graph tells the truth? 50–60 min
Teams take the class's reaction-time results and draw two bar graphs of exactly the same numbers: one honest, one built to exaggerate. Then they hunt for the same tricks in a set of sneaky graphs and fix an advertisement's chart.
- Do taller people have bigger hands? 50–60 min
Students measure height and hand span, plot every person as one point on a scatter plot, and draw a trend line by eye. They decide whether taller people tend to have bigger hands, and learn the difference between a trend and a rule.
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