In this activity, students begin classifying questions as “statistical” or “non-statistical” and data as “numerical” or “categorical” while getting to know a little about their classmates.

Each group of four students is assigned three questions. One of the three they are assigned is a non-statistical question, one would generate numerical data, and one would generate categorical data. The questions could be changed to questions that are more relevant to students and would help students learn about each other, as long as each set of three  questions contains one question of each of the three types described. Groups also generate a fourth question of their own that can be answered with data. First, the group comes up with four survey questions that they can ask their classmates to collect data about their four questions of interest. Then, they collect data from their classmates by asking the survey questions. Finally, they summarize their results to answer the four questions of interest and reflect on the nature of the different questions they attempted to answer.

In a later lesson, students will represent the distribution of data collected in this activity graphically. If they record the data in their workbooks, it will be easy to retrieve later. If students record data some other way, be sure that your method allows them to easily retrieve the data later.

This is the first time Math Language Routine 2: Collect and Display is suggested in this course. In this routine, the teacher circulates, listens, and jots down words, phrases, drawings, or writing that students use. The language collected is displayed visually for the whole class to use throughout the lesson and unit. The purpose of this routine is to capture a variety of students’ words and phrases—including especially everyday or social language and non-English—in a display that students can refer to, build on, or make connections with during future discussions, and to increase students’ awareness of language used in mathematics conversations.

Students may confuse statistical questions (or “questions of interest”) with survey questions. Explain that the set of three questions are statistical questions that can be answered using the survey questions. For example, students may think they should ask each of their classmates for the average number of speed limit signs the class sees. However, students can ask each classmate “How many speed limit signs do you see on the way to school?” and collectively use the answers to this survey question to answer the statistical question about the average number of speed limit signs their classmates see on their way to school.

Display the numbered questions from all of the sets for all to see.

Direct students’ attention to the reference created using Collect and Display. Ask students to share their responses. Invite students to borrow language from the display as needed, and update the reference to include additional phrases as they respond. (For example, “All of these questions require numerical data to find an answer.”)

Then tell students that we call data collected to answer questions of interest like those numbered  1 numerical data, and that we call data collected by questions like those numbered 2 categorical data. Questions like those numbered 3 are non-statistical questions because there will be no variability in the responses. Questions like those numbered 1 and 2 are called statistical questions because they require the collection of data and there is anticipated variability in the responses.

Ask students to sort the collected language from the display into either numerical or categorical data as well as either statistical or non-statistical questions. For example, “There is only 1 answer” would be categorized as “non-statistical.”