USING DATA SETS FOR

INQUIRY

Dealing with scientific data can be challenging and intimidating to the inexperienced.

WHY USE DATA SETS FOR INQUIRY? Technology can bring unprecedented

amounts of information directly to students and teachers in the classroom

Real world data adds meaning to in class activities

Few materials and resources are needed Data and graph interpretation are

required (TEKS) and needed (TAKS) skills.

Helps students develop critical thinking skills

CHALLENGESDESIGNING INQUIRY AROUND COMPLEX DATA Students become lost in the information

they see, failing to learn domain concepts or “discovering” false ones.

Students use only a small, pre-determined subset of the available data, and so do not develop skills and habits for making sense of complexity.

Students have difficulty relating data to real world situations.

SEQUENCE ACTIVITIES FOR BALANCE

Need for structure

Opportunities for freer exploration

SEQUENCE ACTIVITIES OVER THE SCHOOL YEAR

Pre-design small data set and expand with models and images to provide insight into what data represent

Pre-design large data set to develop expertise with specific case studies

Query much larger data set and allow students to generate questions about the data

SKILLS TO ENCOURAGE Graphing Interpreting data and graphs Drawing conclusions Supporting conclusions with evidence Identifying relationships Discovering patterns Making predictions Modeling data

ACTIVITYDesign an inquiry activity using data sets

from the IRC or data sets of your choosing.

Be sure the lesson has practical value within your scope and sequence.