Making a Point Early in the Year

This author decided to demonstrate the importance of data representation by presenting data in four different ways in an activity about force and motion. The same data was presented in a gr... See More

This author decided to demonstrate the importance of data representation by presenting data in four different ways in an activity about force and motion. The same data was presented in a graph, two versions of data charts, and in a paragraph form all provided in this article. Each group was given the same four questions and was asked to answer them based on the way their data was presented. At the conclusion of the activity students were given the most easily understood data to show them the importance of clear and effective data representation. This is a great idea for an activity at the beginning of a year.

Importance of Data Displays

If your middle or high school students are having difficulty understanding the importance of organizing data into clear, concise charts and graphs, this article provides an easy-to-use class... See More

If your middle or high school students are having difficulty understanding the importance of organizing data into clear, concise charts and graphs, this article provides an easy-to-use classroom activity. By utilizing different ways to represent similar data, the author leads her students to an “ah ha” moment where they see the importance of organizing their data as they collect and record their experimental results. The activity applies content from a force and acceleration experiment to create the activity used in the author’s high school classroom.