Working with Numbers
Introducing Data Analysis

Reading done in advance:

Working with Numbers: Part I, especially Data Analysis;

National Endowment for the Arts’s Reading at Risk “Constructing Public through Research: Trends in Literature Participation, 1982-2002.”

Lesson Objective: students practice understanding, interpreting and presenting to others numerical information portrayed in graphics and in words.

Task: students work in small groups on specific sections of the reading as outlined below. They present their understanding of the section to the rest of the class, using additional graphs if necessary or explaining the graphs that are present in the reading.

Time: Allow each group 5 minutes to present, though it may not take that long. We’ve divided the reading into 6 sections, but you might adjust these to fit the size of your class. With these divisions, you’ll need 30 minutes for the presentations, so the groups can spend about 20 minutes discussing and determining how best to explain their section to the others

Note: Some teachers prefer to assign this exercise as homework, having students do one or more of the sections and then comparing their new graphs and understandings when they come to class.

Directions for Students:

word version of lesson plan and directions to students to download

NEA Report Review

Work with your assigned group on the section of the NEA report described below. Be ready to present your work to the rest of the class, being certain that you can explain the data by referring to the graphics in the text or drawing new graphics on the board.

Group 1: Look at the section on Gender. What kinds of graphics are used and for what? Why? Try drawing a rough bar chart for the data in Table 5.

Group 2: Look at the section on Education. What kinds of graphics are used and for what? Why? Try drawing a rough bar chart for the data in Table 7.

Group 3: Read paragraphs 16 and 17. What information is being presented here? What does this mean? Be able to explain to your classmates what information these paragraphs convey.

Group 4: Read paragraphs 26 and 27. What idea is being conveyed here? Do you “see” what they are talking about in Figure 8? How can you explain this to the class? If you have time, also try to figure out an explanation for these specific changes.

Group 5: Look at tables 8 and 9. Reread any portions of this section you have to in order to understand what these tables convey. Look especially at the columns for Change and % Change in these charts. What do theses columns mean?

Group 6: Look at the section “Other Leisure Activities.” Where and why do you think the report draws valid inferences based on the data it presents? Where and why do you have questions about the suggestions about causes?

See other resources for Teaching Inquiry

Working with Numbers
Introducing Data Analysis

Reading done in advance:

Working with Numbers: Part I, especially Data Analysis;

National Endowment for the Arts’s Reading at Risk “Constructing Public through Research: Trends in Literature Participation, 1982-2002.”

Lesson Objective: students practice understanding, interpreting and presenting to others numerical information portrayed in graphics and in words.

Task: students work in small groups on specific sections of the reading as outlined below. They present their understanding of the section to the rest of the class, using additional graphs if necessary or explaining the graphs that are present in the reading.

Note: Some teachers prefer to assign this exercise as homework, having students do one or more of the sections and then comparing their new graphs and understandings when they come to class.

Directions for Students:

NEA Report Review

See other resources for Teaching Inquiry

Working with Numbers Introducing Data Analysis

Reading done in advance:

Working with Numbers: Part I, especially Data Analysis;

National Endowment for the Arts’s Reading at Risk “Constructing Public through Research: Trends in Literature Participation, 1982-2002.”

Lesson Objective: students practice understanding, interpreting and presenting to others numerical information portrayed in graphics and in words.

Task: students work in small groups on specific sections of the reading as outlined below. They present their understanding of the section to the rest of the class, using additional graphs if necessary or explaining the graphs that are present in the reading.

Note: Some teachers prefer to assign this exercise as homework, having students do one or more of the sections and then comparing their new graphs and understandings when they come to class.

Directions for Students:

NEA Report Review

Working with Numbers
Introducing Data Analysis