Data Detective · For Teachers
Teacher Guide
Everything you need to run the unit — facilitation notes, an answer key, and printable worksheets.
📥 Printables
Grab the guide with answer keys, formal lesson plans (objectives, standards alignment, minute-by-minute flow), or blank worksheets for a paper lesson. Both are generated right here — nothing is uploaded anywhere.
About this unit
Data Detective introduces the data-science mindset: asking good questions, building a survey, and — in later lessons — collecting and making sense of data. Unit 1 has four lessons; all four lessons are ready.
Everything runs in the web browser. Nothing students type is sent to a server or saved online, so there are no accounts and no privacy paperwork. Students can also work on the printed worksheets.
At a glance
- Time: about 30–45 minutes per lesson.
- Materials: a device with a web browser, or printed worksheets.
- Each lesson has an interactive version and a printable PDF worksheet.
Lesson 1 — What Makes a Good Question?
Goal: students learn to spot flawed survey questions and meet the five question types.
Answer key — the "Survey Detective Challenge"
- "Do you like pizza or hate vegetables?" → Double-barreled — asks about two different things at once.
- "How many times do you eat?" → Too vague — per day? per week? per meal?
- "Rate food 1–10" → Undefined scale — what does 1 mean, and what does 10 mean?
| Question Type | Data Category | Best Chart |
|---|---|---|
| Yes / No | Binary | Pie chart |
| Multiple Choice | Categorical | Bar chart |
| Check All | Multi-select | Multiple bar charts |
| Likert Scale | Ordinal | Line graph |
| Numeric | Continuous | Histogram / scatter |
Lesson 2 — Building Our Survey
Goal: students design an original survey with one question of each type, plan how they'll collect responses, predict what they'll find, and check their survey for bias.
There's no single right answer — this is a design task. Use these look-fors as a rubric:
- Each question matches its type and has one clear meaning.
- Every question helps answer the big question.
- Multiple-choice options don't overlap; the Likert endpoints (1 and 5) are defined.
- The plan aims for at least 20 respondents, and the sample is considered for fairness.
- The bias check names at least one leading question or a group that might be left out.
The 25-XP checklist on the page doubles as a quick completion check, and the student's Full Worksheet PDF includes a Teacher Review box.
Lesson 3 — Collect & Organize Your Data
Goal: students learn the rules of clean data collection (same wording for everyone, no leading, record immediately, track respondents, aim for 20+), practice tally marks, and learn to spot messy data.
Answer key — "Spot the Messy Data" (4 problems)
- Row 2 → impossible value — 200 hours of sleep.
- Rows 4 & 6 → duplicate — the same student counted twice.
- Row 8 → incomplete — the sleep answer is blank.
Students then print a Tally Sheet and collect responses to their own Lesson 2 survey. Look-fors: tallies bundled in fives, counts matching tallies, a completed respondent tracker, at least 20 responses.
Lesson 4 — Graph It & Make Discoveries
Goal: students read a bar chart, graph their own collected data with a live chart builder, and write up their findings — completing the full cycle: question → survey → data → discovery.
Answer key — "Read the Story in a Chart" (pets example)
- Most popular (mode) → Dogs.
- Total respondents → 21 (9 + 7 + 3 + 2).
- How many more dogs than fish → 6 (9 − 3).
Look-fors: chart title says what was measured and of whom; counts match the Lesson 3 tally sheet; the finding names the pattern and cites numbers; the reflection compares result to the Lesson 2 prediction. Students finish with a Results Poster PDF — great for presenting or a bulletin board.
The student downloads
💬 Discussion prompts
Which question type best answers your big question? · What could bias your results, and how would you reduce it? · Why do we aim for at least 20 responses?