Mathematics · Year 2 · Statistics: Telling Stories with Data · Summer Term

Asking Questions and Collecting Data

We will learn how to ask interesting questions and gather information, called data, by sorting objects and people into different groups.

TL;DR:This topic is your pupils' first step into the world of statistics, turning them into data detectives in their own classroom. They will learn the power of asking good questions to find out interesting things about their friends.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• National Curriculum for England: Year 2 - Statistics

About This Topic

This topic introduces Year 2 pupils to the foundational concepts of statistics, as outlined in the National Curriculum for England. It focuses on the initial, crucial stages of the data handling cycle: asking appropriate questions, and collecting and recording relevant data. Pupils will build upon their Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) experiences of sorting objects by moving towards more formal methods of data collection, such as using tally charts. The emphasis is on understanding that the clarity of a question directly impacts the quality of the data collected.

The core of this unit is practical and interactive, encouraging pupils to see mathematics as a tool for finding out about their immediate environment. They will learn to interpret and construct simple pictograms, tally charts, and block diagrams. This topic lays the essential groundwork for more complex statistical analysis in Key Stage 2, fostering skills in logical thinking, classification, and communication as pupils learn to pose questions and present their findings.

Key Questions

1. Explain why it is important to ask a clear question before collecting data.
2. Compare the different ways we can sort our classmates, for example by eye colour or favourite fruit.
3. Identify a question you could ask your class and explain how you would collect the answers.

Learning Objectives

• Formulate a simple question to gather information from peers.
• Collect and record data in a list or a tally chart.
• Sort objects, pictures or people into groups based on a given criterion.
• Interpret the results from a simple data collection exercise, identifying the most and least popular choices.
• Explain that the same set of items can be sorted in different ways.

Key Vocabulary

Data	A collection of information, often in the form of facts or numbers, gathered from questions or observations.
Sort	To arrange items into groups according to a shared quality or characteristic.
Tally	A way of keeping count that uses marks. A vertical mark is made for each of the first four counts, and the fifth is a diagonal line across the previous four.
Category	A group or class of things that have something in common.
Survey	The process of asking a group of people questions to collect data.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Any question is a good question for a survey.

What to Teach Instead

A good question for collecting data is clear and usually has a limited number of possible answers. 'What is your favourite pet?' is a better question than 'What do you like?' because it is specific and the answers can be easily categorised.

Common Misconception

Tally marks are just random lines to keep count.

What to Teach Instead

Tally marks are a special system for counting. We draw four vertical lines, and the fifth line is drawn diagonally across the group. This 'gate' makes it much easier and quicker to count the totals in groups of five.

Common Misconception

You can only sort a group of objects in one way.

What to Teach Instead

Most objects have many different features, or attributes. This means we can sort the same collection of items in lots of different ways, for example, sorting the same pupils by their hair colour, their shoe size, or the month they were born in.

Active Learning Ideas

Four Corners

Human Sorting Circles

Using large hoops or chalk circles in the hall or playground, call out a category such as 'wearing trainers' or 'has a sibling'. Pupils then have to sort themselves into the correct group, discussing their reasoning.

15 min·Whole Class

Four Corners

Classroom Census

In small groups, pupils devise a simple question to ask their classmates, for example, 'How do you travel to school?'. They then move around the room, collecting answers and recording them using a tally chart.

30 min·Small Groups

Four Corners

Favourite Fruit Pictogram

As a class, conduct a survey on favourite fruits. Pupils then work individually or in pairs to create a simple pictogram to represent the data, where one drawing of a fruit represents one vote.

25 min·Pairs

Real-World Connections

• Shopkeepers collect data on which items sell the most to decide what to order more of.
• Voting in a class election to choose a class mascot uses data collection to find the most popular choice.
• Librarians sort books into different categories (like fiction, non-fiction, and picture books) to help people find them easily.
• A doctor asks a patient questions to collect data (symptoms) to understand what is wrong and how to help.
• Creating a party invitation list involves collecting data on who can and cannot attend.

Assessment Ideas

Peer Assessment

Observe pupils as they work in pairs to create a question and a tally chart. Note whether their question is clear and if they are recording the tallies correctly using the 'gate' for the fifth mark.

Quick Check

Provide pupils with a completed tally chart or simple pictogram and ask them to answer 2-3 simple questions about it, such as 'Which category was the most popular?' or 'How many people chose cats?'.

Quick Check

Pupils use a simple traffic light system or smiley faces to indicate their confidence against 'I can...' statements, such as 'I can ask a clear question' and 'I can use a tally chart'.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 'data' mean?

Data is another word for information. When we ask questions and write down the answers, like finding out how many people in our class have a dog, we are collecting data.

Why do we have to use tally charts?

Tally charts are a very quick way to record answers while you are busy asking people questions. Grouping the marks into fives makes it much faster to add up the total number for each category at the end.

What if someone gives an answer that isn't one of my choices?

That is an excellent question and it shows why planning is important. Before you start, you need to think about the likely answers. Sometimes, you might include an 'Other' category for answers you didn't expect.