You will learn
- Say what makes a question statistical.
- Tell statistical from non-statistical.
- Write a statistical question.
- Say what data would answer it.
Version 0.1 · published for early use · expert review pending Standards alignment: pending verification. Not yet reviewed against the Courseversity scorecard.
Student lesson
Words to know
Expects different answers.
Differences in data.
Collected facts.
The whole group.
1. Discover: asking the class
“How old is Ama?” has one answer. “How old are the pupils in our class?” has many. Which is statistical?
2. Understand: statistical questions
- A statistical question expects different answers.
- “How tall are the pupils in Grade 6?” is statistical.
- “How tall is Kofi?” is not.
- To answer a statistical question we collect data from a group.
3. Explore: test
You need paper.
- Ask the question.
- Would everyone answer the same?
- If not, it is statistical.
- Say what data to collect.
Think about it: what did you notice?
Statistical.
4. Practise
Guided practice
Question 1. “How tall are Grade 6 pupils?”?
Statistical.
Question 2. “How tall is Kofi?”?
Not statistical.
Question 3. What does it need?
data.
Independent practice
- Statistical? How many pets do pupils have?
- Statistical? How many sides does a square have?
- Statistical? How long do pupils take to get to school?
- Statistical? What is today’s date?
- Write a statistical question about reading
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
5. Apply: everyday mathematics
Is “How tall are the pupils in Grade 6?” statistical?
Show a sample answer
Yes.
6. Common mistake
Fix: It needs varied answers.
7. Check and master
Answer all questions. You will see feedback after each one.
Your result appears here after you answer every question.
8. Key takeaways
- Varied answers.
- Needs data.
- One answer is not statistical.
9. Next lesson
Next lesson: Collecting data. Keep going with the next idea in this course.
Printable worksheet
- Pets: statistical? (yes/no)
- Sides of a square: statistical? (yes/no)
- Time to school: statistical? (yes/no)
- Today’s date: statistical? (yes/no)
- A statistical question needs
Homework
Write three statistical questions about your school.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Pets: statistical? (yes/no) | yes | 2 |
| Sides of a square: statistical? (yes/no) | no | 2 |
| Time to school: statistical? (yes/no) | yes | 2 |
| Today’s date: statistical? (yes/no) | no | 2 |
| A statistical question needs | data | 2 |
| Total | 10 |
Practice answers: Worksheet: 1 yes; 2 no; 3 yes; 4 no; 5 data.
Quiz answers: 1 A, 2 B, 3 C, 4 A, 5 B, challenge C.
Mastery and remediation
| Objective | Bronze (Developing) | Silver (Proficient) | Gold (Advanced) |
|---|---|---|---|
| O1 Say what makes a question statistical | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O2 Tell statistical from non-statistical | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O3 Write a statistical question | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O4 Say what data would answer it | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
Proposed Courseversity thresholds for this page: Bronze = at least 3 of 5 core questions correct; Silver = all 5; Gold = all 5 plus the challenge. A badge is never a full record of progress.
If a learner struggles
- Find the misconception: Thinking any question with a number is statistical. It needs varied answers.
- Explain another way: use real objects first, then pictures.
- Show a simpler example: Surveys.
- Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
- Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
- Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.
Teacher package
1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration
Lesson objectives. Learners will: say what makes a question statistical; tell statistical from non-statistical; write a statistical question; say what data would answer it.
Prerequisite knowledge. Grade 5 data.
Materials. Counters (stones, seeds or bottle tops), paper, pencils, board or chalkboard. Low-resource options: use stones, seeds, sticks, bottle tops or drawings in the sand or on the board instead of printed materials.
Preparation. Gather the counters and draw the example pictures on the board before the lesson.
Suggested duration. 35–45 minutes.
6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities
Introduction (5 min). Start with the Discover situation and let learners suggest ideas before you teach.
Explanation (10 min). Teach the Understand section with real objects first, then pictures, then symbols and words.
Guided activity (10 min). You need paper. Learners follow the Explore steps in pairs.
Independent activity (10 min). Learners complete the independent practice and the worksheet.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Teacher explanation notes. Use the concrete, pictorial, abstract order: real objects first, then pictures, then symbols and words. Return to real objects whenever a learner needs support.
10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions
Support. Use real objects and work with a partner; say each step aloud together. Extension. Ask learners to make up their own example and explain it to a partner.
Formative assessment. Listen to learner explanations, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.
Misconceptions. Thinking any question with a number is statistical. It needs varied answers.
13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme
Use the quiz and worksheet on this page. The 10-mark scheme and all answers are in the answer key above. Re-check every answer and the marking scheme before publication.
16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection
Remediation. Surveys. Enrichment. Invite learners to find or create three more examples at home or in the classroom and explain them. Homework. See above.
Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which concepts learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.
Sources and standards
Alignment is pending verification and no external endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points named in the Courseversity standard: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, Cambridge Primary and the IB Primary Years Programme. Specific standard codes will be added once checked against the official documents.