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Collecting, Representing, and Interpreting Data Using Spreadsheets and
Graphing Software:
Representing
and Interpreting Data
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Representing and Interpreting Data |
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Spreadsheets
and graphing software are tools for organizing, representing, and comparing
data. This activity illustrates how weather data can be collected and
examined using these tools. In the first part, Collecting and Examining
Weather Data, students organize and then examine data that have been
collected over a period of time in a spreadsheet. In the second part,
Representing and Interpreting Data, students use the graphing functions
of a spreadsheet to help them interpret data. Working on activities
like these, students learn to set up a simple spreadsheet and use it
in posing and solving problems, examining data, and investigating patterns,
as described in the Representation Standard.
Task
Most spreadsheets
have graphing functions that create graphs to facilitate comparing columns
of data. Use the graphing function of the spreadsheet below to graph
the daily temperatures by date to see the pattern of the temperatures
during the month. Next, graph the temperatures after they have been
sorted from lowest to highest in the spreadsheet. In this way, students
can get a different view of the data, showing the range and distribution
of the temperatures for January. Make a bar graph to display the sky
conditions during the time documented in the spreadsheet.
[Stand-alone
applet]
Discussion
Students
in grades 3–5 should continue to develop the habit of representing
problems and ideas in many ways to support and extend their reasoning.
Spreadsheets offer a wide range of options for representing data. Working
with spreadsheets, students must make decisions about the data they
select, the type of graph that is appropriate for both the data and
the question they want to answer, and the best settings for the different
parameters that control the aspects of the graph. When making these
choices, students have the opportunity to learn about the advantages
and limitations of the different representations they try.
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Take
Time to Reflect
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- In what other
activities can spreadsheets be used as tools for organizing, representing,
and comparing data?
- How can spreadsheet
activities offer opportunities for students to demonstrate their
reasoning?
- How can teachers
assess students' understanding as they observe them working on
spreadsheet activities?
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Representing and Interpreting Data |
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