Teacher-only planning companion for Statistical Investigation Planner. Use this page to connect the worksheet to the statistics practices of planning a question, gathering data, choosing a display, and responding with evidence in context.
This planner is about disciplined inquiry rather than “do a survey”. The most important teaching move is helping students refine the question and variable before any data collection starts. That is where many weak investigations fail. Manaakitanga matters here as well, because respectful question design is part of sound statistics practice.
Phase 3 Statistics practices include planning and collecting data in order to respond to a statistical question.
The planner asks students to name the question, group, variable, and sampling approach before collecting information. That turns the page into a real inquiry scaffold rather than a blank data table.
This is the strongest primary curriculum row for the resource.
Phase 3 Statistics practices include choosing and constructing an appropriate data visualisation for a given data set.
The graph-choice prompt is not incidental. Students must justify why the display suits the question and the variable they have chosen. That is a real statistics judgement call.
Use this row especially when students are choosing among bar, dot, and time-series options.
Phase 4 Statistics practices include using samples carefully when the whole population cannot be measured directly.
For older students, use the sample-planning section to discuss bias, randomness, and what makes a sample more trustworthy. That extension is especially useful once students leave small class datasets.
Treat this as an extension row when the inquiry moves beyond full-class collection.
Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum. Learning Media.
Ministry of Education. (2021). Te Mātaiaho: The Refreshed New Zealand Curriculum. Ministry of Education.
Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand. (2021). Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners. Teaching Council.