Studio checkpoint: refine the project question
Teams test whether their proposed question names a clear group, variable, and comparison or summary purpose. Peer consultants return the question with one strength, one ambiguity, and one practical collection risk.
- Studio move: Question-design clinic and feasibility conference
- Portfolio evidence: A measurable project question approved for planning
🎯 Learning Intentions
- Understand the difference between a survey question and an investigative question
- Learn the criteria for a good investigative question
- Practise writing summary and comparison questions
🎥 Media Anchor (8 mins)
Video: Research Skills for Students
- How can we rewrite a broad question so it becomes measurable?
- What bias risk appears when a question is leading or vague?
1. Warm Up: Question Sort (10 mins)
Activity: Sort these questions into "Can answer with data" vs "Hard to answer with data":
- "Who is the best rugby player?" (Subjective)
- "How tall are the students in Room 5?" (Measurable)
- "Why is blue the best colour?" (Opinion)
- "What is the most common eye colour in our whānau?" (Countable)
2. Concept: Anatomy of a Question (15 mins)
A good investigative question needs I-V-G:
- Interest: What property are you interested in? (e.g., height, lunch type)
- Variable: What are you measuring? (e.g., centimetres, food category)
- Group: Who are you measuring? (e.g., Year 8 students in Room 5)
Example: "What are the heights (V) of Year 8 students in Room 5 (G)?"
3. Activity: Fix the Question (20 mins)
Task: Turn these bad questions into good investigative questions:
- "Do you like sports?" → "primary sport played by Year 8 students"
- "Are we tall?" → "heights of students in our class compared to..."
- "Is this lunch healthy?" → "sugar content in lunchbox items of..."
4. Investigation Setup (10 mins)
Start thinking about your own investigation project. What are you curious about?
Draft 3 potential investigative questions for your project.
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Ākonga sharpen a vague question into one that names a variable and a group to compare.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ I can write a question that names what is measured and which groups are compared.
- ✅ I can state one question my data will NOT be able to answer, and why.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: Question stems that force a variable and a group: 'How does ___ differ between ___ and ___?' Extension: write a question your data could NOT answer, and say why.
ELL / ESOL: Rehearse the question aloud in pairs before writing; a question that cannot be said clearly cannot be investigated.
Inclusion: A question about the ākonga's own community is more accessible than a supplied one, and produces better statistics.
Mātauranga Māori lens: Iwi environmental monitoring starts from a question a community actually needs answered — kaimoana numbers, water quality. Ask ākonga who would use their answer.
Prior knowledge: Students should have basic familiarity with data displays (bar graphs, dot plots). No prior statistical investigation experience required — the PPDAC inquiry cycle provides accessible scaffolding for first-time investigators.
Curriculum alignment
- Te Mātaiaho (2025) · Mathematics and Statistics · Phase 3 (Years 7–8) · Statistics (Practices): “- Planning and collecting data in order to respond to a statistical question (e.g. Are our feet the same length?) - Calculating the mean, median, and mode for numerical data - Calculating the range for numerical data”
- NZC (2007) · Mathematics and Statistics · Level 4: “Plan and conduct investigations using the statistical enquiry cycle: – determining appropriate variables and data collection methods; – gathering, sorting, and displaying multivariate category, measurement, and time-series data to detect patterns, variations, relationships, and trends; – comparing distributions visually; – communicating findings, using appropriate displays.”
This lesson develops the Level 4 statistical-investigation objective through a real stage of the PPDAC cycle. See the unit curriculum companion for the exact source statement and lesson-to-evidence map.