Studio checkpoint: collect and document evidence
Teams carry out their approved protocol while keeping a field log of refusals, missing values, changed conditions, and decisions made during collection. The log is treated as evidence, not tidied away.
- Studio move: Assigned collection roles, field log, and midpoint quality check
- Portfolio evidence: Raw dataset plus an auditable record of collection decisions
🎯 Learning Intentions
- Conduct data collection efficiently and accurately
- Use logical systems (tally marks, spreadsheets) to record data
- Troubleshoot problems during collection
🎥 Media Anchor (8 mins)
Video: Research Skills for Students
- What quality checks should happen while collecting data?
- How do we reduce errors when recording class survey responses?
1. Preparation: Data Tables (10 mins)
Before you collect, you need a place to put the answers!
Activity: Draw a data table in your workbook.
| Name (Optional) | Question 1 Answer | Question 2 Answer |
|-----------------|-------------------|-------------------|
| ............... | ................. | ................. |
| ............... | ................. | ................. |
2. Field Work: Data Collection (30 mins)
This is the main action phase! Students execute their plans:
- Circulating the room to survey classmates
- Going outside to observe (if allowed)
- Distributing digital survey links
Teacher Role: Circulate and ensure respectful interaction. Check that students are recording data, not just listening.
3. Data Quality Check (10 mins)
Review your data:
- Do you have enough responses? (Aim for 20-30+)
- Is any data messy or unclear?
- Did you miss anyone?
4. Next Steps (5 mins)
Homework: Finish collecting any missing data so you are ready to organise it in the next lesson.
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Ākonga collect real data into a prepared structure and record it accurately in the field.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ I can collect data into a table without losing track of what each entry means.
- ✅ I can spot and mark an entry I am unsure about rather than guessing it.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: A partially completed data table so ākonga collect into a structure rather than inventing one under time pressure. Extension: collect a second variable and justify why it is worth having.
ELL / ESOL: Model one full data-entry aloud before ākonga collect anything.
Inclusion: Collection can be tallying, recording, photographing or asking — all are real data collection.
Mātauranga Māori lens: Careful recording IS the mātauranga practice here. Data written badly in the field cannot be rescued later, in any knowledge system.
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.