Lesson 1: What is Statistics?
Understanding why data matters and exploring statistics in Aotearoa.
🎯 Learning Intentions
- Understand what statistics are and why we use them
- Recognize the difference between data and information
- Explore how statistics tell stories about people in Aotearoa
🎥 Media Anchor (8 mins)
Video: Research Skills for Students
- What makes a statistical question useful for real decision-making?
- Name one way data can be misread if the question is weak.
1. Hook: Data Detective (10 mins)
What does data tell us about our class?
Activity: Quick class census. Ask 3 questions (e.g., favorite kai, transport to school, iwi affiliation). Create a live human graph.
Ask: "What does this 'picture' tell us that a list of names doesn't?"
2. Concept: The PPDAC Cycle (15 mins)
Introduce the PPDAC Cycle which guides all statistical investigations:
- Problem (Pātai) - Asking the question
- Plan (Mahere) - Deciding how to get answers
- Data (Raraunga) - Collecting information
- Analysis (Tātari) - Looking for patterns
- Conclusion (Whakatau) - Answering the question
Metaphor: Like detective work, we need a process to solve the mystery.
3. Exploration: Stats NZ (20 mins)
Activity: Visit the Stats NZ website.
Find one interesting fact about:
- Population of Aotearoa
- The environment
- Māori wellbeing
Discuss: "How does the government use this information to make big decisions?"
4. Reflection (5 mins)
Exit Ticket: Write down one question you have about our school that data could help answer.
(e.g., "Do Year 8s eat healthier lunches than Year 7s?")
Curriculum alignment
- Statistics — Practices: - Responding to statistical questions by calculating an appropriate measure of central tendency and range for a variety of data tables and data visualisations - Interpreting d…
- 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 -…
- Statistics — Knowledge: - Categorical data can be visualised through dot plots and bar graphs. - Paired categorical variables can be visualised through a stacked bar graph or a clustered bar graph. -…
- Statistics — Knowledge: - A variable is an attribute or measurement of the people or objects being studied.A categorical variable classifies objects or individuals into groups.Discrete numerical vari…
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Students will engage with this resource to develop statistical investigation skills — planning inquiries, collecting and analysing data, interpreting distributions, and communicating findings. Tūhuratanga (investigation) is framed as a tool for understanding our communities and environment in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ Students can identify an investigative question, collect relevant data, and display it clearly.
- ✅ Students can interpret statistical findings and discuss what they might mean for a real-world community or environmental context.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: Provide structured investigation frameworks (PPDAC cycle templates) for entry-level access. Offer partially completed data tables for students who need additional support. Extend capable learners by asking them to critique a statistical claim from a news article, or to design their own community data investigation.
ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach statistical vocabulary (median, mode, range, distribution, sample, population). Pair visual representations (graphs, tables) with plain-language explanations. Allow students to discuss statistical ideas orally before writing. Encourage use of home language for initial sensemaking.
Inclusion: Statistical investigation offers natural differentiation — all students can engage with the same real-world question at different levels of mathematical complexity. Neurodiverse learners benefit from structured, step-by-step investigation processes. Use collaborative group investigation formats that distribute roles (data collector, recorder, analyst, presenter).
Mātauranga Māori lens: Tūhuratanga — the practice of careful investigation — resonates deeply with mātauranga Māori. The maramataka is a sophisticated data system: tracking environmental patterns, seasonal cycles, and ecological indicators over generations. Iwi environmental monitoring — counting kaimoana populations, tracking water quality, observing bird migrations — is applied statistical thinking. Framing statistics within community and environmental inquiry connects data to mana whenua responsibilities.
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
- Statistics — Statistical Investigation: 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 display.
- Statistics — Probability: Investigate situations that involve elements of chance by comparing experimental distributions with expectations from models of the possible outcomes, acknowledging uncertainty.