Context of the Standard

When answering questions about text in history or English or investigating a question in science, evidence should be used to support your answer.  Data are a form of evidence that can be used when answering questions or in making predictions.  Data are often sorted or grouped to provide additional clarity. The same data could be manipulated in different ways to emphasize particular aspects or parts of the data set.

Computers can be used to obtain, store, and manipulate data. These data can be used to construct tables and graphs from data collected in class; they can also be sources of existing data sets that have been compiled by others.  The ability to determine what type of data is needed to answer a question and use a computer to find these data are skills needed in many career and academic fields.

Essential Skills

Essential Questions

Essential Vocabulary

Students should demonstrate these skills:

• Use a computer to organize data using various forms (i.e. tables, spreadsheets) of data collection.
• Conduct manipulations of data using the computer.
• Analyze a data set to identify a pattern or make a prediction.
• Use the data or prediction to answer a question.
• Display the same data on a computer using multiple representations (e.g. tables, bar graphs, line graphs).

Students should investigate these concepts:

• How can you use the data you have collected to make a prediction or answer a question?
• How does a computer help you to look at data in different ways?
• What can you learn from looking at your data in different formats?
• How can computers be used to view data using a variety of formats?
• What does a computer allow you to do with data that is more difficult on paper?

Students should apply these terms in context:

• Data