Data Handling Skills

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ST Name: Kym Fox
ST Number: 40036679
Class Level: 3rd Class
Date: 2/05/25

Subject: Maths
Time: 11:40
Duration: 60 minutes
No of Pupils: 19

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Strand(s)

Data and chance

Strand Unit(s)/Element(s)

Data

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Learning Outcomes / Content Objectives

• Pose questions of interest and collect, display, and critically analyse data in various ways for different purposes and communicate the findings effectively.

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Learning Objectives

1. The child should be enabled to independently interpret, record, and represent data using tally charts and bar charts with accuracy.
2. The child should be enabled to identify the mode from a set of data and explain its relevance in context.

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Assessment

1. Method: Observation during worksheet tasks and interactive questioning during Wordwall games.
2. Assessment of: Children's ability to accurately complete tally charts, bar charts, and correctly identify mode.
3. To be recorded: Success in worksheet completion, participation levels in Wordwall games, and responses to questioning.

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Teacher Questioning

Lower order questions (Closed Questions)

1. How many tallies are there for the most popular fruit?
2. What number does this bar represent on the chart?
3. Which data point appears most frequently in this tally chart?

Higher order questions (Open Questions)

1. Why do you think the mode is important when we look at data?
2. How could we use this data to make decisions?
3. What would happen if we added new information to our chart? How would the mode change?

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Language Development Opportunities

• Introducing and reinforcing key vocabulary: tally, bar chart, mode, data, frequency, axis, most common, category.
• Using sentence stems to explain results, e.g. “The mode of the data is… because…”
• Encouraging pupils to describe data findings orally and in written form.

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Literacy Development Opportunities

• Reading instructions and questions on worksheets independently.
• Writing short sentences/statements explaining the findings from their bar charts and tally data.
• Using label words and captions when analysing the charts.

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Teaching Methodologies

Using cognitively challenging tasks, Promoting Maths Talk, Fostering productive disposition, Emphasising mathematical modelling

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Introduction (10 minutes)

Stimulus:

• Begin by displaying a pre-prepared tally chart depicting favourite fruits of the class or favourite sports.
• Pose a question: “Can we work together to figure out which fruit is the favourite? How do you think tally marks help us?”

Elicit Prior Knowledge:

• Discuss with pupils what tally marks are and why we group them in fives.
• Show a simple bar chart example and ask if anyone has seen or used them before.

Share Learning Intention:

• “Today, you will be working independently on worksheets about tally charts, bar charts, and finding the mode — the most common answer. Afterwards, we will play games to practise what we learned this week about data.”

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Development (40 minutes)

• Independent Worksheet Tasks (30 mins):
  Children will complete two sets of worksheets:

  1. Tally Chart Worksheet: Pupils collect simple data (e.g., colours, animals) and record using tally marks, then interpret frequencies.
  2. Bar Chart & Mode Worksheet: Pupils use given data to construct bar charts and determine the mode. Tasks require reading, recording, comparing, and explaining data.
     Teacher will circulate the room offering support and asking probing questions to reinforce understanding.

• Wordwall Games (10 mins):

  • Using interactive Wordwall games on data handling — quizzes, matching games, or timed challenges focused on tally marks, reading bar charts, and identifying modes.
  • The games serve as a formative assessment opportunity and help embed learning through playfulness and collaboration.

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Conclusion (10 minutes)

• Cognitive:
  Invite volunteers to explain their worksheet answers to the class using correct terminology (“This bar shows…”, “The mode is...”).
• Social:
  Encourage pupil-peer explanation to foster confidence and mathematical language development.
• Transition:
  Link back to earlier learning intentions and preview next week’s topic on mean and median, anchoring today’s work as foundational to understanding data averages.

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Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Pupil(s)	Reason(s)	Method(s)	Additional Comments
Visual learners	Benefit from visual tally and bar charts	Use colour-coded charts, interactive whiteboard display	Worksheets include visuals and clear layout
Pupils with EAL	Might struggle with specific vocabulary	Pre-teach keywords with visual flashcards	Encourage peer support and use of sentence stems
Pupils with motor difficulties	Difficulty writing tally marks neatly	Allow typing or verbal explanations for worksheets	Use assistive technology/tablets if available

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The Learning Environment

• Resources:
  • Printed worksheets tailored to 3rd class level: tally charts, bar charts, and mode tasks
  • Whiteboard and markers for demonstration
  • Interactive board or computer for Wordwall games
  • Counters or tally marking strips for hands-on practise
  • Vocabulary word bank posters on display

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Curriculum Alignment

This lesson aligns with the Irish Primary Curriculum for Mathematics, particularly the strand Data and Chance for 3rd class, supporting skills in “collecting, sorting and organising data” and “representing data in tables and graphs.” It fosters critical thinking by encouraging analysis and communication of data findings, in line with curriculum aims for mathematical reasoning and numeracy development.

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End of Plan