How to teach kids about data and chance

Data is just information you can count or measure, and children collect it all the time without calling it that. Naming it is the first step to asking better questions of it.

What the Batch unit “Data & Chance” covers

Prove it with data. Predict it with probability. It is unit 1 of the Data Detectives track and has 5 lessons and 51 cards:

1. What is Data?
2. Primary Data
3. Secondary Data
4. Probability Talk
5. Boss Level: Review

What the first lesson says

This is the actual text from lesson 1, “What is Data?”, word for word:

How do you PROVE kids like pizza more than salad? You can't just say 'everyone knows' — you need DATA.

Data is information — facts, numbers, or measurements — that we collect to answer a question.

A question from that lesson to try together

Try it at home

Pick one question the family can answer by counting, such as which colour of car passes your street most, and tally it for ten minutes together.

Play the lesson

Open Batch in the browser, choose Data Detectives, then Data & Chance, and start with “What is Data?”. Whether an account is needed is answered in the FAQ.

Printables for the fridge

Two free PDFs for the Data Detectives track. The checklist lists the lessons from 4 of the track's 4 units.

• What we learned (PDF)
• Fridge checklist (PDF)

More guides: all Batch guides.