EKF :: Ku’ula 7-9 Curriculum

Phase 6 : Data Analysis

Summarizing Results

The students should have their data already recorded in their data table. Now they need to graph their data. Graphing should not be a new concept for students but take some time to refresh their memory. Most students will use a line or a bar graph but it's a good idea to also go over pie graphs, multiple line and multiple bar graphs.

Graphing Notes

Here is where you can return to the creating data tables worksheet. The students should have completed all of the data tables and you've gone over the correct answers with them. Now, they should take each data table and graph the data.

Graph Paper

Again go over the correct answers with the students before they begin creating a graph for their own data. The graph should really help them see any patterns in the data.

Drawing Conclusions

This is a difficult process to internalize for most students because it requires them to use their critical thinking skills in a way that they probably have little or no experience in doing. Students drawing conclusions from data is like a detective solving a case from evidence. The overall questions in data analysis are: What happened? and How come?

The students will need a lot of guidance and direction in drawing these conclusions. Have students look carefully at their data table and graph. They should be pulling out patterns or trends that they see. They should also be looking for anything that looks out of the ordinary (anomalies). Have them list each finding separately on a data analysis chart as a statement. Once they have all of the results laid out and have identified “what happened”, they can start answering the “how come” question for each results statement.

Before having students analyze their own data, try going through one example with the students then break them up into smaller groups to see what they come up with. Reserve quite a bit of time for this phase of the project.

Pointers:

Find as many result statements as possible
Group similar statements together
Draw a conclusion as to why the result happened
Provide evidence for each conclusion made

Example : Creating Data Tables #4

RESULTS (What happened?)	CONCLUSION (How come?)
Keaukaha‘s ranifall range is 1/16 – 1/4 inch Waiākea Uka‘s rainfall range is 1/4 – 1 inch Keaukaha‘s rainfall was £ 1/4 inch Waiākea Uka‘s rainfall was ³ 1/4 inch	Keaukaha is closer to the ocean. Waiākea Uka is closer to the Mountain. Clouds gather near mountains. More clouds lead to more rain. So there should be more rain near the mountain and less rain near the ocean.
Rainfall for both locations varied from week to week	Weather conditions in Hilo are not constant from day to day
Rainfall in Waiākea Uka was greater than the rainfall in Hilo every week except the 5 th week	There was a storm in Hilo during the 5 th week Waiākea Uka experienced drought or extremely dry weather during the 5 th week The investigator made an experimental error; measured incorrectly, faulty equipment
The highest rainfall in any location over the 5 weeks was 1 inch	The experiment was conducted during spring break when the weather is more wet than dry, but not as wet as it would be during the winter

Once students have gone through the practice examples with you and have completed a data analysis chart for their own experiment, collect their charts to check if they are on the right track. They will use the chart to write up both their results and conclusion sections of their report or display board.