Title of lesson Misleading Data Grade Level 8 and 9

Subject Science Time Frame 44 minutes

Developed By Fernando Baez

Stage 1: Desired Results

General
Analyze qualitative and quantitative data, and develop and assess possible
Learning
explanations
Outcome(s)

Identify strengths and weaknesses of different methods of collecting and displaying

data
Specific
Learning
Compile and display data, by hand or computer, in a variety of formats, including
Outcome(s)
diagrams, flow
charts, tables, bar graphs and line graphs

Learning Students will think critically on how data can be misrepresented, on purpose or
Objective(s) through poor practice, leading to the viewer drawing wrong conclusions

Stage 2: Assessment Evidence

Summative Formative • Class discussions, 1 on 1 chats during
• N/A
Assessment Assessment activity

Stage 3: Learning Experience

Tech • Have laptop Resources
• Laptop for PowerPoint
to Do charged to Bring
Time Content/Description Notes
Introduction
• Attendance and greetings
• Ask students to submit the graphs they created from the
data analysis lesson
Activity – Presenting misinformation
• Jump to the title slide called “Misleading Data”
• The presentation should be approached as a class wide
discussion, with each slide generating ideas
• The first slide after the title shows a number of ways
data is misrepresented
• Spend some time on it, going over the different ways it’s
misrepresented. Let students copy it
 • The rest of the presentation shows a number of graphs,
mostly from the news, that misrepresent data to
promote an agenda
• Show each graph for about 5 minutes, or until the class is
ready to move on
• Let students look at it, raise hands, and share what they
see wrong with the graph
• Add depth to what is going on in each graph
• Move on to the next slide, usually contains a graph that
has the proper info
• Spend some time going over the “correlation does not
imply causation” slide
• Give the example of how as ice cream sales
increase/decrease, so do forest fires. The two are not
tied together, but are tied to the warm summer months
• Show the three poorly correlated graphs, let them laugh
about it
• Introduce final activity
• Let students pair up in 2-3 and write conclusions based
on ONE of the three last graphs shown. They are to
pretend that they are buying into the data, and they are
to write a conclusion using the RERUN method taught in
the last class
Closure
• Show the exit slip question
• You can either let them write it down, or simply leave it
up on the board for them to think about and reinforce
the message of the lesson

Reflections and
Follow Up