'Handling data' tutor notes

The aim of the 'Handling data' topic area is to understand how to extract numerical information from lists, tables, diagrams & charts.

How does this tie in with the curriculums?

• England
  HD1/E3.1 Extract numerical information from lists, tables, diagrams & charts
• Wales
  As England
• Northern Ireland
  As England
• Scotland
  See www.aloscotland.com for details of the Scottish curriculum.

Please note that the BBC is not responsible for the content of other websites.

In this Skillswise module you'll find...

Handling data - game

The Taking measures Handling data game consists of three mini games: Using Bar Charts, Understanding Information and Observing and Recording. There is also the chance to play all three in one session in Mix and Match.

Using Bar Charts and Understanding Information aim to help players understand how to represent data by building and analysing bar charts and understand that the title, labels, and key provide information by working out which is the missing element. In order to play successfully, learners must understand how to use a simple scale to create their bar chart. The games also include transferring data represented in the form of a tally or map to a bar chart to illustrate that the same data may be shown in different ways.

Observing and Recording shows the process of creating a tally chart by categorising items of luggage moving along a conveyor belt. At the end of the game, the total for each tally is generated to show a frequency table.

All games may be played with the timer on or off. In the timer off versions, the learner may progress at their own pace by controlling when they move on to the next question, giving ample time for them to investigate a wrong answer. The timer on games are intended to be quickfire rounds for learners who want to challenge themselves. As the elements, figures and objects are randomised, the games will be different each time they are played. The scores for the three mini games are represented by a bar chart to further the learning on data representation.

Please do tell us what you think of this game.

Handling data - quiz
3 levels of quiz to test rounding and estimating skills. The learner can choose their level. Students may print out a certificate if they score 50% or more in the quiz. This will appear as a link on the results page - click on the link and the certificate will appear in a new window. Learners can write their name in once the certificate is printed.

Handling data - factsheets
There are 13 factsheets in this section.

Handling data - worksheets
There are seven printable worksheets with answersheets in this section.

Technical help:
To get the most out of this topic area you need the following 'plug-ins':

• Flash
  The game in this topic section uses Flash. This is free to download and should only take a few minutes. You can follow the BBC WebWise instructions to download it to your machine.
  Find out more.
  If you don't have Flash the same learning points are covered in the quiz and in the worksheets and factsheets.
• RTF format
  The worksheets are in Rich Text Format (RTF). Most word processors can view and edit RTF files, unlike some word processing files which need particular software. If you are a Microsoft Word user, you won't notice any difference between an RTF file and a Word document. If your learners are visually impaired, these worksheets are screen reader accessible. Lastly, like Microsoft Word documents, RTF files are editable, so you can change or customise the worksheets to suit your learners. We hope you find this useful!

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Taking it further:

Elsewhere on the web:

Here are a few suggestions of other places on the web that you might find useful resources that you can adapt for teaching decimals.

Skillsworkshop - Tally Chart Practise
Tally Chart Practice contains a set of resources that introduces tallies, encourages group discussion of when and how to use them and ideas for further practice. Scroll down to "Tally Chart Practice" in the Data and Statistical Measures - Entry Level 3 area.

Skillsworkshop - Maths investigation
Traditional Christmas Pudding maths investigation that involves a trip to the supermarket, scaling a recipe, rounding, estimating and much more! Scroll down to "Traditional Christmas Pudding" in the Data and Statistical Measures - Entry Level 3 area.

Please note that the BBC is not responsible for the content of other websites.