Lower School Update: Data in Focus

In sixth grade math, students become data detectives, exploring how information is visually represented and uncovering the stories behind the numbers. They analyze real-world examples, design their own surveys, and learn to present their findings through charts, graphs, and other visual tools.

 

Sixth graders began by exploring infographics earlier this year, when math teacher Nathan Chase challenged them to find real-world data in newspapers and magazines. They brought in examples, such as pie charts, bar graphs, and line graphs, to share and analyze with the class. This exercise helped students understand that while numbers are objective, the way data is presented can skew the meaning. For example, a graph where the y-axis doesn’t start at zero can make incremental changes appear much larger. “Sixth graders are critical thinkers,” says Nathan. “They enjoy the challenge of finding misleading data and discussing how the data is depicted and what the author might be trying to tell us.”

 

Earlier this spring, students once again turned their attention to visual data as part of their Transforming Our World projects. For these interactive workshops, students researched an issue tied to one of the United Nations’ seventeen Sustainable Development Goals and created presentations to educate their audience.  A key element of their work involved presenting data clearly, creatively, and effectively. In math class, students learned how infographics can make complex information more accessible, highlight patterns and trends, and engage viewers. They then applied these skills to design infographics that showcased statistics and numerical insights related to their chosen issue.

 

One of the final projects of the year challenged students to design and conduct a survey on the topic of their choice, then present their findings through two infographics, one created digitally using online tools and the other, a pie chart drawn by hand using a compass and protractor.

 

Students began by brainstorming potential topics and selecting the one they believed would generate the most responses. Each student was required to survey at least 25 people–classmates, friends, or family members–but those eager to collect more data were encouraged to stick to increments of 50, 75, or 100 to make the numbers easier to work with. While many students chose surveys based on favorite things, like preferred dog breeds, sports, and desserts, others dug deeper to learn more about the interests or issues that affect their survey group. Leila C. ’28, for example, asked participants to choose which superpower they’d most like to have, offering options such as invisibility, telekinesis, and weather control. Lila S. ’28 took a different approach, surveying her group about injuries they had incurred, including ACL tears, dislocations, and concussions. As students collected their survey results, they kept a running tally and then converted the raw numbers into decimals, percentages, and finally degrees. Using this data, students created visual representations—bar graphs, line graphs, or pie charts—using Google tools to bring their findings to life.

 

Creating a hand-drawn pie graph proved to be one of the more challenging parts of the project. Some students needed several tries to draw a perfect circle using a compass. Then they used a protractor to measure and draw each segment, aiming for the full circle to total exactly 360 degrees. “If you’re within four degrees, that’s excellent,” says Nathan. “Within 10 degrees is still pretty good, but if you’re off by more than that, it’s time for another draft.”

 

This project serves as a culmination of the learning and application of mathematical skills students have developed throughout the year. “A big part of the sixth grade curriculum is organizing, manipulating, and analyzing data—mean, median, mode, and range,” says Nathan. “This project is a great way to tie all of that together.”