Session 1 · DESIGN: Sketch
Into the spreadsheet
- 10 minSpreadsheet basics: cells, rows, columns, and why every row should be one observation.
- 20 minEnter your class data. Then clean the messy sample: fix spellings, remove duplicates, spot the 400 that should be 4, fill or flag blanks.
- 15 minUse formulas: SUM, AVERAGE, MAX and COUNTIF. Check one answer by hand to be sure the formula is right.
- 5 minSave with a clear file name and write the date and your names in a notes tab, not in the data.
Session 2 · DESIGN: Improve
Charts that tell the truth
- 10 minChart detective: look at three misleading charts (a cut-off axis, a squashed timeline, a 3D pie). What trick is each one playing?
- 20 minMake two charts of your data. Choose the type that fits the question: bar for comparing, line for change over time, pie only for parts of one whole.
- 15 minSwap with another group. They check titles, axis labels, units and scales, and write one suggestion.
- 5 minWrite one sentence starting 'Our data shows…' and one starting 'Our data cannot tell us…'.
Getting started
Start with SUM on one column before trying COUNTIF.
Stretch
Use conditional formatting to colour the busiest times or places, or build a pivot table.
Checkpoint
A clean spreadsheet with working formulas and two honest, labelled charts.
Activities for this week
- Spreadsheet clean-up crew: Why is real data messy, and how do you clean it without changing the truth?
- Chart detective: How can a chart tell the truth, or trick you, with the very same numbers?
Useful this week
- CensusAtSchool – TataurangaKiTeKura ↗ Real survey data from New Zealand students to explore, clean and chart.
- New Zealand Garden Bird Survey ↗ The method and national results for counting backyard birds, to compare with your own.
- Artificial intelligence ↗ A clear introduction to how AI and machine learning work, with New Zealand examples.
- Teachable Machine ↗ Train your own image model in the browser and see how training data shapes the result.
- AI for Oceans ↗ Train an AI to sort fish from rubbish and discover how bias creeps in.