Minds On
Asking questions
Explore
Let’s explore an episode of The Space. In this episode, Melissa interviews the Earth.
As you explore the video, think about what question Melissa asks the Earth.
Do you know what question was asked?
What is the purpose of asking a question?
Student Tips
Questions?
Some reasons we ask questions:
- to find out more information
- to check if we understand
Gathering data
We could gather data about Melissa’s question by making a tally table.
What would you call your tally table?
Press ‘Tally Table’ to reveal a sample tally table.
| Favourite Kinds of Rocks | |
|---|---|
| Ruby |
|
| Diamond |
|
| Other |
|
Action
Asking questions
A teacher asked their students, “What is your favourite type of music?”
They recorded the information in a tally table. The tally table is called “What is your favourite type of music?”
There are four rows:
- rock with 3 tallies
- country with 6 tallies
- hip hop with 8 tallies
- dance with 4 tallies
| What is your favourite type of music? | Number of students |
|---|---|
| Rock |
|
| Country |
|
| Hip Hop |
|
| Dance |
|
Task 1: Understanding the data
Let’s explore the tally table and answer the following questions.
- How many students chose Rock?
- How many students chose Country?
- How many students chose Hip Hop?
- How many students chose Dance?
- Which was the most popular music? How do you know?
- Which was the least popular music? How do you know?
Complete the Favourite Music: Understanding The Data in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable documents.
Press the Activity button to access Favourite Music: Understanding The Data.
Activity (Open PDF in a new tab)Press 'Answer' to reveal the solution.
3 students chose Rock.
6 students chose Country.
8 students chose Hip Hop.
4 students chose Dance.
Hip Hop was most popular. I know because it had the most tallies.
Rock was the least popular. I know because it has the lowest number of tallies.
Task 2: Changes to the data
The teacher asked 5 more students, “What is your favourite type of music?”
The results were:
- rock: 3
- dance: 2
Look below to see the new people added to the tally table.
- How does the tally table change?
- What do you notice?
| What is your favourite type of music? | Number of students |
|---|---|
| Rock |
|
| Country |
|
| Hip Hop |
|
| Dance |
|
Press 'Answer' to reveal the solution.
The tally table changed because before there was a bigger difference between the types of music before. Now there isn’t much difference.
I notice that Hip Hop is still the most popular because it still has the most tallies.
But I don’t know which one is the least popular because Rock, Country and Dance are all the same. They are tied with 6 tallies.
Consolidation
Creating a question
Consider the following information:
- Rose = 7
- Tulip = 4
- Daisy = 2
- Sunflower = 6
Record the information In a tally table.
What might the data be about?
Create a question that might have been asked. Use the question as the title of your tally table.
Record your ideas on the computer, on paper, or in a recording.
Reflection
How do you feel about what you have learned in this activity? Which of the next four sentences best matches how you are feeling about your learning? Press the button that is beside this sentence.
I feel…
Now, record your ideas about your feelings using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.