Kids love it when it’s all about them. Let’s leverage off of that and get in some fun data analysis work as there’s been a big push recently to get students to look at, describe, and interpret data. And analyzing data is foundational to critical thinking, a skill very much needed to make sense of our world today.

In order to create their glyph, students need to look at the Math Monster Math legend (included in the lesson plan available below) and choose the symbols that apply to them. Check out our final result.

As you can see from all the different monsters, a lot of great questions can come from looking critically at our collection.

• How many students who attended our event play a sport?
• Are there more sport playing students or non-sport playing students?
• How many students have a dog as a pet?
• Of the sport playing students, do more have a dog or do more not have a dog?
• Are there more birthdays in the first half of the year or the second half?
• How many students are taller than four feet?
• Were there more boys or girls at the event?

Looking at the result, I was surprised at how many students do not have a dog as a pet. Being a dog lover, I can’t imagine anyone not having a dog. But it’s not about my personal opinion. It’s about what the data shows me. Looking at and discussing the data helps students learn that thinking critically requires moving beyond gut feelings or opinions. And those are the kind of conversations we need to have with our students.

I kept this displayed in the multi-use room after the event so teachers could bring their students in to discuss the data. But, as mentioned earlier, this would be a super fun classroom activity. And if you have a buddy class, it would be a fun way to wrap up the school year with them!

The lesson plan is available for purchase on our website.

Finally, my assistant took the activity home to do with her cousins. They had a blast.