Small Steps to Start Strong

Calls have mounted to strengthen data literacy throughout grades preK–12. Elementary science investigations provide some of the best opportunities to help students build fundamental data practices because using data to gain insights into the natural world lies at the heart of science. Statistics educators have developed concepts and tools for data sensemaking, and they have outlined guidelines for preK–12 teaching and learning about data in the seminal GAISE II report. In a crosswalk analysis of the NGSS and GAISE II frameworks, we examined each NGSS Performance Expectation (PE) for Grades K–5 and asked: If a teacher was leading a lesson to help students meet this NGSS PE, is there a data practice that the teacher could integrate from GAISE II with relative ease to deepen both data and scientific learning among students? We discovered that the majority of K–5 PEs have strong alignment to GAISE II data practices, suggesting that with additional support, elementary teachers can deepen students' exposure to data practices in early years with small tweaks to what they are already doing. We highlight areas of overlap between the two frameworks and provide an instructional example from a Kindergarten classroom using OpenSciEd Unit K.1 Energy: Sunlight, Lesson 2.