Math activity
Survey Scientists
Ask everyone a question and keep track of the answers! Use stickers or tally marks to record votes and see which answer is most popular.
Materials and setup
- paper
- pencil
- crayons
- ruler
- clipboard
How this changes by age
Pre-K (ages 3–4)
Ask everyone a question and keep track of the answers! Use stickers or tally marks to record votes and see which answer is most popular.
Steps
- Choose a question: 'What is your favorite color?' with 3-4 choices.
- Ask each family member or stuffed animal and put a sticker under their answer on a chart.
- Count the stickers in each column when everyone has voted.
- Talk about the results: 'Blue got the most votes! Red got the fewest!'
- Choose a new question and do another survey.
- Tell a grown-up one thing that surprised you.
Learning objectives
- Collect data by asking a question with limited choices
- Record data using stickers or marks on a simple chart
- Interpret results using most, fewest, and same
Kindergarten (ages 5–6)
Design a survey question, collect answers from at least 10 people, and display results in a bar graph. Write sentences about what the data shows.
Steps
- Think of a great survey question with 3-5 answer choices: 'What is your favorite season?'
- Make a recording sheet with tally marks. Ask at least 10 people your question.
- Count the tallies for each answer. Write the total for each choice.
- Create a bar graph: color in one square for each vote. Label everything.
- Write 3 sentences about your data: 'Summer was the most popular. Spring and fall were tied.'
- Tell a grown-up one thing that surprised you.
Learning objectives
- Design a survey question with appropriate answer choices
- Record data using tally marks and display in a bar graph
- Write simple conclusions from collected data
Early elementary (ages 6–8)
Conduct a multi-question survey. Analyze results with different graph types, calculate simple statistics, and write a survey report with findings.
Steps
- Design a survey with 3 related questions (e.g., about favorite foods, activities, and TV shows).
- Collect responses from at least 15 people. Record carefully in a data table.
- Display each question's results using a DIFFERENT graph type: bar graph, pictograph, and pie chart.
- Calculate: What percentage chose each answer? What was the most popular answer overall?
- Look for connections between answers: do people who like pizza also like sports?
- Write a one-page survey report: your question, your method, your results with graphs, and your conclusions.
- In one sentence, tell a parent or sibling what surprised you today.
Learning objectives
- Design and conduct a multi-question survey
- Display data using multiple graph types appropriate to the data
- Calculate percentages and write data-supported conclusions
Upper elementary (ages 8–10)
Design a rigorous survey study: write unbiased questions, use random sampling, calculate measures of central tendency, identify potential biases, and present findings professionally.
Steps
- Write 5 survey questions avoiding bias (not 'Don't you agree that pizza is the best food?' but 'What is your favorite food?').
- Discuss sampling: why is asking only your friends not representative? How could you get a more random sample?
- Collect at least 20 responses. For numerical questions, calculate mean, median, and mode.
- Create at least 3 graphs. For each, explain why you chose that graph type.
- Identify potential biases in your study: who did you survey? Who was left out? How might that affect results?
- Present your findings in a professional report: introduction, methods, results with data visualizations, conclusions, and limitations.
- In one sentence, tell a parent or sibling what surprised you today.
Learning objectives
- Design unbiased survey questions and understand sampling methods
- Calculate mean, median, and mode from survey data
- Identify biases and limitations in data collection and analysis
Safety and evidence note
Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.
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