digthedata

Q2 Spreadsheets Secrets: Birthday Breakdown

13. Data Detectives

Clean up on Case File 002: Birthdays!

At school the next day, there are cards scattered on desks across the room that have your classmates' names and birthdates on them, but they’re all formatted differently. You wonder if the suspect may have chosen hiding places based on students' birthdays. But the birthday list is a mess—names are written differently, dates are formatted every which way, and nothing is sorted. Your job is to help clean up and organize the data so we can see the patterns and solve the next clue.

Step 1. Check out the birthday dates that are scattered around the room.

  • Be able to answer the question: What do you notice about the birthday data?
  • Be prepared to share your observations with a partner or the class based on your teacher's instructions.
  • Now follow the instructions on the chalkboard in the classroom below. The image is hyperlinked.

The image of the classroom provided classmate names and birthdates. By selecting the image, students are given access to all of the student names and birthdays.

Step 2. Based on your notes in the birthday data that you have uncovered, you now need to get the data into a spreadsheet so that you are eventually able to format it to make connections to clues you have.

  • In your 13. Data Detective folder, create a Birthday Data Collection Sheet by following the directions in 13.Q2 Creating a Spreadsheet.
  • Some tips to keep in mind:
    • In Header Row Titles, add Name, Month. Day, and Year.

  • Type the data as seen in the uncovered list into the appropriate cells.

Step 3. Share your your spreadsheet with your teacher based on their instructions for the permissions needed.

Step 4. Add the link that you copied, as shown in the 13.Q2 Creating a Spreadsheet instructions (#8), to your 13. Data Detective Notebook, Q2 Spreadsheet Secrets: Birthday Breakdown slide 4, that you have saved in your Drive.

Step 5. Respond to the two questions on slide 4 in your 13. Data Detective Notebook.

13.Q2 VOCABULARY

13.Q2 COMPLETING

13.Q2 Student Checklist
 

13.Q2 Teacher Guide 

MITECS  Michigan Integrated Technology Competencies for Students, and

ISTE Standards for Students

5. Computational Thinker
b. collect data or identify relevant data sets

6. Creative Communicator
c. communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models or simulations
d. publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for a variety of audiences

21T4S Documents & Quizzes