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BusinessTech Academy · front

Data Dive tracker

A data dive starts with a question about something real. You guess first, look at one chart, then test your guess yourself in the pool. Keep this sheet for every dive. The back has a row for each one.

The five steps, every dive
  1. Your guess. Before you see any chart, write your guess in two places: the Your guess box on the dive's worksheet, and a short version in the My guess box on the back of this sheet. Do not change either one later. Being wrong is fine: that is how you learn.
  2. Look. Read the chart. Answer the Find out questions.
  3. Try it. Open the pool on the same data and do the five steps on screen. Write down the numbers you find.
  4. Say it. Write one sentence on that dive's worksheet: I think ... because ... and I checked it by ... The last part matters most. Name something you did to the chart.
  5. What you found. Check your numbers against the screen. Then, on the back, circle whether your guess was right and write the big idea in your own words.
Four questions to ask any chart
  1. Read a chart: What does this chart show, and what does it leave out?
  2. Ask who counted: Every number was counted by someone or something. Who counted, and how?
  3. Compare and choose: The same data can tell different stories. How you slice it changes the answer.
  4. Find what's missing: Sometimes the most important part of the data is the part that is not there.
What you need

This sheet, a pencil, the dive's worksheet, and a browser for step 3. Each dive takes about 30 minutes.

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BusinessTech Academy · back

My dives

DiveThe questionDateMy guessWas I right?The big idea, in my words
1.12,508 earthquakes. Can you spot the big ones?yes · partly · no
1.2Can a chart make a small difference look huge?yes · partly · no
1.3Is 78 bad-air days a lot?yes · partly · no
1.4What is the most common tree on LA streets?yes · partly · no
1.5Is half of 311 really about old couches?yes · partly · no
2.1Which part of New York has the most rats?yes · partly · no
2.2Can the city check its own rat numbers?yes · partly · no
2.3Do rats take the weekend off?yes · partly · no
2.4Did all of LA stop reporting problems for a day?yes · partly · no
2.5Can one machine on one mountain be trusted?yes · partly · no
2.6What does a school job actually pay?yes · partly · no
3.1Did global warming stop in 1998?yes · partly · no
3.2Was September a normal month for LA's 311?yes · partly · no
3.3Does carbon dioxide help us find planets?yes · partly · no
3.4Where do LA's 311 requests really cluster?yes · partly · no
3.5Does most of California breathe bad air?yes · partly · no
3.6Which students are struggling most?yes · partly · no
3.7Does a more expensive college pay off?yes · partly · no
4.1Does a blank spot on a map mean clean air?yes · partly · no
4.2Is every part of Earth warming?yes · partly · no
4.3Are earthquakes in Southern California slowing down?yes · partly · no
4.4Are planets like Earth rare?yes · partly · no