Maryland Math 1.DS.A.1.a

Math1st GradeReasoning with Data and Statistics

The Standard

1.DS.A.1: Ask and answer questions by collecting, organizing and summarizing data.

Craft a question that can be answered by collecting categorical data.

Maryland College and Career Ready Standards for Mathematics (2025) · REPRESENT AND INTERPRET DATA.

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students write a question they can ask several people. The answers should be choices they can sort into groups, such as favorite fruits, not measurements or counts.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student writes, 'Which fruit do you like best: apples, bananas, or oranges?' They can name the three answer groups and ask classmates the question.
Common Misconceptions: Students may write 'How many pencils do you have?' which gives numbers instead of choices. They may also ask something too broad, like 'What do you like?' so the answers are hard to group.
How to Assess It: On an exit ticket, ask: 'Write one question you could ask our class that would give answers you can sort into groups. List two possible answers.'

Lesson moves

Give pairs apple, banana, and orange picture cards; have them write a favorite-fruit question and ask five classmates.
Show 'How many pencils do you have?' and 'Which pencil color do you like?' Ask partners which gives answers they can group.
Play Question Sort: students place question cards under 'number answers' or 'choice answers,' then rewrite one number question.
Have students write a question about which playground game to play at recess, then collect classmates' choices on sticky notes.

Free download

$Preview of the 1.DS.A.1.a printable worksheet$

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 1.DS.A.1.a, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

Keep exploring

Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.