Texas TEKS 3.2.B

Science3rd GradeScientific and engineering practices

The Standard

analyze data by identifying any significant features, patterns, or sources of error

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students examine tables, graphs, and repeated measurements to find highs, lows, changes, repeated patterns, and unusual results. They also identify steps or tools that may have caused inaccurate data.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students can point to evidence in the data and describe a pattern accurately. They can spot a result that does not fit and name a specific possible cause, such as misreading a ruler.
Common Misconceptions: Students may call any change a pattern or ignore values that do not fit. They may assume an unusual value should always be removed or give vague explanations such as “human error.”
How to Assess It: Give this exit ticket: “Bean plant heights were 4, 5, 6, 15, and 8 cm. Describe the pattern, circle an unusual value, and name one possible measurement error.”

Lesson moves

Have pairs measure the same pencil three times, record results, compare patterns, and identify why measurements may differ.
Display a simple rainfall graph and ask students to write one pattern, one unusual result, and one possible reason for it.
Play Data Detective by giving teams data cards to sort into pattern, unusual feature, or possible measurement error.
Use a week of local temperatures and have students identify the warmest day, the overall pattern, and any surprising reading.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 3.2.B, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

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