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Data and Society 9-12 / Week 12 / Mission Quest
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Week 12 · Who Owns the Data?

Mission Quest

Mission Quest: Present the data story
// Sharing what we learned without harming the people in it
⏱ about 20 min

Mission Quest: Present the Data Story

It is the last Mission Quest. The crew sets up chairs in the Commons reading corner for a practice run.

Comet holds the data story with both hands. "What if the council asks something we cannot answer?"

Wren checks his wristwatch, then smiles. "What do you notice about our report? It already says what the data cannot tell us."

Nova hovers beside the board. "Would you like a hint?" she asks. "Practice with people you trust. Their questions will make your story stronger."

Comet grins. "Data analyst, your family gets to be the council today."

  1. A data story answers one question, shows the evidence and names its limits.
  2. Give credit to everyone whose work or answers you used.
  3. Share totals, not rows, and check that no box points to one person.
Summary card (made-up data from the Commons Count story)Value
QuestionWhat should the Commons add next?
Who answered40 of 120 members (a sample)
Top Q3 answerLonger evening hours, 13 of 38 valid answers
Other Q3 answersQuiet study room 11, repair bench 9, bike rack 5
LimitEvening members were over-heard; morning members were under-heard
◇ PRESENT THE DATA STORY
You need your data story from Wednesday, or the summary card above, plus paper and a pencil.
Ask a family member if they would like to hear your report. They can say no or stop at any time.
Present in this order: the question, how the data were collected, the graph, a typical value, and your claim with its limits.
Keep it to about three minutes. Point to the graph as you talk.
Invite questions. Write each question down in a few words, with no names.
Pick one question you could not answer. Write what data would help answer it.
Thank your listener. You just shared data the way the crew did: honestly, with credit and with privacy.
For a grown-up
This week your student finished the course by building a data story: a short, honest report from the made-up Commons Count data.
Listen the way a council would. Ask: how many people answered? Who might be missing? What can the data not prove?
All data in this course are made up. No one in your family is asked for personal details.
Everything in this course is done on paper. No app, website or account is needed.
QUEST CHECK
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
What comes first in your presentation?
How should you write down your family's questions?
Is longer evening hours the choice of most valid answers?
Quest reviewTrue or false?
A good data story names what the data cannot prove.?
A question you could not answer means your data story failed.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEHonest limits and good questions are what make data useful to a group.
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