AC9M2ST01: Acquire data for categorical variables through surveys, observation, experiment and using digital tools; sort data into relevant categories and display data using lists and tables

Data is useful when it answers a clear question. Categorical data is sorted into named groups such as favourite fruit or transport type.

Learning sequence: Ask question → Collect data → Sort categories → Table → Answer

Success looks like

• Ask survey questions
• Collect data
• Sort categories
• Use lists and tables
• Answer from data

Use a clear survey question

Display sorted data in a table

Curriculum coverage and elaborations

The content description and elaborations below show the curriculum ideas taught in this unit. Items marked as teaching context support lesson planning.

• Content description: acquire data for categorical variables through surveys, observation, experiment and using digital tools; sort data into relevant categories and display data using lists and tables
• E1: posing a question of interest about favourite things; for example, asking classmates what are their favourite types of fruit, football teams, days of the week, and recording responses using a table; using counting strategies to determine the number of different responses and the most popular and least popular responses
• E2: investigating questions, such as “How much rubbish is really rubbish?” by gathering data about objects in categories; for example, throw away, recycle and reuse; deciding whether the data answers the question
• E3: using familiar software or generative artificial intelligence tools, to construct a survey to collect class data, sorting and interpreting responses, and considering the questions asked and whether they need to be modified to reuse the survey
• E4: observing events and using the observations to design a table or list to record data; for example, observing students arriving at school prior to deciding the appropriate data categories for investigating the different ways students get to school
• E5: exploring the ways First Nations Australians observe, collect, sort and record data (teaching context)

Use a reliable, community-approved source and identify the specific Nation, People or community where the source does. Avoid presenting diverse First Nations knowledges and practices as one generic tradition. Follow local cultural and intellectual property protocols before inviting community participation or reproducing cultural material.

Key idea: Data is useful when it answers a clear question. Categorical data is sorted into named groups such as favourite fruit or transport type.

Remember

• Ask survey questions
• Collect data
• Sort categories
• Use lists and tables
• Answer from data

Quick questions

• What is a categorical variable?
• Why should each response be counted once?
• Create a survey question.
• Make a table for cats: 5, dogs: 8.

If an answer is uncertain, return to the model and explain what each part represents before calculating or drawing a conclusion.

How to use this unit

Read the topic guide and use the teacher slide for instruction. Students can then use the worksheet for written work, open Practice for supported feedback, or take the Test when they are ready.

• Unclear question — Use a question everyone can answer the same way.
• Double counting — Record each person or item once.
• Overlapping categories — Make categories clear so each response has one place.

International curriculum mapping

This table gives closest-topic mapping for search and planning. The Australian Curriculum code is exact; overseas entries are broad equivalents because each jurisdiction structures outcomes differently.

Curriculum equivalents for Acquire data for categorical variables through surveys, observation, experiment and...

Mapped skill: acquire data for categorical variables through surveys, observation, experiment and using digital tools; sort data into relevant categories and display data using lists and tables

These references identify matching or closely related learning. Curriculum sequence, terminology and depth vary, so teachers should use the mapped skill and lesson difficulty to confirm suitability.

Australian Curriculum v9.0 is the canonical source for this SkillrHub lesson. Victoria and NSW entries name the closest published state codes or outcomes; international entries are planning references rather than claims of identical curricula.

Official curriculum references

• Australian Curriculum Version 9.0
• Victorian Curriculum F-10
• NSW Curriculum
• Common Core State Standards
• Next Generation Science Standards
• England National Curriculum
• New Zealand Curriculum
• NCERT textbooks

Related Year 2 Maths topics

• AC9M2N01: Recognise, represent and order numbers to at least 1000 using physical and virtual materials, numerals and number lines
• AC9M2N02: Partition, rearrange, regroup and rename two- and three-digit numbers using standard and non-standard groupings; recognise the role of a zero digit in place value notation
• AC9M2N03: Recognise and describe one-half as one of 2 equal parts of a whole and connect halves, quarters and eighths through repeated halving
• AC9M2N04: Add and subtract one- and two-digit numbers, representing problems using number sentences, and solve using part-part-whole reasoning and a variety of calculation strategies
• AC9M2N05: Multiply and divide by one-digit numbers using repeated addition, equal grouping, arrays, and partitioning to support a variety of calculation strategies
• AC9M2N06: Use mathematical modelling to solve practical problems involving additive and multiplicative situations, including money transactions; represent situations and choose calculation strategies; interpret and communicate solutions in terms of the situation
• AC9M2A01: Recognise, describe and create additive patterns that increase or decrease by a constant amount, using numbers, shapes and objects, and identify missing elements in the pattern
• AC9M2A02: Recall and demonstrate proficiency with addition facts to 20; extend and apply facts to develop related subtraction facts