What students learn in AC9M6ST03
This unit helps students build a clear, usable understanding of Plan and conduct statistical investigations by posing and refining questions.... The goal is not to memorise one answer pattern. Students should be able to explain the idea, recognise it in a new example and apply it in a short practice or worksheet task.
- Start with the main idea: plan and conduct statistical investigations by posing and refining questions or identifying a problem and collecting relevant data; analyse and interpret the data and communicate findings within the context of the investigation.
- Use concrete examples, pictures, oral explanation and short written responses before moving to independent practice.
- selecting and using appropriate peripherals; for example, using a scientific probe to collect data about changing soil moisture for plants, interpreting the data and sharing the results as a digital chart using a spreadsheet to record and analyse data, recognising the difference between cell formats in spreadsheets; for example, changing the default general format to numerical, text or date as needed
- Finish with mixed questions so students must choose the correct strategy rather than copy the last example.
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 but may not appear in the initial eight-question activity.
- Content description: plan and conduct statistical investigations by posing and refining questions or identifying a problem and collecting relevant data; analyse and interpret the data and communicate findings within the context of the investigation
- E1: selecting and using appropriate peripherals; for example, using a scientific probe to collect data about changing soil moisture for plants, interpreting the data and sharing the results as a digital chart
- E2: using a spreadsheet to record and analyse data, recognising the difference between cell formats in spreadsheets; for example, changing the default general format to numerical, text or date as needed
- E3: investigating the daily water usage by a student in the home compared to the World Health Organization claim of 50 litres of clean water allocated per person per day
- E4: collecting sample sets of “discrete numerical data”; for example, the number of cars or pets in a household, where the class is surveyed, then other classes are surveyed, and data is analysed and compared, discussing findings
- E5: collecting ordinal categorical data through the use of a survey; for example, surveying each member of the class where they are asked to indicate their preference on a five-point scale for a particular graphic and colour combination of a proposed school logo
- E6: collecting ordinal data for ranking nominees for school captain with respect to several criteria, contrasting the use of a five-point scale compared with using a four-point scale
How to use this unit
Read the topic guide, use the teacher slide for instruction, then complete the Worksheet, Practice and Test. These three activities use the same eight-question unit bank.
Teacher resource
AC9M6ST03 teacher slide
Use this one-page PDF to introduce the key idea, vocabulary and teaching sequence before students begin the activities.
Open teacher slide (PDF)Common mistakes to watch for
- Rushing to a rule before checking the concrete model, drawing or number sentence.
- Using the correct answer once but not being able to explain why it works.
- Mixing up similar vocabulary such as more/less, before/after, longer/shorter or equal groups/sharing.
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.
| Region | Curriculum | Closest mapping |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Australian Curriculum v9.0 | AC9M6ST03 — plan and conduct statistical investigations by posing and refining questions or identifying a problem and collecting relevant data; analyse and interpret the data and communicate findings within the context of the investigation |
| Victoria | Victorian Curriculum F-10 | Year 6 Maths: closest match in Statistics. Use this page as a VIC-aligned practice and worksheet reference. |
| NSW | NSW Curriculum | Stage 3 Maths: closest content focus for Plan and conduct statistical investigations by posing and refining questions... and related outcomes. |
| United States | Common Core / NGSS | Grade 6 Common Core Mathematics/ELA closest topic match for Plan and conduct statistical investigations by posing and refining questions.... |
| England / UK | National Curriculum | Key Stage 2 / Year 6: closest programme-of-study match for Plan and conduct statistical investigations by posing and refining questions.... |
| Canada | Provincial and territory curricula | Grade 6 closest topic match. Canada varies by province, so use this as a broad Ontario/BC-style learning outcome reference. |
| New Zealand | New Zealand Curriculum | Level 3 Maths: closest achievement-objective topic for Plan and conduct statistical investigations by posing and refining questions.... |
| India | NCERT / CBSE | Class 6 closest NCERT/CBSE topic match for Plan and conduct statistical investigations by posing and refining questions.... |