Did you know that the amount of data we are generating each year is growing faster than most things on our earth? Who even makes sense of all that data? Data literacy is now an essential aspect of life, education, and work. Children and young adults have an innate ability to recognize patterns; our job is to pique their curiosity and teach them to make meaning from the data. With Washington State’s new math learning standards adoption that now includes Data Analysis standards, this instructional focus is more important than ever. 

This two-part interactive workshop introduces 4th - 12th grade educators to the Big Ideas of Data Science and Data Literacy through engaging 4th -12th grade activities and lessons. Participants will explore activities where students collect and analyze data connected to their own experiences. Why do some videos go viral? Are dogs with longer hair more likely to have curly tails? Through questions like these, participants will experience hands-on lessons that model data collection strategies and an introduction to easy-to-use data analysis tools. Participants will leave with ready-to-use resources that build student curiosity, engagement, and a deeper understanding of the Big Ideas of Data Science and Data Literacy.