New
New
Year 8

Data science

I can describe data science and explain how data is used to make decisions.

New
New
Year 8

Data science

I can describe data science and explain how data is used to make decisions.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Data science is used to make smarter decisions.
  2. Data scientists analyse data to find patterns and discover useful information.
  3. Data can be cleaned and organised to make it more useful.
  4. Data can be biased if it doesn’t represent everyone fairly.

Keywords

  • Analyse - to look at something carefully to understand it better

  • Data pattern - a recurring trend, relationship, or structure found within a set of data

  • Data cleaning - fixing or removing mistakes in data to make it correct and ready to use

  • Data bias - when data is unfair or unbalanced, which can lead to wrong or unfair results

Common misconception

Data science is just about collecting loads of data.

Data science isn’t just about gathering data, it’s about understanding data and using it to make decisions or discoveries.


To help you plan your year 8 computing lesson on: Data science, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Use real-world relatable examples with learners. Ask them to consider how managers decide on which players to choose for their favourite sports team or how a streaming service knows what shows to recommend.
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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
What do we call an electronic component that carries out a logical operation?

Correct Answer: Logic gate

Q2.
What is the output of an OR gate if at least one input is true?

Correct answer: true
false
it cannot be decided
zero

Q3.
Which logic gate gives a true output only if both inputs are true?

OR
NOT
Correct answer: AND

Q4.
What is the word for a value that can only be true or false?

Correct Answer: Boolean

Q5.
What do we call the chart that shows every possible combination of inputs and outputs for a logic rule?

scoreboard
data sheet
binary chart
Correct answer: truth table

Q6.
Put these actions in order for completing a truth table for an OR gate:

1 - write all possible input combinations
2 - use the OR rule to decide each output
3 - fill in the output column

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
What is the main purpose of data science?

to collect as much data as possible
to draw pictures
to create games
Correct answer: to make smarter decisions using data

Q2.
What does it mean to analyse data?

Correct answer: to look at data carefully to find patterns and useful information
to ignore the data
to delete all the data
to choose random numbers

Q3.
What is data cleaning?

making the data colourful
throwing away all the data
Correct answer: fixing or removing mistakes in data
sorting data by colour

Q4.
Put these steps in order for using data in a science project:

1 - collect data
2 - clean and organise data
3 - analyse data to find patterns
4 - use data to make decisions

Q5.
What do we call a recurring trend or structure found in data?

Correct Answer: data pattern, pattern

Q6.
Match each keyword to its meaning:

Correct Answer:analyse,to look at something carefully to understand it

to look at something carefully to understand it

Correct Answer:data pattern,a recurring trend or structure in data

a recurring trend or structure in data

Correct Answer:data cleaning,fixing or removing mistakes in data

fixing or removing mistakes in data

Correct Answer:data bias,when data is unfair or unbalanced

when data is unfair or unbalanced