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Selecting relevant data

Lesson details

Learning outcome

I can explain which data is relevant to a question and why.

Key learning points

  1. Relevant data helps you answer the question being asked.
  2. Some data is more relevant to a question than other data.
  3. Irrelevant data does not help.

Keywords

  • Relevant - useful for answering a question

  • Irrelevant - not useful for answering a question

Common misconception

More data always gives better answers.

Only relevant data helps answer a question clearly.

Teacher tip

Keep the investigation question visible throughout the lesson so pupils can use it to decide which data is relevant and explain their reasoning clearly.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), 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

4 Questions

Q1.
Which of these is written down to help people remember information?

Correct answer: a record
a guess
a feeling

Q2.
Which of these tells us when something happened?

a colour
Correct answer: a time
a picture
a sound

Q3.
Which one is different from the others?

a timetable
a diary
a log
Correct answer: a guess

Q4.
Which sentence is a fact that could be checked later?

I feel excited about a trip to the zoo.
Correct answer: The zoo opened at 10.00.
I like rhinos.

4 Questions

Q1.
Which of these best describes relevant data?

data that is interesting
data that is easy to read
data that has numbers
Correct answer: data that helps answer a question

Q2.
Which sentence is true?

All data is relevant.
More data always gives better answers.
Correct answer: Some data is more relevant than other data.
Data is only useful if it is interesting.

Q3.
Why is some data irrelevant to a question?

because it is written down
because it is new
Correct answer: because it does not help answer the question

Q4.
Why is it important to explain why data is relevant?

to make the data longer
Correct answer: to show how the data helps answer the question
to make the data interesting

To help you plan your 3 digital literacy lesson on: Selecting relevant data, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...