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      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can collect data in my school grounds that will help me answer my enquiry question.

      Key learning points

      1. Data on different variables can be collected in our school grounds.
      2. Scores can be used to compare one variable with another or one place with another.
      3. Working together during fieldwork helps us to make better decisions and have clearer opinions.

      Keywords

      • Data - information that geographers collect to help them answer their fieldwork enquiry

      • Variable - a geographical factor that has a big impact on the results of our enquiry

      • Biased data - data that has been unfairly influenced by someone's personal opinion or actions

      Common misconception

      Numerical data is more valuable to geographers than text data.

      All data is valuable to geographers, providing it is fair and unbiased.

      Teacher tip

      To find a map of your school grounds, you can use online software such as Digimap.

      Equipment

      clipboards; data collection sheet; map of the school grounds

      Content guidance

      Risk assessment required - outdoor learning

      Supervision

      Adult supervision required

      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

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      A good fieldwork enquiry question is …

      uninteresting.
      Correct answer: answerable.
      easy to answer.
      about the whole world.

      Q2.
      Which element of the fieldwork cycle drives the whole enquiry?

      Correct answer: our enquiry question
      the data collection
      our hypothesis
      reflecting on the results

      Q3.
      What happens after we create a question in our enquiry cycle?

      We present the data.
      We answer the question.
      Correct answer: We collect some data.
      We evaluate our fieldwork.

      Q4.
      Which of these are criteria that can be measured in our fieldwork?

      the impact on climate change
      how a solar panel works
      how much energy a school uses
      Correct answer: how large an area is

      Q5.
      When do we find out if our hypothesis is correct?

      Correct answer: once we have completed the fieldwork and answered the enquiry question
      during the data collection
      when we present the results
      once we have evaluated the fieldwork enquiry

      Q6.
      Where is the collection of data most likely to take place?

      at home
      in the library
      online
      Correct answer: outside

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      is information that geographers collect during fieldwork.

      Correct Answer: data

      Q2.
      All data, whether it is numbers or words, is __________ to geographers.

      biased
      Correct answer: valuable
      boring
      identical

      Q3.
      Why should our data collection locations be spread out?

      to make sure we don’t copy each other
      to cover a larger area
      Correct answer: to get a variety of places
      to make sure we work in teams

      Q4.
      In our scoring system, the location with the score is most suitable for solar panels.

      Correct Answer: highest, largest, biggest, greatest

      To help you plan your 5 geography lesson on: Collecting our geographical data, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...