Encourage real-world data investigation with Let’s Investigate: Coloured Cars – a student-led booklet designed to build statistical thinking and data analysis skills in Year 3. Aligned with the Statistics and Probability strand of the Australian Curriculum, this practical activity takes students beyond textbook exercises and into the world around them, challenging them to observe, record and interpret data collected from passing traffic.

In this engaging investigation, students are tasked with watching the cars that pass by their school (or another safe location) and tallying the number of cars by colour. They then use this data to determine which car colour is the most common, comparing results with peers and interpreting the implications. This investigation introduces key ideas such as popular vs. rare data, fairness in collection times, sample sizes, and the impact of different environments on results – all in a context students find highly engaging and relatable.

Let’s Investigate: Coloured Cars walks students through the full process of data inquiry: from creating a tally chart and collecting information, to displaying their data in a bar or picture graph and then interpreting and analysing it. Students are encouraged to make comparisons, explain their thinking, and reflect on how and why results may vary. This supports deep mathematical thinking while building communication and collaboration skills.

Whether used as part of a maths rotation, a statistics mini-project or a cross-curricular inquiry, this booklet helps students develop key data literacy skills through observation, graphing and critical thinking. It’s flexible enough to be used as an individual or small group activity and can be adapted for use inside or outside the classroom depending on your context.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Collect and organise data using tally marks and frequency tables
• ✅ Represent data visually using graphs and charts
• ✅ Compare results and identify trends within a data set
• ✅ Interpret real-world data using chance and probability vocabulary
• ✅ Build observation, recording and analysis skills

What’s Included:

• Printable student investigation booklet
• Tally chart and graphing templates
• Prompts and questions for interpreting and analysing data
• Guided reflection section for comparing findings and drawing conclusions

Materials Needed:

• Printed copy of the booklet for each student
• Clipboards and pencils for outdoor data collection
• Coloured pencils or markers for graphing sections
• Optional: stopwatches, car counters or student partners for extended data tasks

How to Use:

1. Introduce the investigation and discuss how students will collect data on car colours.
2. Assign safe, supervised observation areas and time periods for students to record their data.
3. Students tally the colour of each car that passes during the observation period.
4. Back in the classroom, students use their results to complete a picture or bar graph.
5. Guide students through the reflection questions and comparison prompts to interpret their findings.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use during a data and graphing unit as a real-world application
• 💡 Assign as a small group project during maths rotations
• 💡 Compare results from different days or locations for extended analysis
• 💡 Integrate into a transport or community-themed inquiry unit
• 💡 Create a whole-class graph by combining individual data sets

Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Model tallying in real time before starting the investigation
• 💛 Discuss the importance of consistent timing and sampling for fair data
• 💛 Encourage students to describe trends using terms like most popular, least common, equal
• 💛 Use this task to support oral presentation skills – have students present their findings to the class
• 💛 Repeat the activity under different conditions (e.g. at different times of day) and compare

Let’s Investigate: Coloured Cars gives students a purposeful and memorable way to practise data skills – helping them collect, analyse and interpret real-world statistics while making maths active, authentic and fun!