Computer Science Fundamentals Lesson 5.4: Big Data
Computer Science Fundamentals · Unit 5 · Lesson 5.4

Big Data

Computer Science Fundamentals Grades 9–12 3-day lesson 25 deliverables

Students in this computer science lesson learn what makes data big data and how people find patterns in it. They sort data cases from a smoothie chain by volume, velocity or variety, then try techniques like group and count and trend over time.

Single lesson
$7

● Instant download · Lifetime access · Editable & print-ready

Print + digitalPDF, PowerPoint, Word & Google
Answer keysA key for every page
Built-in assessmentExit tickets + lesson quiz
45-minute daysEvery day planned and timed
What's inside

What does this lesson cover?

Big data is hard to teach when students can't see any of the data. Here they work with a small sample of made-up orders on paper, so they can count, compare and find a pattern themselves. Nobody opens an app, a spreadsheet or a data tool.

Featured original activity

Two Ways to Look

Students use two techniques on a sample of 20 made-up smoothie shop orders, then compare them and say which one answers the owner's question.

25 deliverables

Everything that's included

00 Start Here

  • READ FIRST: every file in the lesson and when you use it
  • Teacher guide and pacing: the plan for each day, what to print and how to grade
  • Skills map: which standards each day teaches

01 Present

  • One editable PowerPoint deck for all three days, 28 slides, with speaker notes
  • Slide script: the speaker notes, printed
  • Bell ringers: a short warm-up for each day

02 Student Handouts

  • Guided notes for all three days, in PDF and editable Word, with the word bank on the page
  • Vocab slip: the lesson's words and what they mean, on one page

04 Activities

  • Which V? Sort eight data cases at Beech Street Smoothies by the V each one shows most, and write why
  • Two Ways to Look: use two techniques on a sample of 20 made-up orders, then compare them and say which one answers the owner's question
  • Pick the Technique: pick and use a technique on a new sample of orders on paper

05 Assessment

  • Exit tickets, one per day: quick questions that show who needs more help
  • Lesson quiz: 10 multiple-choice questions and 2 written answers about all three days

06 Answer Keys

  • 5 answer key files: a key for each day (its bell ringer, notes and exit ticket) and the activity keys, plus the quiz key

Digital: Google Forms™ + Google Slides™

  • 4 Google Forms™ of the exit tickets and the quiz, ready to copy into your Drive
  • The multiple choice grades itself, and you grade the written answers
  • A Google Slides™ copy of the deck, with the same slides and speaker notes, for Google Classroom™

Why teachers love this lesson

People choose the question

Students learn that a computer doesn't find answers on its own. People choose the question and the technique, and students check what each technique can and can't show.

Personal data is handled with care

The lesson explains why a business should keep its customers' personal data safe and use it only in the ways the customers agreed to.

Print and digital

Every page is a print-ready PDF, and the Google Forms™ and Google Slides™ let you teach the same lesson in Google Classroom™.

A key for every page

Every day has its own answer key, and every written question has a sample answer and what to look for.

Every day fits a 45-minute class

Each day's plan is timed activity by activity against real reading and writing speeds.

Written for your students

Every student page is checked for reading level, with plain words and complete sentences.

What Teachers Say

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Questions teachers ask

How do I get the files after I buy?

Instant download right after checkout: PowerPoint and Word files you can edit, print-ready PDFs, and links that copy the Google Forms™ and Google Slides™ into your Drive.

Can I buy the whole unit or course instead?

Yes. This lesson is part of the Unit 5 bundle and the complete Computer Science Fundamentals course. Both cost less than buying the lessons one at a time.

Is this AP Computer Science?

No. It is a full-year, non-AP intro course for grades 9 to 12. For AP, see AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science A.

What formats are the files in?

Every page is a print-ready PDF. The slides are an editable PowerPoint and the guided notes an editable Word file. The exit tickets and the quiz also come as Google Forms™, and the deck as Google Slides™.

Which standards does it cover?

Written for Florida's Advanced Information Technology course (9007610). The skills map in the lesson shows which standards each day teaches.