Doing Fieldwork Outside

Geography · People & Environments · ages 8-11

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Counting how many cars pass your school in 10 minutes is an example of what?
- Drawing a sketch map
- Collecting fieldwork data
- Reading a weather forecast
What do you use to show paths, trees and benches in a park on paper?
- A sketch map
- A diary entry
- A phone call
After you collect fieldwork data, you should present it with something like a graph or photo so others can understand it.
Circle one: True False
Priya wants to record where the litter bins are in her street. What should she draw?
- A story about her day
- A single number
- A labelled sketch map showing where each bin is
Look at the tally chart. How many buses were counted?
Answer: ______________
Tom tallies rain each day for a week. Which will best show his results to the class?
- A bar graph of rainfall each day
- A single photo of the sky
- Nothing, he can just remember it
You want to compare how busy two streets are. What's the best fieldwork plan?
- Count only one street and assume the other is the same
- Guess which street looks busier
- Tally traffic on both streets at the same time of day, then compare the graphs
Aisha counts shoppers outside a shop but forgets to write down the day or time. What problem does this cause?
- The count itself becomes wrong
- No one can tell when the data was collected, so it's hard to trust or compare
- Nothing, tallies never need a date

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Collecting fieldwork data · A tally is a simple method for collecting fieldwork data about what happens in a place.
A sketch map · A sketch map shows where things are laid out, so anyone can read it without visiting.
True · Presenting your findings, and saying what they show, is the last step of fieldwork.
A labelled sketch map showing where each bin is · A labelled sketch map shows the position of each bin, which a story or number cannot.
2 · Read the bar for buses: it stops at 2.
A bar graph of rainfall each day · A bar graph turns a week of numbers into something the class can see and compare at once.
Tally traffic on both streets at the same time of day, then compare the graphs · Collecting matching data from both streets and graphing it makes a fair comparison possible.
No one can tell when the data was collected, so it's hard to trust or compare · Fieldwork data needs a date and time so it can be trusted and compared with other counts.