Sample Sentence Starters
for Data Analysis

Use these sentence starters to help students describe patterns, make predictions, find comparisons, share surprises and discoveries, formulate hypotheses, and ask questions.

Patterns:

  • I noticed a pattern when I looked at the data. The pattern is...
  • I see a pattern in the data collected so far. My graph shows....

Predictions:

  • Based on the patterns I see in the data collected so far, I predict that...
  • This year, I expect to see the data reveal...
  • My prediction for this year's emerge and bloom dates are...

Comparisons:

  • When I compared my 2 years data, ________________ and ______________, I noticed that...
  • When I compared this year's data for emerge and bloom dates with multiple other year's, I noticed that...
  • There are similarities [or differences] between...

Surprises and Discoveries:

  • I discovered that...
  • I was surprised by...
  • I noticed something unusual about...

Hypotheses: (Possible Reasons for Differences in Emerge and Bloom Dates)

  • A possible explanation for different emerge and bloom dates is...
  • Some factors that affected emerge and bloom dates have been...
  • I think the data describing emerge and bloom in different places was affected by...

Questions:

  • I wonder why...
  • I wonder how...
  • How is plant growth affected by...
  • How will plant growth change if...