Avatar Maker · Lesson 3
Lesson 3: Restoring the Dataverse
Working in pairs across two days, students explore four lands of the online Dataverse to analyze avatar and identity data — building heat maps and bar graphs and reasoning about identity, sampling, and fairness.
Overview
Building on the foundations of Lessons 1 and 2, students embark on a deep dive into the Dataverse, an online realm where identity data comes to life. Moving from theory to application, they work in pairs to explore their personal avatar and identity datasets. Students explore four lands over two days in the Dataverse: the Planes of Place Keepers (categorical → heat map), the Glade of Given Names (frequency → bar graph), the Cryptic Caverns (identity & patterns), and the Marsh of Mirrors (sampling & fairness).
Student Objectives
I can…
- ✓ I can recognize that many things count as data, including words (categorical) and numbers (quantitative).
- ✓ I can accurately identify and read the representations used in this realm — bar graphs for name lengths and heat maps for identity traits.
- ✓ I can communicate data findings through peer-to-peer discussion.
At a Glance
Total: about 90 minutes (two days)| Section | Time | Slides | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome & Grounding | 3 min | 3–4 | Daily warm-up. Use the "Avatar's Pet" prompt to bridge creative identity work and formal data classification. Students practice identifying categorical data (descriptive labels) and numerical data (measurable counts) in a low-stakes, imaginative way before they enter the online realm — defining their pet through both lenses so they see that data is a tool for describing the characteristics of their world. |
| Bridging from Yesterday to Today | 2 min | 5–7 | Give students the narrative hook. Review the Adventure so far: in Lessons 1 and 2 students brought avatars to life and trained them in categorical and quantitative data. Now it is time to put that training to the test. Preview today's learning using the Agenda. |
| Common Data Types | 4 min | 8–10 | Building on the Lesson 2 cat data card sort (by words and by numbers), briefly introduce the heat map. Walk students through how a frequency table can be used to create a heat map that visualizes both categorical and numerical data. |
| Forming Groups & Setting Expectations | 3 min | 11 | Have students get into teams of 2 (proximity-based, free choice, or teacher-assigned) and gather what they need: a digital device, log books (digital or analog), and access to the Dataverse and their Mission Debrief. For some pairs it helps to keep the Dataverse open on one device and the Mission Debrief open on another to record findings. |
| Enter the Dataverse | 3 min | 12–13 | Introduce the lands students will explore. Narrative hook — the Dataverse is calling; in pairs, you will complete critical data tasks to bring clarity back to the lands, turning mixed-up information into clear, powerful visualizations. |
| Mission 1: Whole-Group Adventure Time | 7 min | 14–16 | Start with a Guided Expedition (gradual release). Complete Mission 1 together, modeling on the main screen while pairs follow along on their own. Establish the pattern for every mission — complete the mission in the Dataverse, pause ~2 min to complete the Mission Debrief in Google Slides, then move to the next mission or land on the Dataverse map. |
| Mission 2: Planes of the Place Keepers | 5 min | 17 | Once the whole group has finished Mission 1 and the Mission Debrief, pairs proceed to Mission 2 and the second land. If a team gets stuck on a data puzzle or navigation step, use the master unlock code to bypass the roadblock and keep the mission moving. |
| Activity: Partner Work — Completing Missions | 14 min | 18–19 | Pairs work through the Dataverse toward the Glade of Given Names. By the end of Day 1, students should have completed both missions in the Planes of the Place Keepers and begun the Glade of Given Names. Early finishers can do the Bonus Rounds (slide 18), which ask students to analyze the data collected in the Lesson 1 Google Form. |
| Reflection & Closing | 4 min | 20–22 | Students update their Data Habits of Mind Graphic Organizer, and in their Mission Debrief mark where they should start tomorrow. |
| Day 2: Warm-Up / Connector | 3 min | 24–26 | Welcome students back to the Dataverse and have them re-form their groups. Make sure everyone can log back in (LMS recommended) — the website should remember where each pair left off. |
| Day 2: Welcome Back, Narrative Frame & Expectations | 5 min | 27–30 | Use the Agenda and classroom agreements to set expectations. Students are expected to complete at least three lands in total across the two days, and should continue where they left off. Pairs who finished all four missions (the Glade of Given Names and the Planes of the Place Keepers) move on to the remaining lands. |
| Day 2: Activity — Dataverse Exploration | 32 min | 31–32 | Introduce the two new lands — the Cryptic Caverns (identity & patterns) and the Marsh of Mirrors (sampling & fairness) — and remind students to record their work in the Mission Debrief. Students log into the Dataverse and continue their exploration. |
| Day 2: Reflection on Group Work | 5 min | 31–32 | Pairs briefly discuss which Data Habits of Mind they developed or improved on across the two days. |
Materials & Prep
- Data Habits of Mind Tracker · 1 per student (if you have not already shared it with the class)
Gather
- A digital deviceOne per student or pair. Optional — headphones.
Digital
- The Dataverse (online activity)Student link — https://dataadventures.org/avatar/lesson-3/. Post it in your LMS so students don't have to type the URL, and confirm it isn't blocked by your content filter.
- Mission DebriefMake a copy for student pairs to record their reflections (digital Google Slides).
- Slide DeckNeeds a computer with sound, a projector, and internet access.
- Extension ActivitiesBonus Material Rounds A (Day 1) and Round B (Day 2) for students wanting an additional challenge.
Before You Teach
- ☐Review the slide deck.
- ☐Post the Dataverse link (https://dataadventures.org/avatar/lesson-3/) and the Mission Debrief slides in your LMS so students don't type URLs, and confirm the links aren't filtered.
- ☐Link all digital resources in one place — an LMS or class website works best.
- ☐Note the master unlock code (unlock0591) to bypass any glitches in the Dataverse environment.
- ☐Make a copy of the Mission Debrief for student pairs.
Open slide deck to project launches the fullscreen slideshow in a new tab. Open with speaker notes opens the deck in Google Slides with the speaker-notes pane below each slide — read these to prep, or open presenter view while projecting. The preview above is just a quick look.