33 Places To Find Authentic Data

Photo by Sam Howzit

Update! There’s more data this way

As a teacher of gifted students, I know that abstract drill and kill only works for so long. I’ve got to get my students working with math in a more interesting context. Nothing brings a math problem alive like putting it into a real world context. Here are 33 fantastic places to grab data for your students to practice with [links last checked 10/14/2011].

Nutrition Information

1. Starbucks (Drinks or Food)
2. McDonald’s
3. Pizza Hut (pdf)
4. Taco Bell
5. Caffeine Per Drink – includes making-of information behind this infographic

Shopping

1. IKEA – Furniture
2. Best Buy – Electronics
3. Home Depot – Home Goods
4. Guitar Center – Musical Instruments
5. Car Max – Used Cars

Population Data

1. UN Cyber School Bus – world information database for students
2. Country Population Data
3. US States’ Population (by population)
4. US Population Map – people per square mile
5. US Economic Reports – drill down by state, county, city (lots to dig through here!)
6. US Census Fun Facts – a kid (& teacher) friendly list of census information by state

Sports Stats

1. Baseball
2. Basketball
3. Football
4. Hockey
5. NCAA statistics

Employment, Education, Economy

1. Consumer Price Index – measures average price of consumer goods
2. Employment/Education information
3. More Education Means More Money

Top Sellers

1. Alltime Box Office Records
2. Top Selling Records
3. Top Selling Recording Artists
4. Top Selling Children’s Books

Natural Events

1. Latest Earthquakes (magnitude and location)
2. Significant Earthquakes (by year)
3. Real Time Water Data In The US
4. Tides and Currents (US Ports)
5. Forest Fire Data