Graphing Fun

Designed by: Emily Hammett,  Meadowfield Elementary

1) CORE CURRICULUM OBJECTIVE (S):  Collect data by counting, measuring, or surveying and use data to construct picture, bar, and object graphs.  (1SP1-1)    PACT:  IV.B.2

GRADE LEVEL:  1    SUBJECT:   MATH

2) OVERVIEW:  Through literature, manipulatives, magazines, and the Internet, children will create object, picture, and bar graphs in whole group, small group, and individual settings.

3) PURPOSE/ESSENTIAL QUESTION (S): After counting or looking at a set of objects, pictures, shapes, or other information, how can we make a picture showing how many we have of each piece of information?

4) TIME FRAME: Three 45-min. lessons.

5) RESOURCES:

Day 1

Hoban, Tana.  (1974).  Circles, triangles and squares.  New York:

     MacMillan Publishing Co.

1 large piece of butcher paper with pre-drawn horizontal and vertical lines

1 index card box (or other small container) of circle, triangle, and square

Attribute blocks (CSMP) - at least one of each shape and having a total number of shapes equal to the number of students in your class

A bucket of mixed pattern blocks (including triangles, squares, parallelograms, rhombuses, trapezoids, and hexagons) - making sure that there is at least one of each shape- for each group

A 12" X 18" piece of butcher paper for each group with pre-drawn horizontal and vertical lines so that each grid contains 6 columns

2 magazines for each student in your class

1 pair of scissors for each student

Day 2

An index box of magnetic circle, triangle, and square Attribute blocks (CSMP)

1 long piece of grided construction paper with labels for circles, triangles, and squares for each student

1 long piece of grided construction paper with no labels for each student

1 pair of scissors for each student

2 magazines for each student

1 stick of glue for each student

Day 3

AverKey

Computer

Television

1 copy of the Activity Page bar graph from the Internet site for each student

1 pack of crayons for each student

1 bag of unifix cubes (with 5 yellow, 7 blue, 2 white, and 12 red cubes) for each student

1 grid similar to the Activity page grid with the color labels yellow, blue, white, and red for each student

1 grid similar to the Activity page grid with the labels "boys" and "girls" for each student

6) ASSESSMENTS: 

Day 1 Assessment - Object Graph Assessment

Each of the 6 columns in the graph contains the same shape (ex: all triangles in 1 column, all squares in 1 column, etc...)  =  +

4-5 of the columns in the graph contain the same shape  =  ?

Less than 4 columns in the graph contain the same shape  =  -

Day 2 Assessment - Picture Graph Assessment             

Each of the 3 columns in the graph contains pictures with the same shape (ex: all "circle shape" pictures in 1 column, all "triangle shape" pictures in 1 column, etc...)  =   +

2 of the columns in the graph contain pictures with the same shape      =  ?

1 or less of the columns in the graph contains pictures with the same shape = -

Day 3 Assessment - Bar Graph Assessment                            

For each of the 4 columns or color labels in the graph, the number of shaded squares corresponds to the number of colored unifix cubes (ex: 5 yellow unifix cubes/5 shaded squares for the label "yellow")  =  +

For 3 of the columns or color labels in the graph, the number of shaded squares corresponds to the number of colored unifix cubes  =  ?

For 2 or less of the columns or color labels in the graph, the number of shaded squares corresponds to the number of colored unifix cubes    = -

7)  INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES:

Day 1 - 45 min.

1. The teacher will use the book Circles, Triangles, and Squares by Tana Hoban to show the children real-life pictures of children, places, and objects which include such shapes as circles, triangles, rectangles, and/or squares.  As the teacher shows each picture to the children, he/ she will ask the students to identify the specific shapes found in each picture.

2. After discussing the book, the teacher will explain that, over the next 3 days, the children will make a variety of graphs using shapes, pictures, and the Internet, and that they will be given graded assignments on making graphs.

3.  Then, the teacher will transition the children to a "carpet area," and he/she will explain that the class will work together to create an object graph of circles, triangles, and squares by using Attribute blocks drawn from a "Mystery Shapes Box". 

4. The teacher will lie out a large piece of butcher paper that already has vertical and horizontal lines drawn on it, and he/she will place A-block labels at the bottom of the graph for each of the 3 shapes (circle, triangle, and square). 

5. As each child draws a shape out of the Mystery Shapes Box, he/she will place the drawn shape in its correctly labeled column.  If the children have any difficulty placing their shapes in the correct columns, the teacher will provide guidance.

6. Once every child has drawn a shape, the teacher will ask such questions as: Which shape do we have the most of?  The least of?

7. The teacher will ask a student to explain how the class worked together to make the shapes graph (object graph).

8. After this activity, the teacher will assess the students on constructing object graphs by dividing the class into groups of 2-4 students and giving each group a bucket of mixed pattern blocks (including triangles, squares, parallelograms, rhombuses, trapezoids, and hexagons), making sure that there is at least one of each shape.  Each group will also receive a 12" X 18" piece of butcher paper that is already made into a grid of vertical and horizontal lines so that each grid contains 6 columns.

9. Each group will be instructed to place all of their pattern blocks onto the grid so that all of the same shapes are in the same column (ex: all triangles in 1 column, all squares in 1 column, etc...).

10. Then, the teacher will explain the rubric (see Day 1 Assessment).

11. When each group finishes its shape graph, each student in the group will be given 2 magazines and will be instructed be "detectives" like Tana Hoban and "search" for and cut out pictures of objects that include such shapes as circles, triangles, and squares.  These pictures will be used in the Day 2 activity. 

12. As the students search for objects, the teacher will assess each group's completed graph (see Day 1 Assessment).

13. Once all groups have completed the assignment and the teacher has assessed each group, the teacher will ask the students how they made their graphs for the day.

Day 2- 45 minutes

1. The teacher will review how to construct object graphs by drawing a grid on the board and placing labels at the bottom of the grid for circles, triangle, and squares.

2.  The teacher will have several magnetic circle, triangle, and square Attribute-Blocks in a box and have several children draw a shape from the box and place it in the correctly labeled column on the graph.

3. After this review activity, the teacher will explain that, for a grade, the students will be creating their own picture graphs by pretending to be "detectives" like Tana Hoban by searching for and cutting out pictures of objects that include such shapes as circles, triangles, and squares.  

4. Each student will be given a long piece of grided construction paper with labels for circles, triangles, and squares.

5. Once the students have "found" all their pictures, they will glue their "Tana Hoban" shape pictures in the correctly labeled column.

6. If a student finishes early, he/she may look for a variety of "shape" pictures that include shapes other than circles, triangles, and squares and create their own graph.

7. Once all students have completed their work, the teacher will call on some students to share their graphs with the class.

8. The teacher will collect these graphs, laminate them, and bind them into a class Big Book entitled "Tana Hoban Graph Designers."  Also, the teacher can scan pages from the Big Book onto the school website.

9. The teacher will use the rubric to grade each individual graph after class.

Day 3- 45 minutes

1. The teacher will introduce bar graphs to the class by using the AverKey technology and going to http://www.scholasticnetwork.com/max/hairy/index.htm.

2.  The teacher will read aloud to the class the poem "A Hairy Situation" several times until the class can read it together.

3. Then, the teacher will tell the children that they will make a bar graph based on the hair colors of students in the class.

4. The teacher will pass out a copy of the Activity Page from this site to each student.

5. First, the teacher will draw a grid on the board and put labels for black, brown, blonde, and red hair.  Then, she will ask all black-haired students to raise their hands.

6. The teacher will write this number on the board and then refer back to the lines in the poem, "Above each choice I colored one square/For each student who has that color of hair."  He/She will then color one square on the grid, above the "black hair" label, for each student who raised his/her hand.  As the teacher colors in the squares, the students will also color their individual graphs (students can use a pencil or crayons).

7. Then, the class will count the number of students with brown hair, write this number on the board, refer to the same poem lines from Step 6, and then ask a student to color that number of squares on the board graph.  The other students will color in the appropriate squares on their papers.

8. Repeat Step 7 for blonde- and red-haired students in the class.

9. Then, the teacher will ask the students what hair color do they have the most of in the class; the least in the class.

10. Then, the teacher will fill in the number of children with black, brown, blonde, and red hair on the computer screen in order to look at Max's class graph and to ask comparison questions between Max's class graph and the class graph on the board.

11. After this activity, the teacher will explain that each child will complete his/her own graph for a grade, and the teacher will explain the rubric (see Day 3 Assessment).

12. Each child will be given a bag of unifix cubes (with 5 yellow, 7 blue, 2 white, and 12 red cubes) and a grid similar to the Activity page grid but with the new color labels (yellow, blue, white, and red).

13. Each child will count the cubes for each color and color in the squares above the corresponding labels.

14. When the children finish, they will put all the cubes back in their bags, and they may complete Max's #1 Extra Challenge on another sheet of graph paper.

15. Once all the children are finished, the teacher will ask the students to explain the difference between an object, picture, and bar graph.  He/She will also ask the students which of the three graphs they liked the best and why.

16.The teacher will grade the individual graphs after class using the  rubric.

Additional Resources:

Tucker, Tina and Janet Cain.  (1997).  Math Explorations: Primary. 

     Huntington Beach, CA: Teacher Created Materials, Inc.