Bar Graphs

Designed by: Colette Dryden, Satchel Ford Elementary School

1) Core Curriculum Objective: Use or make a table, chart, or graph.  (3-PS1-3)

 Grade Level: Three            Subject: Math

 2) Overview:  Working in cooperative groups, students will conduct research with the other third grade classes in order to collect data.  They will then use the Internet’s Graph Challenge to create their own graphs with the collected information.  They will print out the graphs and write questions for the other group’s to answer.  They will publish their findings on the school’s web site.

3) Focus Question: How can we make and use a bar graph to represent data we collect? 

4) Time Frame:  Two 1 hour classes

5) Resource Materials:

  http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/Graphing

paper

pencils

AverKeys

6) Culminating Assessment: The teacher will score the students on
the accuracy of their graph, their questions, as well as their answers to another group’s graph’s questions using the following rubric.  Students will also conduct a self-assessment.

BAR GRAPHS RUBRIC

STUDENT SELF-REFLECTION

While working on this activity:

My rating of how I did on this activity is….

7) Instructional Activities:

Activity One: (ADVANCE PREPARATION: Ask the other 3^rd grade teachers if your students can survey their class.)  The teacher will review bar graphs by discussing why they are important and in what ways we can use them.  She will have the web site: http: www.ash.udel.edu/ash/challenge/challengeframe.html on the TV screen using AverKeys if possible. This will help all students to see the site at one time.  If not, then have it on the computer monitor.

The teacher will go through one of the ready-made graphs with the students, modeling how to answer the questions on the computer.  She will then brainstorm with the students some possible topics they could choose to make their own bar graphs.  Some to consider are favorite foods, movies, pets, subjects, books, or color of eyes.  The teacher will allow the students to get into groups of 3. 

The groups will then choose their topic.  Students will decide on what questions they will ask when they survey the other third grade classes and write them down.  In the interest of time, the teacher may suggest that they choose the foods, for instance, and ask “How many like pizza?” instead of having open questions.  The members of the group also need to decide on recorder, interviewer, and data entry person.

Tell the students they will survey the other classes the next day in order to collect the information for their bar graphs.

Activity Two: After a brief discussion on why we are collecting this data, allow the groups to begin the surveys.  HINT:  Don’t send all groups to the same teacher at the same time!  Students will return to the classroom to discuss their findings. 

The teacher should then show the students the “Bar Graph Maker” on the above web site.  Model how to enter the data and how to print out the graph.  Remind them to change the color of each bar in their graph to make it easier to read. 

On a rotating basis, the groups will go to the computer (use the library’s also, if you only have 1 Internet connected computer in your classroom) to the web site previously introduced.  They will go to the “Bar Graph Maker” and follow the prompts and enter the data they collected.  They should print out the graph.

As the graphs get finished, the groups should write questions about their graph.  For instance, How many more people have brown eyes than blue?  What is the favorite movie of the third grade class?  The least favorite book?  They should write 5 questions.  Tell them that they will be trading graphs and questions and answering another group's questions.  Remind them to make sure the questions can be answered by using the graph.

Collect the graphs and questions.  Score each group on their graph and questions.  Copy each group’s questions so each person will have a copy of the questions when they answer them. 

Activity Three: Pass out the graphs and questions making sure no group receives their own.  Tell the class to use the graph to answer the questions.  They should write their answers completely on the page with the questions.  The teacher will score the answers using the rubric.  Students finishing early can go to the web site to do more of the Graph Challenges.  Students will publish their graphs on the school’s web page.  They will also send the graphs via e-mail to the classrooms that participated in the surveys and ask the classes to respond to the graphs.