Grade: 6

Purpose: Students will collect, organize, and graph data.

Objectives: Students will produce a bar graph including a data box accurately reflecting data collected in class from peers.

Resources/Materials: Graph paper, pencils, rulers, colored pencils or crayons, chalkboard or dry erase board on which to collect class data, chalk or pens.

Anticipatory set: Conduct a survey of the class for data collection. The survey question should be on a topic of interest to the students. This week’s question: What do you plan to do on your vacation?

Sleep

Travel

Play video games

Celebrate

Play outside

Read books, magazines, or newspapers

Go to the movies

Relax

Students vote by tallies on a chart on the board and choose their top two choices. Allow students to come to the board to vote in small groups. This may be by table or group number or some other selection, such as month of birthday, etc.

Lesson Development:

As students are voting, the procurer for each cooperative group can obtain the supplies box including rulers, and the paper passers can pass out a piece of graph paper to all students.

After all students have voted, choose two popcycle sticks to identify two students who will count up the tallies and write the total number in each category next to that heading on the chart.

Brainstorm list of things helpful/necessary on a bar graph.

Model sample bar graph, including examples of the data box, paper heading, question asked, and x and y axis reflecting the numbers up the y axis and the categories along the x axis.

Students construct their bar graph and data box, labeling appropriately the x and y axis and color coding their bars and data box.

Lesson Closure:

Students work independently to complete their own bar graphs and teacher walks around the room to check on progress and answer questions. When students are beginning to finish, ask them to answer the following question on the back of their graph paper using complete sentences: Why do you think people use bar graphs to show data? What other ways can you illustrate the data using a chart, graph, or illustration of some type other than a bar graph?

Have students display their graphs in a prominent location. Lead a small discussion about which items are particularly effective; point out graphs that contain all the necessary items to reinforce essential elements for the students.

Extension: Students come up with their own question, complete data collection, and graph data.