Graphing

An essential math skill that we have begun to study is data analysis. Analysis in the Cardinal’s classroom involves collecting, organizing and presenting information in a way that makes sense to the children. For example, our daily question of the day is a wonderful activity that builds a foundation for learning data analysis (not to mention learning a different language as the daily question posed is written in Spanish).

In math, we have just begun a study on graphing.  We explained that graphs are pictures that help us understand amounts. These amounts are called data. There are many kinds of graphs and the one we are most familiar with seeing in our classroom is the Pocket Chart Graph where the daily question is posed.

To introduce the Cardinals to graphs we read Dianne Ochiltree’s book, Bart’s Amazing Charts. In the story, Bart’s teacher asked the class to prepare a presentation about their life. With a little help from his mom, Bart decides to create charts and tables to represent his life story (e.g., what kind of sports he likes, his favorite pizza toppings, his cousins’ height) and scans them onto the computer. When it was his turn to present, the whole class was fascinated by Bart's presentation on the computer screen. What a wonderful story for the Cardinals to gain an understanding of how a chart is read.

After the read aloud, the Cardinals were provided with hands-on activities to practice this basic math concept. Five different colored blocks were placed on the ground and using a small squared block, each Cardinal took a turn at placing their block on their selection. Once the data was collected, we noticed that pink is the most favorite color in our class and yellow and blue were the least liked. There were other ideas that followed. Ask us about them. 

 

 

   

Also, a chart for “Our Favorite Snack Item for Today” was created. After eating snack, each Cardinal was encouraged to draw and sign their selection. At the end, we discovered that more Cardinals liked pita with hummus than plain. What a great way to make learning basic math concepts fun!