Recommended time
Minimum 60 minutes, maximum 90 minutes

Important: Before doing this session, check out Web sites that have sample lessons for learning about graphs. If the participants have little or no previous experience with graphs, focus just on bar graphs. If the participants are already familiar with different types of graphs, facilitators can incorporate line graphs, pie charts and other types of graphing into the activities. Here are some Web sites with information about making graphs with children:

Illinois Institute of Technology SMILE (Science and Mathematics Initiative for Learning Enhancement)
The SMILE section on graphs and visuals includes different lesson plans on using graphs in a project context. Many of the projects are quite simple, such as using colored cubes to create bar graphs, graphing arm span and height and graphing the bounce distances of different types of balls. The plans are detailed and include contact information for the teacher who submitted them.

Lightspan.com
Using the search tool on this education portal site to do a search on "graphs" will pull up links to great materials. Materials are categorized as articles, home activities, lesson plans, printable worksheets, projects and Web site reviews.

Swarthmore Math Forum
This link connects to a tutorial on how to make different kinds of graphs. The tutorial was created by middle school teacher Suzanne Alejandre. Use the site search tool to find more information on graphing.

Microsoft in Education
The site contains a tutorial on how to make charts and graphs using Microsoft Excel.

Goals for the session

• Build vocabulary
• Think critically
• Work cooperatively
• Practice writing words and sentences
• Read and interpret bar graphs
• Construct bar graphs from information collected through surveys

Outcomes

• Journal writing and drawing
• Survey writing
• Bar graphs
• Newsletter

Materials and equipment

• Software to make graphs (The Graph Club, by Tom Snyder Productions; Microsoft Excel; or ClarisWorks)
• A copy of Pet Show, by Ezra Jack Keats
• Composition books (one for each child and facilitator)
• Clipboards
• Loose-leaf paper
• Regular pens and/or colored gel pens
• Colored pencils and/or colored markers
• Copies of newsletter template sheets
• Bag of 2 cm. colored plastic cubes (can be found through teacher supply sources or educational toy stores); LEGO cubes can be substituted

Part 1: Journals

What is it?
Have the group do a journal exercise that relates to pets.

Sample exercises

• If you could create an imaginary pet, what would it be? Show it in words and pictures.
• In words and pictures, show the important things about your favorite kind of pet. What does it eat? How does it sleep? How does it move?

Part 2: Read-Aloud

What is it?
The suggested reading material is Pet Show, by Ezra Jack Keats. This book is about a boy who is trying to find a pet to bring to a neighborhood pet show. Click here for other recommended books.

Sample questions

• Why do you think Archie let the old woman keep the ribbon she won for the cat, even though the cat belonged to him?
• Why do you think every pet in this pet show won a prize?
• If you had a pet show, what would you give prizes for?

Part 3: Surveys

What is it?
Participants will collect information from each other in order to practice making and interpreting bar graphs.

How to
Explain to the group that everyone will be surveying each other (asking questions to get information) in order to learn more about the group. Write sample survey questions on a sheet of paper or on a whiteboard where everyone can see them. Some of the survey questions should relate to the read-aloud. For example, if the read-aloud was Pet Show, then some of the questions could be about the types of pets that people own. Others could relate back to the investigative questions the group created in the previous session. Some survey questions could be about basic interests such as favorite foods or holidays.

Ask the group to think of other questions to include in the survey, and add them to the list of questions. Ask participants to pair up and select a question for their survey. Participants can write their survey questions and answers on loose-leaf-paper and clipboards or in their composition books. Pairs who finish early can do a second survey.

Part 4: Make Bar Graphs Based on the Group Survey

What is it?
Participants will learn how to construct bar graphs.

How to
First, show participants how to read a bar graph. Distribute copies of two bar graphs to each participant. Explain what information is being shown in the graphs. If possible, use colored cubes or some other physical item to show how the information in the graphs relates to real physical units. Stack the colored cubes together to mirror the bar graphs. Take the cubes apart and have two participants volunteer to recreate one of the bar graphs in front of the group. Repeat the explanation and demonstration if necessary.

Ask each pair to count up the results of their surveys. If there are enough cubes to go around, have pairs use cubes to create physical bar graphs of their survey results.

Next, demonstrate how to make a bar graph using whatever software is available: The Graph Club, Excel or Clarisworks. Ask one of the pairs to read their survey results aloud. Use this information to create a bar graph with the software. Then ask another pair to volunteer to make a graph. Help the volunteers make a graph based on their survey results in front of the group.

Have all the participants work in pairs to make bar graphs based on their survey results.

If software is not available, graphs can be made on paper, using rulers, pencils and colored pens or markers.

Part 5: Daily Newsletter

What is it?
Instructions for creating a daily newsletter are in Session 1, Part 6.