lplan

SUBJECT: Math
GRADE: First/Second
TECHNOLOGY: Spreadsheet
BY: E. Haley Stone

Graphing Weather Data

Grade: 1st grade
Time: 30 minutes
Rationale: This lesson is targeted for first grade, but would also be appropriate for second grade. Graphing is covered in the SOLS for all years and is an important mathematical and scientific skill. First graders are developing spatial skills as well as many others. Two of the important aspects of this lesson are modeling and transition from concrete to abstract. First graders need the modeling to learn, especially when new concepts are introduced. If this lesson is to be used as the introductory lesson on graphing, there should be much more modeling of making maps and using pictures before the move is made to the pre-made and computer made graphs. This particular lesson is designed to reinforce previous learning about graphs and to apply this to weather data. The big idea of this lesson is that graphing displays information so it is easy to compare and quantify it; it is easier to answer questions.

Technology is used in this lesson because it is an important part of education today. By the end of fifth grade, students have technology SOLS that they need to meet. It is important for primary grade students to have experience with computers, not only with word processors but also with spreadsheets that are used in this lesson. Because of the young age of my students, we will concentrate on what we can do with this technology, not how we do it. This lesson would be used later in the academic year after students have had experience in the computer labs. It has been assumed that they have had practice using both a mouse and a keyboard. The technology part of this lesson is to be done in pairs. The context for this graphing lesson is weather data because this class has been studying weather and gathering data on weather for a month.

Standards of Learning:

Math 1.19 The student will interpret information displayed in a picture or object graph using the vocabulary: more, less, fewer, greater than, and less than.

Objectives:
Knowledge:
1. Students will describe how graphs depict data.
2. Students will use graphs to answer comparative and quantitative questions with 90% accuracy.
Application:
3. Students will enter weather-related data into a Claris Works spreadsheet with 95% accuracy.
4. Students will use Claris Works to make a bar graph of their data.

Materials:
Computers with Claris Works

Weather data tables for each student

Giant graph paper for teacher demonstration

Dry erase pen

Procedure:
As part of a unit on weather, this first grade class has been collecting data on weather for the entire month of February. They have observed whether it was snowy, rainy, sunny, cloudy, windy or foggy each morning. They have measured the amount of rainfall each day. They have measured the temperature each morning.

The teacher will introduce this lesson by telling the students that she wants to know whether there were more sunny days or rainy days in February. She will then ask the students how she should do this. They may suggest looking at their data tables. They will use their first table to answer this question. The teacher will then ask whether there were more windy days or foggy days. Again, they will use their data table to answer this question. The teacher will ask them if they can think of something they can do or make that will make it easier to compare the number of days of each kind of weather. If the students do not suggest it, the teacher will suggest making a graph.

The teacher will then create a graph of the kinds of weather data using the giant graph paper. To make the move from concrete to abstract easier for students, she will use suns to represent sunny days, raindrops to represent rainy days, clouds to represent cloudy days, etc. She will stack these symbols in columns to represent the data. She will place a title and proper labels on the graph. The end result will look like a bar graph. She will guide the students in using this graph to answer both comparative and quantitative(how many sunny days were there?) and comparative(were there more sunny days or rainy days?) questions. The class will discuss how graphs depict data.

At this point, the teacher will pull out a previously prepared graphs. This will be a bar graph showing the number of days of each kind of weather. The teacher will discuss the different parts of the graph. The students will use this graph to answer questions.

Next, the teacher will explain to the students that they will be using the computer to make their own graphs. She will show the students a spreadsheet and demonstrate putting in the data. She will then demonstrate how she makes a graph from each spreadsheet. She demonstrates how to highlight, choose chart, choose the correct form, put on labels, put on title. The students will be provided with a step-by-step instruction sheet as well guided instruction during the activity.

Students will work in pairs and use Claris Works to fill in prepared data charts and to create graphs.

This is what the students will see when they open the pre-made spreadsheet:

Types of Weather in February	Snowy	Rainy	Sunny	Cloudy	Windy	Foggy
Number of Days

This is what the spreadsheet/data chart will look like when the students have completed it:

Types of Weather in February	Snowy	Rainy	Sunny	Cloudy	Windy	Foggy
Number of Days	2	5	8	6	4	3

This is what their bar graph will look like:

The following are some sample directions that will be given to the students. Remember, this process will also be modeled by the teacher.

Directions

Completing the data table:

1.Click in the box below the word snowy.

2. Type in the number of snowy days. Press the tab key.

3. Type in the number of rainy days. Press the tab key.

4. Type in the number of sunny days. Press the tab key.

5. Type in the number of cloudy days. Press the tab key.

6. Type in the number of windy days. Press the tab key.

7. Type in the number of foggy days. Press the tab key.

Making the graph:

1. Highlight the entire data table including the words.

2. Click on Options.

3. Click on Make Chart....

4. Click on Axes, type Number of Days.

5. Click on the circle next to X axis.

6. Type Kinds of Weather.

7. Click on the OK button.

Evaluation:

Formative: listening skills, following directions, participation in class discussion, participation in ClarisWorks activities, answering of quantitative and comparative questions about data using graphs

Summative: ClarisWorks spreadsheets--are they 95% accurate? are they complete?
ClarisWorks graphs--are they complete? is there a title? are there labels? did they choose the right format?

Post-lesson quiz in which students use their graphs that they have created to answer quantitative and comparative questions. Questions will be asked orally. Plenty of time will be given between each question.