Fun with Fractions

In this lesson students generate bar graphs. Posing and answering questions using the graphs gives them an opportunity to apply their reasoning and communication skills. They also consider whether a given category is likely, certain, or impossible.

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Fun with Fractions

Standards & Objectives

Learning objectives: 

Students will:

  • Create bar graphs.
  • Find the range and mode of a data set.
  • Determine whether an outcome is possible, likely, or certain.
Essential and guiding questions: 

1. How many different hair colors can we see in the classroom? How does this information help us make a bar graph?

[Answers will depend upon the class data set.]

2. What words did we use to describe this set of data?

[Range and mode.]

3. Suppose that a new child came into the class and he had red hair. How would that change our graph? (Repeat with other scenarios.)

[Answers will depend upon the class data set.]

4. Suppose that a brown-haired child in the class moved away. How would that change our graph? (Repeat with other scenarios.)

[Answers will depend upon the class data set.]

5. How many students had black hair? Brown hair? How can you tell that from looking at the graph?

[Answers will depend upon the class data set; By looking at the lengths of those corresponding bars.]

6. What is the mode of our data set? The range? How would you tell a student from another class how to find those answers?

[Answers will depend upon the class data set; Look at the longest bar; Compare the shortest and longest bars.]

7. If one of our class index cards for hair color were drawn without looking, are there any hair colors that would be impossible to draw? Are there any colors that would be certain? Are any colors more likely to be drawn than the other hair colors?

[Answers will depend upon the class data set.]

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level: 
Creating
Extension suggestions: 

On Create a Graph Tool site, you can also generate a pie chart. Although the students at this level may not be able to construct a pie chart, they may enjoy seeing this popular graph. To generate it, choose the "Pie Chart" option when you get to the site. You may wish to have students compare these two forms of representation. They might say, for example, that a bar graph is a graph that uses bars to show data, whereas a pie chart uses sections or slices of a whole to show data.

Alternatively, you may compare two data sets. Tell the class they will visit another class and collect two pieces of data from one or more students in that class--the color of each student's eyes and hair. After they have returned to their own classroom, divide the class into two groups. Assign one group to make a bar graph with the eye-color data and the other group to make a pictograph with the hair-color data from the students in the buddy class.

Now display the bar graph from their own class survey on eye color and ask them to compare it with the buddy class bar graph. Call on volunteers to describe any similarities and differences they see. If they do not mention the range and the mode, prompt these responses. Repeat with the hair-color graphs

Helpful Hints

Materials needed:

  • Crayons
  • Index cards
  • Paper
  • Create a Graph Tool 

References

Contributors: 
Angela Collins
Originator: 
Ayers Institute for Learning & Innovation