South Carolina ETV
South Carolina ETV
1101 George Rogers Boulevard
Columbia, SC 29201-4761
Phone: 803-737-3545
Pizza Possibilities (Grades 6-8)
Master Teacher
Kari Meldrum
Overview
This lesson will teach students to create and interpret line plots, bar graphs, and circle graphs. The lesson assumes mastery of conversions from fraction to decimal to percent, construction of angles, and at least an introduction to graphs displaying data.
SC Math/Science Standards Met
Math Achievement Standards:
Area IV—Probability and Statistics
Strands: C, E
Science Achievement Standards:
Area I—Inquiry
Strands: A.2.g, A.7.a_c, A.8.a_b
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:
- solve problems by interpreting bar graphs, line plots, and circle graphs
- create line plots, bar graphs, and circle graphs
Materials
Per student:
- copies of Activity Sheets
- protractors
- compass
- rulers
- Class sets:
- crayons or color pencils
- transparencies (2 or 3)
- Per pair of students:
- newspapers (USA Today recommended)
ITV Series
Math Vantage: Data, Lesson 2, "How Do You Show It?"
Previewing Activities
Show students a bar graph or line plot displaying their letter grades of the last chapter or unit test. Make sure that you have a title and that you have labels along the sides of your graph with appropriate intervals. Discuss with your students the importance of labeling graphs and discuss the components of the graph you have displayed for them.
Have students work in pairs to search through newspapers to find at least three different kinds of graphs (bar graphs, line plots, line graphs, or circle graphs). Ask students to answer the following two questions and to complete item three in their journals.
- What is the title of each graph?
- What do the headings/labels along the sides represent?
- Summarize the graph in two to three sentences, noting any trends you see.
Focus for Viewing
To give students a specific responsibility while viewing, ask them to look for the different kinds of graphs they found in the newspaper and in what ways these graphs are used in the video. Ask them to listen for a definition of a line plot and when it is best to use a bar graph.
Viewing Activities
Start the video at the beginning of the ITV lesson. Play through and pause at the display on the screen of the title of the segment, "Data: How Do You Show It?" In a class discussion, ask students to list the kinds of uses of graphs (stock market, sports statistics, test scores, time tables, weather reports, etc.)
Continue the video and pause after the display of the bar graph describing the favorite TV show. Help students develop a definition of a line plot and ask them to write this on their copy of Activity Sheet 1. (A line plot shows data on a number line. You place an X for each response above the category of the response.) Discuss with students when it is better to use a line plot or a bar graph.
Continue the video segment demonstrating the circle graph and stop the video after the girl walks through the music store. Discuss with students that circle graphs allow you to see and compare the parts of a whole. Tell students that today and tomorrow you will be constructing a few of the different kinds of graphs you have discussed in class today.
Post-Viewing Activities
1. Ask students to look at the "Pizza Possibilities" portion of their Activity Sheets. You will want to make a transparency of the teacher sheet part of the activity. (See Teacher Transparency Sheet.) Survey your class for what their first-choice topping would be and what their last-choice topping would be. Tally the results on your transparency and ask students to record this information on their activity sheet. After students have recorded the information, ask them to work with their partner to finish the line plot and double bar graph portion of this activity. Remind students to use their color pencils and rulers when necessary to make nearly precise and presentable graphs.
2. Wait until day two to create the circle graph. Find a circle graph in the newspaper and make a transparency of it. Use it to illustrate the labeling of a circle graph. Before beginning the process of creating the circle graph, review with your class how to find the fraction of a choice to the number of people surveyed. Also, quickly review conversions of fractions to decimals to percents. Review with your class the data collected the day before. Remind students that a circle graph is a picture that shows the parts of a whole quantity. Making circle graphs by hand usually requires a great deal of effort. Students are to use the table on their activity sheet to organize their data before creating the circle graph. You will need to help students complete the first row of the table, instructing them on how to find the central angle for pizza topping.
Action Plan
1. Statistics Project: Students will choose a product that is distributed in many different brands, such as shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, etc. They will need to go to a local store to find the different brands and their prices. Have students find the mean, median, mode, and range of prices.
Students then will poll 50 people to find out which brand of their product they would actually buy when they are shopping. Have students create a table to organize their data, showing the results in the forms of a fraction, a decimal, and a per-cent. Then students are to create a bar graph showing the percent results of their poll.
Next, students are to construct a circle graph showing the fractional and percent results of their poll.
Extensions
1. Writing: As a follow-up to the activity in the Action Plan, ask students to write an analysis of their product, including the following:
- Why do you think different brands of the same product have different prices?
- How can a maker of a certain brand charge more or less for its product?
- What are some of the reasons given by the people you polled for buying a certain brand?
"Where Have All the People Gone" is a great unit to really take representing data to another level. Loaded with extraordinary activities, this unit integrates curriculum across the board, including the NCTM standards. You can find this unit on the web at Where Have All the People Gone.
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