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South Carolina ETV
1101 George Rogers Boulevard
Columbia, SC 29201-4761
Phone: 803-737-3545

What's Data? (Grade 2)

Master Teacher

Jan Hazel

Time Allotment

Two 50-minute class periods

Overview

This lesson will give students the opportunity to investigate the concept of data collecting. Activities will show students how to make graphic representations of information gathered. Students will learn how to tally and read a bar graph. Vocabulary about data will also be included. At the end of the lesson, individual students will collect data independently.

Subject Matter

Mathematics (data collection)

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

• define data and related vocabulary
• gather data about different items and organize data by tallying
• create a graph representing the data collected
• interpret the information on the graph

South Carolina Standards

These Standards can be found online at Office of Curriculum Standards.

Mathematics: Grade 2

VI Probability and Statistics

B. Generate questions, collect data, organize and display information, and interpret findings.

1. The student will construct, read, and interpret appropriate tables, charts, pictographs, and bar graphs.

2. The student will generate questions, collect data using surveys, and organize data by tallying.

Media Components

Video

Math Monsters, Lesson 1: "Data Collection" is about a group of monsters who want to start a restaurant. They plan to sell pancakes but they have a problem—which kinds of pancakes to serve. So they decide to go around the neighborhood and collect data. After completing this task, they try to record their data but each monster collected the data in a different way. The monsters combine their information by making a bar graph. Students will see how to collect and organize data.

Web Site

Ideas for Data Collection can be used to find daily data collection lists that can be used in the classroom. Included are: yes/no data ideas, holiday ideas, seasonal ideas, places, and other favorites by various teachers.

This site will be used as a follow up activity. Use this after the Assessment is completed. To provide a Focus for Media Interaction, ask the students to name one idea for data collecting.

(Answers: various responses)

Go to the Web site and let each student choose a question to use for collecting data. (Ex. Have you ever gone fishing? Yes or No.) They must ask each student in the class the question and record the data on a paper. Each student then completes a graph to show the results of the data he or she has collected. Display these in the hall or classroom.

Materials

• crayons/pencil
• Vocabulary Booklet (1 per student)
• dictionaries (if needed)
• candy bars in a basket (e.g., Hershey's Chocolate, Baby Ruth, Snickers)
• four or five baggies of M&M's or a similar candy (20 per bag)
• cover picture for vocabulary booklet (1 per
• student for Learning Activity 1)
• tally sheet (1 per group of 4 or 5 students)
• Graph sheet (M&M activity/ 1 per small group)
• Assessment sheet (Candy Bar Favorites/1 per student)
• Completed pancake graph on poster board (colored graph seen on the video)

Prep for Teachers

Review the method of tallying with students.

Preview the video and note the Focus for Media Interaction stopping points found in the Introductory Activity.

Make vocabulary booklets for each child. Six pages should be included in each booklet. Two or three parent volunteers can help with this activity.

Prepare posters displaying the different ways data was collected in the video. Copy these when previewing the video. The four ways were: drawing circles, making pancake stacks, writing names, and making check marks.

Prepare 4 or 5 baggies with 20 M&M's in each one.

Make graph from video with pancake favorites (colored bar graph only).

Make copies of needed Activity Sheets.

Introductory Activity

Step 1: Begin by introducing the vocabulary words to the students for this lesson. Write words on the board. Help students understand what each word means. Tell students to listen for the words in the lesson. (Vocabulary words include: data, organize, favorite, collection, popular, and graph.)

Step 2: Provide a Focus for Media Interaction by asking the students to watch this segment and tell you two things that the monsters are trying to do. (Answers: find the most popular pancakes, record the data). START the tape from the beginning and STOP at the first break on the screen. (Look for the large question mark and listen for the musical sound.)

Step 3: Provide a Focus for Media Interaction by asking the students if they have any ideas how the monsters can find out which pancakes are the three favorites. Brainstorm and share thoughts. Watch the video to find out the plan that the monsters will use to find out the three favorite kinds of pancakes. (Answer: The monsters each go different directions in town and ask their friends which pancake type is their favorite.)

RESTART the tape. STOP at the next large question mark. (Look for the large question mark and listen for the musical sound.)

Step 4: Ask the students if they know of one way that the monsters can organize the data that they collected. Also talk about what DATA is. Several students may want to predict which kinds of pancakes they think will be the favorites before moving on.

Step 5: Provide a Focus for Media Interaction by asking the students to watch what the monsters did to record their data. (Answer: Each monster shared its data separately and then combined it on one graph.) RESTART the tape. STOP the tape when the graph is COLORED only. There is no special sound at this point. Discuss what the monsters did. Display the teacher made graph. (shaded kinds: 9 Bubble Gum, 10 Spinach, 13 Blueberry, and 8 Banana)

Step 6: Provide a Focus for Media Interaction by asking the students which three pancakes will be the favorites. (Answers: blueberry, spinach, and bubble gum) RESTART the tape to show where the count was done. STOP the tape when the dog/computer scene appears. There is no special sound at this point.

Step 7: Provide a Focus for Media Interaction by asking the students to watch and name two ways that data is taken on a farm. (Answers: track the number of animals, to know how much grain to order for food) RESTART the tape to see the example of how data is taken on a farm. Ask students to join you in singing the closing song. STOP the video after the last question mark and musical sound. Talk about what a bar graph is and how it can be used to collect data.

Learning Activity #1

Step 1: Give each student pages for a vocabulary booklet. This should include Learning Activity #1,Vocabulary: Data Collecting, and three sheets with vocabulary words listed.

Step 2: Let each student color the cover design on their booklet.

Step 3: Using the copies provided, help the students write a brief definition for each word. (Note to Teacher: Use dictionaries if necessary.) Record the definitions on the board so students can copy them in their booklets.

Learning Activity #2

Step 1: Ask four or five parent volunteers to stand in front of the room with a poster illustrating the different ways data was collected on the video.

Step 2: Assign four or five students to each parent. Ask students to talk about how the data was collected with the parent.

Step 3: Each group will answer with their group. Do you think the data collecting was done correctly? If not, explain why.

Step 4: Groups will share ideas with the whole class.

Learning Activity #3

Step 1: Talk about a bar graph with students. Show them a graph worksheet.

Step 2: Ask students to remain in their groups. Parent volunteers will also be needed to assist with this activity.

Step 3: Give each group a blank graph worksheet (M&M) to use for recording information. Also, distribute a tally sheet to each group.

Step 4: Distribute one baggie of M&M's to each group. Ask them to tally the colors and complete the bar graph. (Note to Teacher: You should move around the room to check on each group while they are working.)

Step 5: Discuss results with the whole class.

Culminating Activity

Step 1: The students will be asked to share what they have learned about data collecting through this lesson.

Step 2: A basket with three types of candy bars will be shown to the class. Each student will be asked to get up and choose his/her favorite from the basket. They will take these to their desks.

Step 3: Draw a chart on the board with each candy bar listed. (Hershey's Chocolate, Baby Ruth, and Snickers or whichever candies you selected.)

Step 4: Record the totals for each. Write numbers only on the board.

Assessment

Each student will be asked to use information from the Culminating Activity to complete the blank bar graph entitled, "Candy Bar Favorites." These will be checked for accuracy after they are completed. Cross-Curricular Extensions

Writing: It is important for students to write about math experiences. Ask students to write about "My Favorite Candy Bar." Editing will be done with partners.

Community Connections

Plan a field trip to a local television weather center. Ask the station's meteorologist to explain different ways that he/she collects data. This would include records that are kept for temperatures, hurricanes, etc. Questions that the teacher might ask could include:

1. Do you use data in your job?

2. How do you keep records?

3. Can you show us some data you have collected?

Student Materials (PDF)

• Learning Activity #1 Sheets
• Learning Activity #3 Sheets
• Assessment sheet ("Candy Bar Favorites")