Lesson Title: Making/Reading Bar Graphs and Interpreting Data

Grade: 2nd grade

Time: 50 minutes
Teacher: Samantha Branz

Goals:

Students will understand how to create a bar graph.

Students will be able to interpret data and answer questions from the bar graph they
create.

Common Core State Standard (CCSS):

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.NBT.B.5 Fluently add and subtract within 100 using

strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between

addition and subtraction.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.D.10 Draw a picture graph and a bar graph (with
single-unit scale) to represent a data set with up to four categories. Solve simple puttogether, take-apart, and compare problems1using information presented in a bar graph.

Materials:

Projector
1 pencil per student
Colored Pencils
1 snack bag of Lucky Charms Marshmallows per student
1 Lucky Charms Sorting Mat per student
1 Lets Graph Some Lucky Charms! bar graph worksheet per student
1 Lucky Charms, Lucky Questions! worksheet per student

Before (10 minutes):

1. Please take out a few colored pencils as well as a normal pencil. (One might be fine)
2. Today we are going to be working on collecting data to create a bar graph. Then we will
answer questions from the data we have collected.

3.

(Example of making a bar graph from data) Now, to create a bar graph we first have to
look at our data. I had a pile of beads that needed sorting at home. I decided to sort them
by color. I had blue, red, green, and purple beads and when I counted them, I found that I

had 7 blue beads, 2 red beads, 5 green beads, and 6 purple beads.
4. To record this data I would first create a graph. On the bottom I would record the colors
blue, red, green, and purple. On the side I would record the number of beads. (Project
graph on the board)

Bead Collection
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

Blue

Red

Green

Purple

5. Lets get to our activity for today.

During (30 minutes):
1. Its Saint Patricks Day! When you think about Saint Patricks Day, what do you think
about? (Wearing green, Leprechauns, four-leaf clovers, pots of gold, rainbows, spring,
Lucky Charms)
2. Today you will be collecting data from a bag of Lucky Charms Marshmallows. Please do
not eat them! You need to be able to collect accurate data!
3. Each of you will be given a small bag of Lucky Charms to sort. You will also have a
sorting mat, a graph, and questions to answer about your graph and data. The bottom and
side of the graph are already labelled for you.

4. When you record the number of Lucky Charms on your bar graph, 1 rectangle is equal to
1 Lucky Charm. For example, if you have 2 Clover Hats, you should color in 2 rectangles
in the Clover Hats column.
5. You may open your bags of Lucky Charms and begin sorting.
6. Support, resource push-in personnel and teacher(s) walk among students, helping where
needed.
After (10 minutes):
1. Go through questions, asking students to come show the class how they solved each
question. Make sure they share the data they collected for the columns involved in the
question.
Assessment:
1. Students will be assessed on participation during the course of the lesson.
2. Students will be assessed according to the correct recording of the data they collect.
3. Students will be assessed using the Lucky Charms, Lucky Questions! worksheet.