Grade 2 – Math – Bar Graphs

Lesson Title: Bar Graphs

Teacher: Alannah Uliski and Sheena Wolfer

Lesson Total Length: 45 minutes

SP2.1 – Demonstrate understanding of concrete graphs and pictographs.

a) Formulate a question relevant to one’s self, family, or community that can be answered by gathering information from people.

c) Pose questions related to gathered data and explain how the data can be used to answer those questions.

• I can examine a bar graph and make observations.
• I can show data using a bar graph.
• I can answer questions relating to the bar graph.

• How is a bar graph used to show data?
• How do you create a bar graph to show data?
• How do you use a bar graph to compare data?

• Students should have a basic understanding of a graph.
• Students should understand the concept of sorting objects into a graph.

• Whole Group Instruction
• Group Discussion and Questions
• Development Activity – Graphing on the board
• Formative Assessment – Cookie Bar Graph worksheet

Observe students while doing the data recording and bar graphs on the board. Watch for students’ understanding in sorting data and reading the graphs by seeing how many are in each category and which has more.

Students will hand in completed cookie worksheets to assess understanding.

Introduce the lesson by looking at bar graphs and reviewing how to read a bar graph together. 

Show examples from the bottom of Bar Graph categories and examples document. There are 3 example graphs about sports, weather, and vehicles. Show one of the three graphs and explain what everything is categories like sports, number of votes, the actual bars and what they represent, and the title of the graph. Ask students the following questions before counting how many are in each category on the graphs:

– Which group has the most? How do you know?

– Which group has the least? How do you know?

Then go through and count how many for each category and ask:

– Which one has the most? Is it the same as what we said before we counted?

– Which one has the least? Is it the same as what we said before we counted?

Repeat for the rest of the examples.

Development: 20 minutes

Start by telling students we will be making our own bar graphs together on the board.

Start with sticking the animal pictures on the board. Give each kid their name tag. Have students come up to the board with their name tag and place it over the picture of their fav animal (as pictured below). Straighten up names if needed to make it look like a bar graph. Then, ask students to help you read the graph:

– Which has the most votes? How do you know?

– Which has the least votes? How do you know?

– How many votes did each category get? Were our predictions of which is more and which is less correct?

Repeat for the rest of the examples –  shapes, then seasons, and then colours.

Learning Closure: 15 minutes

Cookie Bar Graph -Formative Assessment

Start out by telling students we will be creating a new bar graph with cookies and then completing a worksheet with the information we gather. Place the four cookies on the board as we did during the examples. Have the students place their name above the cookie they choose. Hand out the worksheets and go through filling in the bar graph together. Once they are finished filling in the graph go through the questions one by one and have the students answer the questions on their own. Have the students hand in the worksheets to assess their learning. 

Cookie Bar Graph

– A little tag/piece of paper for each kid with their name on it.

-Whiteboard marker

-Sticky tack

-Pencil

-Pencil Crayon

-Document Camera

Possible Adaptations/ Differentiation:

– only having a few kids do each example in the development (all the kids will get to do it in the end).

– If students seem to be understanding, you do not need to do all the examples in the set or the development.

– If students are able, they can do the worksheet on their own.

Management Strategies:

– Remind students to use their walking feet and be careful of other’s personal space when coming up to pin their name on the board.

– Have students put their hands up when they want to answer a question asked.