Taylor Berg
Jessica Crooker
EDUC 355
19 March 2012
Data
Analysis and Probability: Data Representations (Bar Graphs, Histograms, Pie
Charts)
Resource
Collection for Middle School Mathematics
Resource 1: Professional
Organization
"7.4.2
Circle Graphs and Histograms | SciMathMN." 7.4.2 Circle Graphs and
Histograms | SciMathMN. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.
What?
This is a website link to the detailed descriptions of all
Science and Mathematics standards throughout the grades. This is created by the
Minnesota Department of Education. I found the particular 7th grade
standard of Data Analysis which states, “Students
in 7th grade have been using different displays to show data they have
collected. They have used bar graphs, line plots, line graphs and double bar
graphs. They will move into circle graphs and histograms in 7th grade, finding
a part of a circle (sector) given the percent or other data for the section.
They should be able to determine missing values of a circle graph. They will
transfer the data into displays to show the data. They will use the information
gathered or make a frequency table to help them in the display of the data”
(Standard 7.4.2 Essential Understandings).
So What?
This is an extremely beneficial site for mathematics and
science teachers to reference. All standards and specific benchmarks are
explained thoroughly. Associated with each standard, there are also common
misconceptions, vignettes, instructional notes and resources, ideas for
differentiation, example assessments, and resources for parents and
administration. This site is packed with information and resources for each
specific standard.
Now What?
I would love to reference this site regarding all the
various units I begin. There are links to websites that are relevant and could
be utilized. Particular problems from the assessment examples could also be
used in class, or on tests or quizzes. I also find the common misconceptions
extremely beneficial to see as I go into my first years of teaching, and it is
difficult to anticipate how students will respond to particular material. This
can help in preparation.
Resource 2: Website
"Data
Grapher." Illuminations:. National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics, n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2013.
What?
This website
allows students to enter data and then analyze the data using bar graphs, line
graphs, pie charts (circle graphs), and pictographs. Multiple sets of data can
be entered and then one can pick which sets to display in whatever
representation seems most fitting. I found this site as a listed resource from
the source above, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics created
this site.
So What?
This is a
wonderful way to have students work with data and decide which method of
representation is best. In addition, students are working with technology,
which will likely be engaging for students that spend so much time on their
phones and computers. It is important to incorporate technology, as this is
what is interesting and familiar to them.
Now What?
I would love to
use this as a mathematics project. To even further engage the students, I could
allow students to enter data they collected themselves, or that they found.
There are always better results when students have choice in the material that
they are working with, and this could allow them to truly pick data that is
interesting to them, and relevant to their lives.
Resource 3: Children’s
Book
The Great Graph Contest by Loreen Leely
Leedy, Loreen. The
Great Graph Contest. New York: Holiday House. 2005. Print.
What?
This children’s
book is about a toad and a lizard that are in a competition to create the best
graphs. Throughout the story they are trying to create better graphs than the
other and incorporate bar graphs, pie charts, Venn diagrams and quantity
graphs. There is also a snail that is judging which graphs are the best, as
well as giving helpful reminders to use labels and such.
So What?
Although it is a
children’s book, there are many helpful lessons that middle or high school
students can benefit from. For example, students of all ages have the tendency
to forget about the importance of labels. A graph does not have a lot of
meaning when there is no way for knowing what it is representing. There are
many effective examples of representing data in a variety of methods. This
helps demonstrate of applicable mathematics is, and how math is everywhere! J
Now What?
This book could
be used as a fun introduction to this unit. It would also help students spark
their own ideas of what they could use as data for their own Data Analysis
Project, and then what different graphs would best represent it. The characters
of the book often ask, “Can you make a graph about that?” which helps emphasize
that such a variety of data can be represented on graphs. The snail that is
judging which graphs are the best can help indicate that certain data is better
represented on particular graphs more than others.
Resource 4: Chapter Book
Charts and Graphs:
Microsoft Excel 2010 by Bill Jelen
Jelen, Bill. Charts
and Graphs: Microsoft Excel 2010. Indianapolis, IN: Que, 2011. Print
What?
This book is
filled with chapters of information of how to communicate information clearly
through Microsoft Excel graphs and charts. There are step-by-step instructions,
case studies, and links to YouTube. The step-by-step instructions are broken
down and clear to follow in order to create designer quality graphics to
represent data.
So What?
As I majored in
Mathematics, I have friends from my courses that have finance or actuarial
science internships that rely heavily on Excel. I have heard numerous times
that they wish there had more exposure and exploration with Excel in their
coursework, or throughout their education experience. This book provides
numerous examples and explanations on how to use various Excel functions for
data analysis and representation, so as a teacher; I need to find instructions
or examples that would be appropriate for my classroom.
Now What?
I could have
this be an activity that I provide a lot of scaffolding with hold to read the
instructions. It would be manageable for students if I found one set of
instructions from the text, and then made photocopies. I could even find
several different sets of instructions, so each small group could tackle a
different graph or chart on Excel. This technology project is so applicable to
the work force; it would be awesome if they could be organized in groups
according to their interests of what they want to do when they’re older. Then I
could provide data for each group accordingly. Any exposure to computer
programs like Excel is so applicable and transferrable into “real life”.
Resource 5: Comic Strip
"Pie
Chart." On Dilbert.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.
What?
This is a silly cartoon, which emphasizes how data
represented neatly in pie charts looks important and worthy of ones’ time to
look at! Pie charts can allow information in the workplace to be clearly
represented and then easily presented and understood by others that need to
grasp the meaning of the data. Well-presented and represented data may also
appear convincing when it needs to be as well.
So What?
This comic is relatively funny, and then also extremely
relevant to the unit. This could be used in various ways in the classroom and
then help students to think about how important and effective well done
representations of data can be!
Now What?
I have had teachers
that would place little comics on tests or quizzes, and it provides a nice
environment, and brief relaxing moment, prior to a stressful situation. I could
also have this on an exit or admit slip, and have the students write a
reflection on the cartoon and what they can take from this. (I will have to
talk about how I know that everyone always has something useful to say, but
this is just Dilbert being ill prepared at work, but knew that graphs and
charts are extremely important to convey the meaning behind data J )
Resource 5: YouTube
Video
"How
To...Draw a Simple Pie Chart in Excel 2010." YouTube. YouTube, 01
Oct. 2010. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.
What?
Dr. Eugene
O’Loughlin from the National College of Ireland gives an extremely clear
YouTube demonstration on how to create Simple Pie Charts on Excel. He uses a
basic example of amount of apples, oranges, pears, and bananas that are sold
over four quarters. Then he shows how to put two different quarters of sales
into pie charts to clearly compare the amount of each fruit sold during those
two quarters. Then he shows how to make the pie charts three dimensional, which
is more visually appealing and easier to understand.
So What?
Dr. O’Loughlin
speaks clearly and slowly while explaining how to approach the creation of the
pie charts. He also uses a curser that is a big red dot, which is easy to
follow where he clicked, and then what happened after. The video is also a
brief four minutes, and filled with a feasible amount of information to grasp.
He makes two flat pie charts, and then makes then 3D.
Now What?
This is a
wonderful instructional video to teach students how to create these pie charts.
It would work well to watch this on a projector in the computer lab, and have
the ability to pause, and allow the students to go through each step along with
the instruction. It is advantageous to integrate technology, as well as to hear
a different voice of instruction. Dr. O’Loughlin has an interesting, but
understandable, Irish accent that the students may also enjoy. (March may be a
fun time to do this lesson! J )
Resource 6: Website
"Seventh
Grade." IXL - Math Practice. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.
What?
This website contains numerous example problems associated
with all the standards across the grade levels. I was able to choose the
seventh grade level, and then locate the subheading of Charts and Graphs, which is one of twenty-seven topics for seventh
graders. Then below the headings are more specific subsets of that topic, and
once you click on those, there are example problems that one can answer and
receive immediate feedback from.
So What?
This website is extremely organized and easy to navigate. I
went through and did some of the example problems, and they’re directly aligned
to the standards. The immediate feedback is wonderful, and the problems even
increase in difficulty, as you’re successful. The problems involve interesting
information and are bright stimulating problems. This could be an interesting
way to practice the material. Especially because it is so simple to generate
the exact type of problem a student may need. If certain students are
struggling on particular topics, it would be easy to differentiate the activity
using this website, and assure that students are receiving the practice on
exactly what they need.
Now What?
There would still need to be a few things that I would need
to consider prior to using this website for practice. I would want to be able
to see how the students do with the problems, or establish some sort of goal.
I’m not sure that just doing a bunch of practice problems with the time
allotted would be that intriguing. It could maybe be something I project on the
wall and have the entire class work on the same problem, working in small
groups, and make it some sort of review game. I could also have this site as an
option to go to with time left over after working on an assignment in the lab.
Resource 7: Website
(s)
Exploration of
Histograms v. Bar Graphs
"There Is a
Difference: Histograms vs. Bar Graphs." Illuminations:. N.p., n.d.
Web. 18 Mar. 2013.
"Bar Graphs
and Histograms." Bar Graphs and Histograms. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar.
2013.
What?
The first
website listed is another resource from the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics. They have many resources available for teachers to utilize in
their classroom. This link provides a lesson plan, which helps with
differentiation of Bar Graphs and Histograms. The lesson involves collecting
data on presidents, from three links provided, and they can choose which link
to go to. Thus, there involves some choice, which is crucial to interest
students. However, it keeps the students focused and using data that will be
effective for their understanding. The students will collect data and make
frequency tables and then graphs involving the presidents’ political party (bar
graph for categorical data) and then the inauguration age (histogram for
numerical data). I also found a link from Math
Central, where a student provides an explanation and example of the
difference, which is rather clear.
So What?
As these two
graphs are visually very similar, it can be confusing for students to understand
and remember the difference between the two. I believe that making both of the
graphs using one topic, will allow the students to clearly compare and contrast
the two types of data representations. The students will also see how the
histogram can be pushed together into one fluid graph, and it does not work
that way with a categorical graph, or a bar graph.
Now What?
I would love to use this lesson in my own classroom. I
believe this project could work well in groups of two. I believe partners would
be especially effective with the data collecting, as one student could be
navigating the computer, and the other could be recording the information into
the frequency table. As far as the other website link, I believe it may be nice
for students to have that as a handout to read through, or I could mirror this
type of journal entry in my class. Students could write a journal entry
reflecting on the different and creating an example, after they have gone
through with the completion of the President Project.
Resource 8: Poem with
Visuals and YouTube Presentation of Poem
Florence Nightingale: The Lady with the Pie Chart by Andrew Porter
"Inkpotamus."
Florence Nightingale: The Lady with the Pie Chart. N.p., n.d. Web. 18
Mar. 2013. http://www.inkpotamus.com/content/florence-nightingale
What?
Above is a picture of the last stanza of the poem “Florence
Nightingale: The Lady with the Pie Chart”. It appears to purely be a historical
poem, and then at the end begins to also be a mathematical one. This poem
describes how a graph or chart is important to present information in an
interesting manner that is clear to an audience.
So What?
This also allows students to think about graphs in a
historical context. It is always beneficial for students to see mathematics
applied in all sorts of ways. This poem is historical, as well as an
interesting piece of literature, as the rhyming allows it to flow and adds
interest.
Now What?
Depending on how much time one wanted to spend with it, this
poem could be used in a few different ways. The YouTube is interesting with all
the images, so it may be something I could play at the beginning of the class
hour as an attention getter. Students could also read it on their own and in a
group and then highlight what this tells us about graphs and charts. What does
this poem tell us about their importance?
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