Pictorial Graphs and Data Representation
Warm-up
Display a concrete cube graph from a class survey. How would we show this same information without the cubes? Students suggest: draw pictures, use stickers. What rules should we follow? (One picture per person, all the same size, in columns.)
Explore
Full data cycle: (1) pose a survey question, (2) collect data from classmates with tally marks, (3) build a concrete cube graph, (4) transfer to a pictorial graph on grid paper (one drawn symbol per tally). Compare the two graphs: same data, different representations.
Consolidate
Practice
Students conduct a class survey, build a concrete graph, transfer it to a pictorial graph, and answer 5 questions (at least one of each level). Exit ticket: write one thing the graph shows and one question it cannot answer.
Exit ticket
Students conduct a class survey, build a concrete graph, transfer it to a pictorial graph, and answer 5 questions (at least one of each level). Exit ticket: write one thing the graph shows and one question it cannot answer.
7 - 4 = 3. Three more students prefer cats. On the grid, count up from the top of the dog column to the top of the cat column: 3 rows. Both the arithmetic and the visual comparison give the same answer.
One-to-one correspondence is broken. The graph now shows 2 data points where there is only 1. The data is misrepresented. The rule: exactly one picture per response, regardless of how much you like the choice.