LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Graphing Shark Sizes

In the following lesson, the students will work in cooperative groups to research shark lengths and graph their information.

A lesson plan for grade 3 Mathematics

By Carole Long

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

  • Gather and organize data
  • Display data on a chart
  • Construct and interpret graphs
  • Measure lengths in feet
  • Compute word problems using information from the graph

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

1.00 hours

Materials/resources

  • Research books on sharks
  • Poster board
  • Markers
  • Adding machine tape
  • Yardstick

Technology resources

No technology is needed unless students use the Internet to research the size of their sharks. Then they will need computers with Internet access.

Pre-activities

Students will be reading the book Shark Lady.

Previous graphing activities

Activities

  1. Divide the students into groups.
  2. Give each group a name of a shark to research.
  3. Locate the shark to find the length.
  4. Come back together as a whole group and chart the results.
  5. Divide back into original groups.
  6. Give each group adding machine tape and yardstick.
  7. Groups measure the lengths of their sharks using adding machine tape.
  8. Display tape in the hall to make a bar graph.
  9. Develop word problems that involve computation for the students to complete.

Assessment

  • Completed bar graph
  • The ability to answer questions based on the graph
  • A rubric could be used as assessment for the bar graph that makes sure the student understands the main idea of the graph, can draw conclusions, and can make predictions.
  • A rubric can also be used to as a way to assess the gathering of information, how well the students put their information in their graphs, and how they display their information.

RUBRIC:

  • A score of 1: student exhibits very little understanding of measurement and/or graphing.
  • A score of 2: student exhibits minimum understanding of measurement and/or measurement.
  • A score of 3: student exhibits adequate understanding of measurement and/or graphing.
  • A score of 4: student exhibits mastery understanding of measurement/graphing.

Supplemental information

Book Shark Lady by Ann McGovern
Publisher: New York: Four Winds Press, 1978.

Related websites

N/A

Comments

As a follow-up activity, the children will develop their own questions for the rest of the class to solve using the bar graph.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

Mathematics (2004)

Grade 3

  • Goal 2: Measurement - The learner will recognize and use standard units of metric and customary measurement.
    • Objective 2.02: Estimate and measure using appropriate units.
      • Capacity (cups, pints, quarts, gallons, liters).
      • Length (miles, kilometers).
      • Mass (ounces, pounds, grams, kilograms).
      • Temperature (Fahrenheit, Celsius).
  • Goal 4: Data Analysis and Probability - The learner will understand and use data and simple probability concepts.
    • Objective 4.01: Collect, organize, analyze, and display data (including circle graphs and tables) to solve problems.