Graphing Measurement: Analyzing Attributes of Objects Heights and Weights

Whole group activity :

1. Students will participate in a discussion on how to informally describe the height and weight of objects. (The discussion will be a review activity as the concept will have already been taught.)

2. Students will discuss the question: “How can we collect data to find patterns among our objects?” (Directing questions/statements: We could tally all the tall objects and short objects, and then what do we do with the tallies when we are finished?)

3. Students will discuss the question: “How can we see the data to find patterns among our objects?” (Directing questions/statements for the discussion: We can line the objects up or categorize them, but what if we had 100 more objects? Would that be efficient? Can we make a chart to show how many tall objects? short objects? etc.)

4. The teacher will say: “Today we are going to make a Google Form that will help us collect our data about our objects.”

   1. “What kinds of questions can we ask about our objects that will help us collect data?” (Guiding question: What describing words can we use?)

   2. Model creating a Google Form by adding questions that allow students to choose the informal vocabulary words to describe the height and weight of objects. [Sample Google Form link]

   3. Then the teacher will model how to use the Google Form so students in the group will be able to input the data multiple times for each object the group is given.

Group Activity:

1. Divide students into groups of four or an appropriate number for your number of students.

2. Each group will get a bag of random objects varying in height and weight.

3. Each group will need one device to access the Google Form to input data.

4. The group will work together to describe the height and weight of each object and input the data into the Google Form. (Make sure students are using the link to submit another response when the option is given at the end of a form submission.)

5. Once all data is input into the Google Form by all the groups, each group will discuss how to best “see” the data to find patterns among the objects using the data.

Whole Group Discussion & Analysis of Data

1. The teacher will access the spreadsheet of data from the Google Form. [Link to Directions]

2. The students will begin to see in the spreadsheet how many objects were described as each informal vocabulary term.

3. The teacher will then prompt students to think of ways to “see” the data through a chart. Discuss the various kinds of charts to get students to think about what type of chart will best let them “see” patterns.

4. The teacher will show students how to make a chart in Google Sheets to “see” the patterns of objects from the data.

Group Activity:

1. Each group will create a chart using the data collected by the whole class to find patterns among the objects measured.

2. Groups will then present their chart and discuss the patterns they found among the data of the objects.

3. During group presentations, be sure to have all the objects analyzed displayed in the front of the room to see if the patterns gathered from the data and charts accurately match the patterns students will be able to see from the objects themselves.