Data literacy

Understanding Perimeter with Spaghetti and Meatballs for All!

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Lesson Overview

Read the book, Spaghetti and Meatballs for All! (Marilyn Burns Brainy Day Books), by Marilyn Burns.

Discuss how the amount of space you have around a table is the perimeter. It’s the length of the distance around the table. When you push the tables together, the tables took up the same amount of space (area) but the space around the table got smaller.

1 “Cut out squares of cardboard or use small square tiles so that children can construct the different ways the guests in the story arranged the tables. Help children experiment so they can see that Mrs. Comfort ordered the fewest tables possible. You may want to have them reconstruct some [alternate arrangements].”

2 “If children are interested, go through the book again and help them draw a picture of each new table rearrangement and figure out how many people could be seated at each. Use the words area and perimeter to talk about the size of each arrangement and the number of people it seats.”

3. “Use the cardboard squares, tiles, or drawings to investigate the following problem: Suppose their were going to be just 12 people at the family reunion. What different table arrangements are possible? Which arrangement would use the fewest tables? Which arrangement would use the most tables? (For additional challenges, try the same problem for 16, 24, 36, or any other number of people.)”

— Ideas from notes at the back of the book

Lesson Goals:

  • Students can measure the perimeter of table arrangements
  • Students can determine the fewest number of tables they would need to seat their entire class.

Lesson Plan Materials

See this idea and more ideas in detail in McKinney and Hinton 2010 p. 22.

Common Core State Standards this Lesson Supports

  • CCSS.Math.Content.K.CC.A.1 Count to 100 by ones and by tens.
  • CCSS.Math.Content.K.OA.A.2 Solve addition and subtraction word problems, and add and subtract within 10, e.g., by using objects or drawings to represent the problem.
  • CCSS.Math.Content.1.OA.C.5 Relate counting to addition and subtraction (e.g., by counting on 2 to add 2).

AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner

  • AASL 2.1.3 Use strategies to draw conclusions from information and apply knowledge to curricular areas, real-world situations, and further investigations.

Skip Counting by Twos

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Lesson Overview

Read the book, How Many Feet in the Bed?, by Diane Johnston Hamm.

Focus on how the story lets students skip count by twos. When the father is in the bed, there are two feet, and when one more person gets into bed, there are four feet. Show that this is skip counting: if another person gets into bed, there will be six feet. Expand on this idea by asking, how many toes are in the bed? and skip counting fingers and toes by 10s. For older grades, add more people to the bed to cover adding and subtracting larger numbers. — Ideas from McKinney and Hinton 2010

Lesson Goals:

  • Students can skip count by twos.
  • Students can skip count by 10s.

Lesson Plan Materials

See this idea and more ideas in detail in McKinney and Hinton 2010 p. 22.

Common Core State Standards this Lesson Supports

  • CCSS.Math.Content.K.CC.A.1 Count to 100 by ones and by tens.
  • CCSS.Math.Content.K.OA.A.2 Solve addition and subtraction word problems, and add and subtract within 10, e.g., by using objects or drawings to represent the problem.
  • CCSS.Math.Content.1.OA.C.5 Relate counting to addition and subtraction (e.g., by counting on 2 to add 2).

AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner

  • AASL 2.1.3 Use strategies to draw conclusions from information and apply knowledge to curricular areas, real-world situations, and further investigations.

Displaying Information (series)

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The Displaying Information series includes four titles:

  • Diagrams, Diagrams, Diagrams! 978-1476533377
  • Graphs, Graphs, Graphs! 978-1-4675-0259-5
  • Maps, Maps, Maps! 978-1-4675-0262-5
  • Timelines, Timelines, Timelines! 978-1-4675-0261-8

All books are written by Kelly Boswell, published in 2013, for grades K-2, by A+ Books (Capstone Press).

Recommender Valerie Byrd Fort is a teacher librarian in an elementary school in South Carolina. She writes that the series explains “different ways to display information in data,” with examples that are kid-friendly. She adds that the series provides ideas for teachers to use the books to support Common Core State Standards. Listed as “recommended” in Library Media Connection, August/September 2014.

Note: Library Media Connection’s book reviews always include books in the Mathematics section; the LMC scale goes up to “highly recommended” and includes “not recommended.”

Let’s Make Graphs (series)

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The Let’s Make Graphs series includes:

  • Bar Graphs 978-1-62431-390-5
  • Graphing Story Problems 978-1-62431-391-2
  • Line Graphs 978-1-62431-392-9
  • Pictographs 978-1-62431-393-6
  • Pie Graphs 978-1-62431-394-3
  • Tally Charts 978-1-62431-395-0

All are published in 2014, for grades K-3, by Cherry Lake Publishing. Available in e-book format also.

Recommender Lynn Van Auken is a teacher librarian from a Massachusetts school. She writes that the series is “thorough and engaging”, entices readers to try making graphs, and clarifies key words. She notes that the series is aligned with the Common Core State Standards. Listed as “recommended” in Library Media Connection, May/June 2014.

Note: Library Media Connection’s book reviews always include books in the Mathematics section; the LMC scale goes up to “highly recommended” and includes “not recommended.”

Developing Data Graph Comprehension

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Curcio, Frances, and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. 2010. Developing Data Graph Comprehension. Third Edition. Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Frances Curcio is clearly the expert in teaching young people how to understand data and graphs. Since at least the late 1980’s, Curcio has worked with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) to publish various iterations of a book focused on data and graph comprehension. Curcio has also written academic articles about the same topic. The 2010 edition features 30 activities for the classroom that involve mathematical reasoning and communication. Based on the publisher’s description on Amazon, the book encourages ways for students to take information from their daily lives and the media, and then process and understand and visualize that information.

Prior/Related Editions and Reviews:

Curcio, Frances R. 2001. Developing Data-Graph Comprehension in Grades K-8. Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

  • Harkey, Cecilia. 2002. “Developing Data-Graph Comprehension in Grades K-8″ (Review of Second edition). Teaching Children Mathematics 8 (9): 552.
  • Laing, Leneda J. 2002. “Developing Data-Graph Comprehension in Grades K-8, 2ND ED.” Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School 8 (2): 122.
  • Moritz, Jonathan. 2002. “Developing Data-Graph Comprehension in Grades K-8 (Book).” Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom 7 (3): 22.
  • Curcio, Frances R., and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. 1989. Developing Graph Comprehension: Elementary and Middle School Activities. Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
  • Carman, Robert E. 1990. “Developing Graph Comprehension: Elementary and Middle School Activities.” The Mathematics Teacher 83 (6): 480
  • Goodman, B Joan. 1991. “Developing Graph Comprehension: Elementary and Middle School Activities.” The Arithmetic Teacher 39 (3): 58-59.

Tracking Media Use

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Lesson Overview

Lesson plan in which students calculate the number of hours they spend each day using digital media, and input their data on bar graphs. This lesson applies the strategy of data modeling to a real-life situation that students can relate to. This lesson was created with teenagers in mind, but the lesson can be adapted for children who are not using tablets and phones as much (they can track watching TV for example).

Lesson Goals:

“Students will be able to …

  • assess how much time they spend with media activities.
  • record and compare the time they spend with different forms of digital media (cell phones, Internet, etc.) and in different activities (texting, posting, and watching or creating videos).
  • formulate a viewpoint on the role that digital media play in their lives.”

Lesson Plan Materials

Common Core State Standards this Lesson Supports

The original lesson was aimed at middle school students, and Common Sense Media suggests it targets CCSS.ELA.SL.6-8.2 (Interpret information in diverse media, including quantitatively) and CCSS.ELA.SL.6-8.5 (Use displays, including graphics, to present information). Adapted to younger grades, it could support:

  • CCSS.ELA.SL.5.2 Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
  • CCSS.ELA.SL.5.5 Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
  • CCSS.Math.Practice.MP4 Model with mathematics.

AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner

  • AASL 2.1.3 Use strategies to draw conclusions from information and apply knowledge to curricular areas, real-world situations, and further investigations.
  • AASL 2.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to analyze and organize information.

The School Library: A Space for Critical Thinking about Data and Mathematical Questions

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Kimmel, Sue C. 2012. “The School Library: A Space for Critical Thinking about Data and Mathematical Questions.” Library Media Connection 30 (4): 38–39.

The author, a professor at Old Dominion University (Virginia) argues that the school library can and should support mathematical inquiry, because school librarians have experience with integrating curriculum across disciplines and designing and implementing inquiry-based learning opportunities. She gives school librarians examples for how a librarian can bring math into the school library: rooting math questions and math discussions in literature, using manipulatives to help learn math concepts, and exploring reference materials to gain experience with reading graphs. She cites McKinney and Hinton (2010) who advocate for including literature in math instruction to give math more meaning, encourage math conversations, allow for investing math questions, and as a source of visual math representations. She points out that such lessons can support both the National Council for Teaching Mathematics Principles and Standards for School Mathematics as well as the AASL’s Standards for the 21st-Century Learner.

Diagrams, Timelines, and Tables-Oh, My! Fostering Graphical Literacy

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Roberts, Kathryn L., Rebecca R. Norman, Nell K. Duke, Paul Morsink, Nicole M. Martin, and Jennifer A. Knight. 2013. “Diagrams, Timelines, and Tables-Oh, My! Fostering Graphical Literacy.” The Reading Teacher 67 (1): 12–24. doi:10.1002/TRTR.1174.

Argues that young children need to be able to understand graphics found in informational texts and points out that the Common Core makes references to graphical literacy. Compares graphical literacy to reading literacy by explaining how graphical literacy requires an ability to know what graphs are and “how they work”. Defines several “concepts of graphics” and explores at what ages kids demonstrate an understanding of each concept. Concepts of graphics include: “action, extension, importance, intentionality, partiality, permanence, relevance, and representation”. Suggests that teachers encourage graphical literacy using similar techniques to teaching general literacy, such as thinking out loud. Details a research project where they showed graphics to students and asked them to explain what they could know from looking at the graphic. Researchers note that some kids could understand a lot and interpret a lot from a graphic, but that most kids do not understand important concepts of graphics.

Data Modelling with First-Grade Students

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English, Lyn. 2012. “Data Modelling with First-Grade Students.” Educational Studies in Mathematics 81 (1): 15–30. doi:10.1007/s10649-011-9377-3.

Author Lyn English reports one year into a three year study on how first grade children model data. English argues that there is a need for research exploring the ways young children demonstrate statistical reasoning. Emphasizes using statistical reasoning to answer questions of interest in the classroom. Uses storytelling to explore math problems and activities. Describes aligning lessons with teachers and the students’ curriculum. Details a quasi experimental study where children use post-its to represent and organize data collected on the types of trash and recycling in a storybook, and where children describe their reasons for organizing them in certain ways. Finds that children are able to articulate what information is important to include when representing data.

Making Sense of Graphs: Critical Factors Influencing Comprehension and Instructional Implications

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Friel, S. N., F. R. Curcio, and G. W. Bright. 2001. “Making Sense of Graphs: Critical Factors Influencing Comprehension and Instructional Implications.” Journal for Research in Mathematics Education 32 (2): 124–58. doi:10.2307/749671.

Authors Friel, Curcio, and Bright (faculty at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Queens College of the City University of New York, and University of North Carolina at Greensboro respectively), argues for teaching graph comprehension and proposes the term “graph sense” to describe the ability to interpret and apply concepts from graphs. Provides a history of guidelines and research about creating graphical displays. Claims educators focus on having kids create graphs, but that it is important to teach why we use graphs. Suggests how to teach graph comprehension at the K-8 grades. Students demonstrate graph comprehension across three abilities: extracting information, interpreting information, and extrapolating or interpolating patterns from graphs. Shares guidelines about what skills kids can do and understand at each age/grade. During grades K-2 emphasis is on tallying frequencies.

Related Research and Readings

  • Curcio, Frances, and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. 2010. Developing Data Graph Comprehension. Third Edition. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
  • Curcio, Frances R. 1987. “Comprehension of Mathematical Relationships Expressed in Graphs.” Journal for Research in Mathematics Education 18 (5): 382–93.