Bar Graphs: Interpreting Data

Second Grade Math

In this lesson, students will make bar graphs and interpret data using real-life data from other students. They
will get practice writing and answering survey questions.

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to make a bar graph to represent data.

Materials and preparation Key terms

Teacher copy of the Blank Bar Graph worksheet data

Class set of the Jake's Nature Hike worksheet bar graph
Pencils
Crayons
Chart paper
Math journals (optional)

Attachments

Blank Bar Graph (PDF)

Jake's Nature Hike (PDF)

Introduction (5 minutes)

Take a quick poll from students on what their favorite season is.
Use tally marks, and record results on the board.
Tell students that today they are going to use data to make bar graphs. Explain to the students that data
are facts or statistics that are collected to help us learn more about something. Say, "We can create bar
graphs from the data we collect! A bar graph is a visual display of bars that compares quantities or
numbers."
EL

Beginning

Define data, poll, and bar graph in student-friendly language (English and home language) prior to the
lesson.
Have students record the vocabulary words in their math journals in their home language (L1) and
English. Use accompanying visuals to support student understanding.

Intermediate

Ask students to do a think-pair-share, explaining why data and bar graphs are important.
Use sentence stems and frames to support student discussion.

Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling (10 minutes)

Use the data from the board on favorite seasons to make a bar graph.
Draw the bars on the chart paper to represent student answers.
Write the title "Favorite Seasons" at the top of the graph, and explain to students that bar graphs should
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 include a title.
Explain to students that bar graphs also need a scale, scale label, categories, and category label.
Continue completing the bar graph by adding the rest of the labels and the data.
Discuss each part of the graph with your students.
EL

Beginning

Allow students to work in a small, teacher-led group to create the bar graph.
Define the parts of the bar graph in English and student's home language if possible.
Provide students with an example of a bar graph with labeled parts to paste in their math journals.

Intermediate

Have students come up to the board to help create the bar graph.
Ask students to point to each part of the bar graph and name the part aloud.

Guided Practice (15 minutes)

Draw circles on the board and use different colors to color in each circle.
Take a poll, asking students to name their favorite colors.
Draw tally marks beside each color as students name their favorites.
Display a copy of the Blank Bar Graph worksheet for students to see.
Write in the color words at the bottom.
Have students take turns shading one bar on the sheet to represent their favorite colors.
Point to the bottom of the graph, and ask what label should be on it (colors).
Draw a line under the color words for the label and write "Colors."
Point to the left side of the graph, and ask your students to label it.
Write "Number of Students" on the left side of the graph.
Ask questions about the graph to check for understanding. For example: "Which color is most liked? How
many people like red? What does this information show us? What did we learn from collecting data and
showing it in a bar graph?"
EL

Beginning

Allow students to practice creating a simple bar graph in a teacher-led group.

Label the bar graph with words in student's home language, if possible.

Intermediate

Provide sentence stems/frames for students as they share their answers with the class.

Independent working time (10 minutes)

Give students the Jake's Nature Hike worksheet.

Read over the directions with the students.
Have students complete the graph on their own.
EL

Beginning

Allow students to stay in the teacher-led group to complete the worksheet.

Have students respond orally about prompting questions to explain the process.

Intermediate

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 Allow students to work in partnerships to complete the worksheet.
Encourage students to explain the directions to their partner in their own words.

Related books and/or media

Find interactive books for each child’s level.

Differentiation

Enrichment:

For advanced students, instruct them to create their own questions other students can answer by using
the data in the graph. For example: "How many more people like green than red?" Encourage your
students to write comparison questions.

Support:

Help students who need support write the labels on the graph. Instruct them to shade in the bars,
showing them how the numbers on the left correspond with how many people like a certain color.
Have them create line plots instead of bar graphs, until they see the correlation between the numbers on
the axis and the number of items.

Assessment (5 minutes)

Circulate and observe students as they complete their graphs.

EL

Beginning

Allow student to use words, gestures, and phrases to show how they would complete the graph.

Intermediate

Ask students to explain what a bar graph is in their own words. Encourage them to explain why bar
graphs are important, using sentence stems/frames for support.

Review and closing (5 minutes)

Ask students to explain how to make a bar graph.

Have a volunteer take a quick poll, and invite other students to quickly sketch a graph on the board.
EL

Beginning

Encourage students to participate in creating the graph on the board.

Intermediate

Challenge students to use sequencing words as they explain how to make a bar graph (first, next, then,
last).

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 Bar Graph

Name Date

10

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 Jake’s Nature Hike
Jake went on a nature hike. He saw deer, turkeys, hummingbirds, lizards, and geese.
Help Jake make a bar graph of the animals he saw!

Deer Turkeys Hummingbirds Lizards Geese

3 4 2 11 8
Directions:
1) Title your graph!
2) Label the parts of your graph.
3) Figure out a scale to fit the number of animals Jake saw.
4) Graph the information.

______________________________________
______________________________________

_________ _________ _________ _________ _________

______________________________________

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