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Recommended for: Grades 3-6

Lesson Plan: Paying Attention to Scale

Lesson Plan
Connections
Standards

Print Lesson Plan

Overview

In this Cyberchase activity, students learn the importance of paying attention to scaling and to the labeling of the axes of a bar graph. Students create bar graphs and also analyze the different scales of two bar graphs.

Grade Level:

3-6

Suggested Time

1 hour

Media Resources

Inventing Bar Graphs QuickTime Video
Attention to Scaling QuickTime Video
The Power of the Whole Picture QuickTime Video

Materials

Bar Graphs for Bugs handout
Assessment: Level A
Assessment: Level B
Answer Key

The Lesson

Part I: Learning Activity

1. Read the following to your students: "In this episode, Hacker sneaks into the library, disguised as an exterminator. When the CyberSquad comes to the library to help Ms. Fileshare, they discover that Hacker has released bugs into the library which change references about Motherboard into references about Hacker. You will first develop your own ways of displaying bug data and then see how the CyberSquad and Hacker present the bug counts."

2. Distribute the Bar Graphs for Bugs handout .

3. Ask the students to work in pairs to complete the handout.

4. When they have completed their bar graphs, ask students to compare their graph with that of another team in the class.

5. Tell the students that they will now watch a video segment that shows what Hacker and the CyberSquad each did to show Ms. Fileshare their evidence about bugs. Ask them to watch the video and then compare the displays that Hacker and the CyberSquad created. Ask students to watch to figure out how Hacker was able to fool Ms. Fileshare.

6. Play the Inventing Bar Graphs QuickTime Video .

7. Have the students compare their own displays from the handout with the bar graphs created by the CyberSquad and Hacker. Have them discuss how Hacker fooled Ms. Fileshare.

8. Tell the students that they will now watch a video segment in which the CyberSquad discovers the differences between their bar graphs and Hacker's. Ask students to focus on these differences and how the CyberSquad fixes their graph.

9. Play the Attention to Scaling QuickTime Video .

10. Discuss how the CyberSquad fixed their graph to convince Ms. Fileshare.

11. Tell the students that they will watch one more video clip. Ask students to watch for the reason why the two bar graphs look different.

12. Play the The Power of the Whole Picture QuickTime Video .

13. Discuss the reason why the two bar graphs appear to be different. Make sure the students understand the importance of specifying the scale and labeling the axes on a graph in order to communicate the complete information contained in the graph.

Part II: Assessment

Assessment: Level A (proficiency): Students compare graphs in which it is important to pay attention to scale.

Assessment: Level B (above proficiency): Students compare graphs which represent exactly the same data. One of the graphs expresses the percentage of students who graduate, and the other graph expresses the percentage of students who do not graduate. Students learn to pay attention to labels as well as to scale.