Intern Name: Mikayla Westra

Lesson Title (Subject/Topic): Creating & Understanding Bar Graphs

Grade: 2nd Grade
Length of Lesson: 50 minutes
Date Taught: 5/13/2022
LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE
In this lesson… students will be guided through the process of collecting,
Overview organizing, and depicting data in a bar graph. They will then be assessed
individually by graphing data on their own using skittles.
4.14: students will..
Standards of a. collect, organize, and represent data in bar graphs
Learning b. interpret data re[resented in bar graphs
How does data help us organize our world?
Essential Questions
Students will be able to… collect and organize data into a bar graph, as well as
Objectives understand other bar graphs and the data they represent.

I can collect, organize, and represent data in a bar graph and interpret bar graphs
Learning Target overall. I can participate in group discussions.
Necessary Prior Students should be familiar with patterns and sorting.
Knowledge
Graphing paper, crayons, skittles, ziplock bags, graphing worksheets
Materials
Random colors will be on the board, and students will be asked what they
notice. We want to know how to organize the information from the picture-
Introduction/Hook leading them into tally charts and bar graphs.

1. Step by step instruction on building bar graph from color data hook
information (tally charts, titles, axis lines, increments and categories)
Instructional 2. Pass out worksheets and bags of skittles for students to use on
Activities & independent activities.
3. ^ Have students create their own tally charts and bar graphs using the
Strategies information and showing the colors.
4. Exit ticket question for students to answer as we collect worksheets.
Key Vocabulary or Axis, bar graph, tally chart, parts of a bar graph, labels, increments
Concepts
Informal skittles graph & exit ticket question from the slideshow. (We have an
Assessments SOL coming soon, so this is a review for graphing questions.)
Skittles graphing worksheet and the 1 question exit ticket question will be our
Closure Activity closing activities. Students will count their skittles and graph using the data they
gather, and then write down why bar graphs are important.
Read everything aloud, repeat and clarify directions, single-step directions,
Accommodations copies of notes, and help with writing.
Adapted from the Teacher Cadet Curriculum, Property of CERRA—South Carolina © 2004, and/or the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools)
 Mrs. Rubin and Virginia’s Standards of Learning Website
Resources

Reflection on a Lesson Plan Taught

Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow
Intern Name: Mikayla Westra
Lesson Title (Subject/Topic): Creating and UNderstanding Bar Graphs
Date of Lesson Taught: 5/13/2022
Cooperating Teacher & School: Mrs. Rubin @ John B. Dey ELementary school
Grade: 4th
Time of Day: 12:50-1:40

1. What steps did you go through to create this lesson? With whom did you talk, discuss, or edit your lesson?
Mrs. Rubin and I had several meetings to work on the outline. We found the objective and essential questions
before deciding that using the activity with organizing and graphing candy would make learning more fun.

2. How did the SOLs and Objectives help focus your instruction?
Since their SOLs may ask about bar graphs, we focused on making sure they could understand the data. This
was mostly review, so we focused on what they may have forgotten from the 3rd grade.

3. What parts of the instructional plan worked as you anticipated?

The participation went exactly as planned! During the review, I had tons of students answering my questions
just as I had thought they would. I also got a lot of questions at the end, which was something I had also
planned for!

4. What, if any, adjustments needed to be made once you began?

I realized that working on the skittles activity one step at a time was needed to keep us all on track. I improvised
and split the steps so I could keep everyone at a similar pace.

5. How well did you anticipate the materials needed?

I was surprised by how well I actually prepared materials for my lesson! I had extra worksheets, skittles, and
baggies at the end of their assignment. I used several of those on students who messed up their graphs or
dropped candy.

6. How effective was the assessment you chose to use? (If no assessment was used, what will the future
assessment be and how will you gauge its effectiveness?)
Our assessment was pretty effective! All of the graphs looked good, and we only noticed a few small mistakes
with axis titles. Most, if not all, students filled out the exit ticket in a sensible way as well!

7. To what degree do you feel that this lesson was a success? What evidence do you have for the success of
the lesson? (Hint: Student learning is the key to a lesson’s success!)
Adapted from the Teacher Cadet Curriculum, Property of CERRA—South Carolina © 2004, and/or the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools)
95% of the graphs we got back were perfect! Students were able to answer my questions about bar graphs, and
only a few had some trouble with axis titles. I think the students can correctly tackle any questions about bar
graphs on their SOL if they come up!

8. How did the time spent preparing for your lesson contribute to its success?
Planning out backup plans, materials needed, and a script for my lesson helped me be more prepared. I knew
what I was doing, and I was able to use our time well!

9. If you could do this lesson again with the same students, would you do anything differently? If so, what?
If I could do this again, the only thing I would do differently is focus more on the axis titles. This was the only
part that they seemed to struggle with, so I would love to address more of their questions and confusion.

10. Any last comments/reflections about your lesson?

I’m very happy with how well my lesson went! The class was so interactive and kind. Although I wish more
students understood the axis titles, we plan to do more review and I have no doubt they will catch on
eventually. One of the students even told me I would make a great teacher!

Adapted from the Teacher Cadet Curriculum, Property of CERRA—South Carolina © 2004, and/or the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools)