Lesson Plan for Henrico 21 Awards

Teacher Name: Sandra Hamilton

Collaborators: Kathleen Roberts, Librarian

Lesson Title: Graphing Across America

Target Grade/Subject: 5th Grade/Math & Social Studies

Length: (total class hours required to complete)

4 - 5 1-hour math lessons plus 1 hour for extension activity with school Librarian

Summary: (Summarize your lesson in one succinct paragraph)

This is a cross-curricular math lesson that will tie in with the students’ study of U.S. geography. As part of the new social studies curriculum this year, students will each be working on a project for a specific state. Students will use their assigned state in this math lesson. In Part 1 of the lesson, students will use information obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau website to gather data for their state. They will work independently to create a database and will then create a line graph, bar graph, and a circle graph, which will then be incorporated into a Keynote presentation. In Part 2 of the lesson, students will collaborate with their peers as they are grouped by region of the country. They will use population and land area data to determine the population density of their region. Then, as a whole group activity, the results will be discussed to determine which region has the densest population. In Part 3 of the lesson, students will complete an extension activity with the Librarian on population apportionment and how the House of Representatives seats are split among the different states based on the 2010 census.

Essential questions or objectives: (What are the foundational questions that students should be able to answer after this lesson? What are the concepts or skills that provide the purpose for this lesson? What standards does this lesson address? )

The main goals for this lesson are for students to be able to use web-based resources to collect data and to use technology to create a database, to construct line graphs, bar graphs, and circle graphs, as well as to create a presentation in the form of a slideshow. Additionally, the students will gain an understanding of how to interpret graphs and how to determine which graphs are most useful for specific sets of data. Students will also get to practice their computational skills through the activities shown on the State Data Collection Sheet. By working in groups for part of the lesson, students are continuing to develop collaboration skills, which are incredibly important to be a successful student in the 21st century. Standards of Learning addressed in this lesson are as follows:

Mathematics:

5.1 The student will a) read, write, and identify the place values of decimals through thousandths; b) round decimal numbers to the nearest whole number, tenth, or hundredth

5.3 The student will create and solve single-step and multi-step practical problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with and without remainders of whole numbers, using paper and pencil, estimation, mental computation, and calculators.

5.18 The student will, given a problem situation, collect, organize, and display a set of numerical data in a variety of forms, using bar graphs, stem-and-leaf plots, and line graphs, to draw conclusions and make predictions.

A5.15 The student, given a problem situation, will collect, organize, and interpret data to make predictions and draw conclusions in a variety of forms, using stem-and-leaf plots, line graphs and circle graphs.

Oral Language:

5.1 The student will listen, draw conclusions, and share responses in subject-related group learning activities. a) Participate in and contribute to discussions across content areas. b) Organize information to present reports of group activities. c) Summarize information gathered in group activities.

5.2 The student will use effective nonverbal communication skills. a) Maintain eye contact with listeners. b) Use gestures to support, accentuate, and dramatize verbal message. c) Use facial expressions to support and dramatize verbal message. d) Use posture appropriate for communication setting.

5.3 The student will make planned oral presentations. a) Determine appropriate content for audience. b) Organize content sequentially or around major ideas. c) Summarize main points before or after presentation. d) Incorporate visual aids to support the presentation. e) Use grammatically correct language and specific vocabulary. Technology:

Basic Operations and Concepts C/T 3-5.2 The student will demonstrate proficiency in the use of technology. • Identify basic software applications such as word processing, databases, and spreadsheets.

Social and Ethical Issues C/T 3-5.4 The student will practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software. • Understand the need for the school division’s acceptable use policy. • Discuss the rationale of fair use and copyright regulations. • Follow rules for personal safety when using the Internet.

C/T 3-5.5 The student will demonstrate knowledge of technologies that support collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity. • Work collaboratively when using technology. • Practice and communicate respect for people, equipment, and resources. • Understand how technology expands opportunities for learning.

Technology Research Tools C/T 3-5.6 The student will use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. • Collect information from a variety of sources. • Evaluate the accuracy of electronic information sources. • Enter data into databases and spreadsheets.

Technology Communication Tools C/T 3-5.8 The student will use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences. • Produce documents demonstrating the ability to edit, reformat, and integrate various software tools. • Use technology tools for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities. Resources: Technology: (Provide a list of any hardware/software, web-based resources, or specialized equipment needed for this lesson)

Computers (1 per student) Software: Numbers & Keynote Web-based resources: U.S. Census Bureau website http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/ http://www.census.gov/schools/facts/ http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/index.html

Other Required Resources: (manipulatives, books etc.)

Graphing Across America Assignment Instructions & Rubric (1 per student) State Data Collection Sheet (1 per student) State Graphing Assignment Sheet (1 per student) Regional Population Density Group Assignment Sheet (1 per group) Regional Population Density Group Data Collection Sheet (1 per group) Calculators Poster-sized Paper Construction Paper Markers

Lesson Development: Process/Tasks: (Outline the sequence to be followed in the development of the lesson. Describe the techniques/tasks to be completed by the students. Describe what the teacher, collaborator(s), and students will be doing.)

Day 1:

Hand out Graphing Across America Assignment Instructions to students. Have them put their name and the state they are researching on the front page. Explain to students that they will be completing a graphing project and that in order to do that they need to collect some data. Ask students if they have ever heard of the census before. Also see if they know how often the census is actually taken. Also, have a discussion about the importance of collecting accurate census data and have students give suggestions as to some possible uses of the data. Explain about the 4 assignments they will be completing as part of this project.

Hand out State Data Collection Sheet to students. Have them get a computer and instruct them to log on to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau website (http://2010.census.gov/census/data/) to collect population data for the years 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, and 2010. Proceed to the next webpage: http://www.census.gov/schools/facts/ to obtain information about boys and girls ages 10 – 12, and the mode of transportation used by adults going to work. From this page, they will also record the two cities with the highest population. The last webpage they will visit is http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/index.html to collect land area data for the state, as well as population information for one of the most populous cities.

All remaining time will be used to complete the math “check up” activities on the State Data Collection Sheet.

Day 2:

Distribute State Graphing Assignment sheet to students. Explain that they will be using the data they collected in the previous class period to enter data in Numbers. They will then create graphs using the Charts feature of the program. Using the ibeam, model how the students are to enter their data into the database. Explain to students what databases can be used for. Once all data has been entered into the three worksheets (line graph, bar graph, circle graph), discuss the different types of graphs that they will be creating and what types of data are typically used with each one. Starting with the circle graph, model for students how to createthe graph. Show students how to add a title to the graph. Next, show students how to make a double bar graph. Students will learn how to add labels for the x-axis and y-axis on this graph. Finally, show the students the line graph feature. Students will give the graph a title and label both the x-axis and y-axis, then they will learn about the importance of using the appropriate scale.

Day 3:

Show students how to copy graphs from Numbers into a Keynote presentation. Let students spend the remaining class time working on their presentation. Assist as needed.

Day 4:

Students will begin working on the group portion of their project on this day. Distribute Regional Population Density Assignment sheet to students. Explain that they will be working with classmates who also have been assigned to work on a state in the same geographic region. Using data from their individual State Data Collection sheet, they will fill in information on the Regional Population Density Data Collection sheet. The group will then work together to calculate regional population density. Students will follow remaining instructions and complete a colorful poster that they will share with the class.

Day 5:

Students will finish up posters and present to the class. After that, we will have a discussion about which region of the country is the most densely populated. Extension Activity w/Librarian:

1. Using the interactive map at the bottom of the census website, http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/, the students will use the apportionment tab to discuss how the census affected the number of Representatives in Congress. The students will first use the state they are researching to find the results and then expand to the rest of the country. 2. As a group, we will discuss the changes in numbers to help explain the trends in growth in the country and what effect it has on Congress. This activity will also reinforce the students’ map skills. 3. The next activity focuses around a book, If America Were a Village, by David Smith. This book compares the population of America to a village of 100 people. Various questions about America such as Where do we live? (urban or rural) are addressed in the chapters. 4. Each table of 4 people will be given one of the questions from the book to present in a visual format (ex. Numbers graph, Keynote, ActivInspire flipchart) to the class. 5. The students will be using the facts from the book plus the technology available to create their presentation.

Evaluation Procedure: Assessment of objectives: (Include a description of the student activity or artifact that you, as the teacher, will collect as evidence of content/skill mastery. State how you plan to communicate your assessment expectations to the students.)

The following artifacts will be collected as evidence of content/skill mastery:

State Data Collection sheet Database and graphs in Numbers Keynote presentation Regional Population Density Collection sheet

Student expectations are clearly outlined in the Graphing Across America Assignment Instructions document. There is also a rubric attached that students will use to make sure they have completed all required elements of the project. TIPC Assessment: (Using the rubric, identify where your lesson falls in each of the categories below. Write a brief statement indicating what elements of your lesson make it strong in each of the following areas.)

Research and Information Fluency: 3

Students are using website based resources to collect data. For the first part of the lesson, they are using computers, specifically Numbers and Keynote, to complete spreadsheets and graphs, as well as a presentation.

Communication and Collaboration: 3

Students will have an opportunity to collaborate with peers during the second portion of the lesson. They will work together to see if they can figure out how to calculate population density. They will also be working together to design a poster and will present it as a group to the rest of the class.

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: 3

During the first part of the lesson, students will be independently solving problems involving the census data they collected. As a group, the students will be asked to see if they can figure out how they might use the data they collected to determine population density. Before groups share their population density results, the students will make predictions about which region has the highest population density.

Creativity and Innovation: 3

Students will individually display creativity and innovation when designing graphs in Numbers and a presentation in Keynote. They will also use these skills when working in a group to figure out how to calculate population density and when designing a display of regional population density.