Activity Plan 4-5: I'm Graphing to Know You!

Creating graphs about children is a perfect way to help them learn more about one another.

• PRINT
• EMAIL

Ready-To-Use Teaching Idea: Math

Materials:

• chart paper and markers
• drawing paper
• scissors
• glue sticks
• camera

Developing Skills:

• math concepts
• language and listening
• problem-solving
• fine-motor

ACTIVITY

Floor Graphs. Use the classroom floor to organize and graph information. Ask the class to line up by gender and count how many girls and how many boys there are in the class. Invite the girls to stand side by side, each one within a linoleum floor square (or mark squares with masking tape if you have a wood or carpeted floor). Do the same with the boys. Then, ask children to count the number of children in each line and to compare the number of empty squares in the line that is smaller.

Picture Graphs. Create picture graphs to record information about the children. You may want to ask them to name the different forms of transportation that they use to come to school. Draw a bar graph on a large sheet of paper based on the categories named. Add a picture icon in each column to represent each transportation category. Then ask each child to write his name on a small sheet of paper and glue it onto the appropriate column. Children can graph their favorite lunch foods, classroom areas, books, songs, or animals.

Remember: If these are children's first experiences with graphing and summarizing information, you may need to model how information is gathered from the different graphs.

TAKE-HOME ACTIVITY

Family Graph. Ask children to think of things they can find out from family members in order to create a family information graph. They may want to learn about favorite colors, favorite foods, or the favorite games for each family member. Record children's responses on chart paper. Next, invite them to choose two or three questions. Create a form for families to complete with their children to record the requested information.

Curriculum Connection: SOCIAL STUDIES

How do you say hello? Ask the class to think about all the different words that people use to greet one and another. Record their responses on a sheet of chart paper. Encourage the class to share both English words and words that they may use in their home language. How many different ways to say hello did they learn?

Risa Young is the former director of two early childhood programs in the New York City area, the Children's Aid Society's Greenwich Village Center and the Innovative Learning Center at the Long Island College Hospital. She has been a consultant to Early Childhood Today for more than eight years.

Activity Plan 4-5: Finger Math
Children will engage in counting games to learn how to count with their fingers and identify numbers in this ready-to-use teaching idea for four- and five-year olds. Activity: Math.

Activity Plan 5-6: Pet Survey
Children will create a survey to gather information about the types of pets people have, encouraging social interaction and early-math (sorting and graphing), geography, and language skills in this ready-to-use teaching idea for five- and six-year-olds. Activity: Social Studies/Math/Literacy.

Activity Plan 4-5: My "How To" Book
Each child will make a "How To" book after recalling the steps they take to do certain things.