• TRAINING TOOLKIT
• GUIDES
• LESSON PLANS
• TRAINING SERVICES
• OTHER RESOURCES

Afterschool Lesson Plan Database

Lesson Plan

This lesson was excerpted from the Afterschool Training Toolkit under the promising practice: Tutoring to Enhance Science Skills

Description:

This lesson is one example of how you can implement the practice of Tutoring to Enhance Science Skills. In this activity, students take the results, or data, from different experiments and learn to make bar graphs.

Note:

This is the third lesson in a series. Start with Interpreting Data from Bird Feeders, then complete Learning to Make Data Tables.

Learning Goals:

• Learn how data can be represented in a bar graph
• Construct a bar graph from experiment results
• Interpret data from a bar graph

Materials:

• Notebook paper
• Pencil
• Clear ruler
• Graphing paper (optional)
• Large chart paper (optional)

Preparation:

1. Connect with the school-day teacher to review student's needs.
2. Review the lesson, printouts, and Tips for Tutoring Students in Science (PDF).
3. Print all of the PDFs for this lesson. If you are working with more than one student, make copies as needed.

Safety Considerations:
There are no safety precautions for this lesson. However, if simple experiments are conducted in expanding this lesson, follow appropriate safety precautions such as using goggles or safety spectacles.

What to Do:

• Engage students by asking them what they already know about bar graphs, or asking them to show you a sample of any bar graphs they have made. Or, review the Sample Data for a Bar Graph (PDF) or the data table they made in the previous lesson (Learning to Make Data Tables). Select one data set and ask students how they might represent the results in a bar graph. Note what students understand and where they need to modify their thinking.
• Explore bar graphs.
  • Review the Guidelines for Making a Bar Graph (PDF) and the Checklist for a Bar Graph (PDF). Ask students to select an example from the sample data and create a bar graph.
  • As students work, review any vocabulary associated with data representations. Watch for typical errors and help students learn to identify them, check their work, and correct errors independently.
• Explain the results. Ask students to explain how they organized the data in their bar graphs. Review students' bar graphs using the bar graph checklist. If you feel that sufficient progress has been made, ask students to continue using other sample data sets to create additional bar graphs.
• Extend learning if you have extra time. Ask students for ideas, or use school-day science lessons or the Internet to collect additional data for more bar graphs.

Evaluate (Outcomes to look for):

• Student participation and engagement
• Answers that reflect an understanding of how data can be organized in a bar graph (use the bar graph checklist).
• Understanding of x axis, y axis, and variables

Standards:
Click this link to see additional learning goals, grade-level benchmarks, and standards covered in this lesson.

Learn More:

Learn more about the 5Es.