Use the suggestions below to create bar graphs or pictographs. If creating pictographs, you could have photocopies ready for the students to colour or have each child draw their own picture on a small square of paper.

• How do you get to school (car, bus, walk)
• Favourite pet
• Favourite colour
• Favourite flavour of ice-cream
• Favourite sport
• Favourite winter activity
• Favourite summer activity
• Favourite season
• Favourite recess activity
• Shoe type (velco, lace, buckle)
• Teeth lost (can be done at the end of the year using monthly records)
• Birthdays
• Weather (daily during calendar activities)
• Most popular Hallowe'en costume

All About Us Graphs - Visit Mrs. Healy's class to see pictures of graphs from her grade one class

• how many teeth have you lost?
• where are you in your family?
• what colour are your eyes?
• when is your birthday?
• how many letters are in your name?
• how many people are in your family?

Valentine candy count - this activity involves predicting, sorting, classifying, and graphing valentine conversation hearts.

Hair Colour Graph -- The student will be able to interpret picture graphs.

Oil Pan Graphing Chart - and lots of graphing ideas

Computer Activities

Making pictographs - First graders surveyed their classmates to find out about favorite afterschool activities. Then the students used Kid Pix, the Line tool and the Stamps, to make a pictogrpah showing the data.

Probability

Introducing the language (never, sometimes, always)

Activity 1

Write the words never, sometimes, and always across the top of a piece of chart paper. Using the classroom as an example, discuss what always occurs, sometimes occurs, and never occurs. For example:

Always: have recess, read, do math, write, have snack

Sometimes: indoor recess, visit from principal, fire drill, gym, library, computer lab

Never: bring an elephant to school, have a visit from Sir John A. MacDonald

Activity 2

Place three blue cubes and three white cubes in a clear plastic bag. Reach into the bag and pull out a cube. Put the cube back into the bag. Repeat several times. Discuss using the terminology always, sometimes, and never. For example: we will always pull a cube out of the bag; sometimes the cube will be white, sometimes the cube will be blue; we will never pull a black cube out of the bag.

Activity 3

Have the students repeat activity 2 in small groups (groups of four or five work well) and record their findings using the terminology always, sometimes, and never. Give each group of children the following materials: 1. a small paper bag containing two red cubes and two black cubes. 2. a paper for recording (one side has the words always, sometimes, and never written across the top and the other side has the words red and black written across the top).

The procedure:

1. Each group selects a recorder who will record with tally marks the result of each draw
2. The first student picks a cube out of the bag, replaces the cube, and passes the bag to the next student
3. The recorder records the results of the draw with a tally mark under either red or black
4. Repeat this process for a given amount of time (e.g., five minutes)
5. Once the five minutes is up, they should turn the paper over, and discuss and record the results.

The recording may look like the following:

Activity 4

Once Activity 3 has been completed, go around to each table and put three more black cubes into each bag (the children should not see what you are putting into the bag). Tell the children that they are going to play a game which once again involves pulling cubes out of the bag but this time they must each select the colour that they think will win. The procedure is the same as in Activity 3. Once the five minutes is up, have the groups total the tally marks. The students will be very excited if the colour they chose actually won. The teacher writes the words red and black on the chalk board and records the results of each group (which colour won) with tally marks (all tally marks will of course be under black).

Discuss:

1. Ask the students why they think this happened (they should reply that there were more black cubes than red cubes in bag).
2. Have the students predict what they think is in the bag, (how many black cubes, how many red cubes).
3. Have the students look in the bag to check their predictions.
4. Discuss results of game using the new terminology: When there are two red cubes and five black cubes, black will always win and red will never win.
5. Ask if this game is fair.

Option: Once the game has been completed, you can give the winners a prize (e.g., a candy). After discussing that the game was not fair continue to give each student a prize.

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Last modified: 10/13/2001
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