Bar Charts Lesson Plan for 6th Grade Students

Topic: Learning about bar charts

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to create a bar chart using data from a provided source.

Materials

Data in the form of a table or list

• Computer with a spreadsheet program (such as Excel or Google Sheets)
• Sample bar chart template

Warm-up

• Ask students if they have ever seen a bar chart before. Ask them to describe what it looks like and what information it displays.
• Show students a sample bar chart and ask them to identify the information it displays (e.g. the number of animals in each habitat, the number of cups of coffee consumed per day, etc.).

Direct Instruction

• Explain that a bar chart is a visual way of displaying data, where data is represented by bars that are arranged in order from smallest to largest.
• Show students how to read a bar chart by explaining the different parts of the chart:
• The horizontal axis represents the category being measured, and is also known as the "x-axis."
• The vertical axis represents the quantity being measured, and is also known as the "y-axis."
• The bars represent the data points, and the height of each bar represents the value for that data point.
• Using the sample bar chart, demonstrate how to read and understand the data it displays.
• Review the basic conventions of creating a bar chart, including how to label the x- and y-axis and how to arrange the bars in order from smallest to largest.

Guided Practice

• Provide students with a set of data and have them work in pairs to create their own bar charts using the provided data.
• As students work, circulate around the classroom to provide support and guidance as needed.

Independent Practice

• Have students choose their own data to collect and create a bar chart for.
• Encourage students to be creative and think outside the box when choosing their data.

Closure

• Ask students to share their bar charts and discuss any interesting findings or patterns.
• Ask students to reflect on what they learned about bar charts and how they can be used to visualize data.

Assessment

• Observe students during the guided and independent practice to assess their ability to create a bar chart and explain its meaning.
• Collect and review their completed bar charts to assess their ability to create and interpret a bar chart.