This lesson plan introduces 2nd grade students to bar graphs. Students will convert a picture graph into a bar graph showing different students' pennies. They will create a picture graph and bar graph from a classroom survey on favorite pizza toppings. Formative assessment includes a silent survey and rubric checking students' graphs. The lesson uses direct instruction, group discussion, and partner work to meet the objective of converting picture graphs to bar graphs.

1. Lesson Plan 1
GENERAL INFORMATION
Lesson Title & Subject(s): Introduce Bar Graphs
Topic or Unit of Study: Tables and Graphs
Grade/Level: 2
Instructional Setting:
(e.g., group size, learning context, location [classroom, field trip to zoo, etc.], seating arrangement,
bulletin board displays)
This is a class of 26 second grade students. Students are seated at their desks which are
arranged in groups of 3-4.
STANDARDS AND OBJECTIVES
Your State Core Curriculum/Student Achievement Standard(s):
Washington State 2nd
Grade Math Standards:
2.3.B. Collect, organize, represent, and interpret data in bar graphs and picture graphs.
Lesson Objective(s):
(e.g., what students will accomplish by the end of a single lesson; needs to align with core
curriculum/student achievement standard)
Students will convert picture graphs into bar graphs.
MATERIALS AND RESOURCES
Instructional Materials:
(Materials needed for the lesson (e.g., textbook, construction paper, scissors, PowerPoint, guided
note templates)
Math Expressions Student Activity Book
Mathboards and markers
Colored pencils
Resources:
(Supplementary information and/or places where you found information for the lesson)

2. Fuson, K. C. (2009). Math expressions. Orlando, FL: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ;.
INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN
Sequence of Instructional Procedures/Activities/Events (provide description and
indicate approximate time for each):
1. Identification of Student Prerequisite Skills Needed for Lesson: (5 minutes)
(e.g., anticipatory set, schema, purpose of lesson for students, connections to previous
learning, definitions of terms reviewed)
Students have converted data from a tally list to a summary table. They have created a
table from a picture graph.
Review the vocabulary:
Data
Tally list
Table
Picture graph
Survey
Talley marks
2. Presentation of New Information or Modeling: (15 minutes)
(e.g., term definitions, concepts, processes and/or approaches)
Convert a picture graph into a bar graph
Have students turn to the 10x10 grid side of their math white boards
On the board, create the following picture graph for the children to copy. Remind
children that this graph is similar to the picture graph they created in lesson 1 with
pennies. It shows how many pennies each of the 4 people have.

3. Pennies
Pennies
James O O O O O O O
Roberto O O O
Melanie O O O O O O O
Sonia O O O O O
Demonstrate how to turn their picture graph into a bar graph. Shade the squares that
have pictures in them, have children do the same on their MathBoards.
Ask why bar graphs might be easier to make than picture graphs (you don’t have to draw
all the pictures.)
Show how to add numbers to the bar graph. Have children do the same. Emphasize
that bar graphs are like rulers; the numbers at the end of the lines marking the length. Be
sure to include a 0
James O O O O O O O
Roberto O O O
Melanie O O O O O O O O
Sonia O O O O O
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Make a Graph from a Table

4. Create a data table of the classroom’s favorite pizza on the board.
Survey the children and record the results in the table Explain to the class that they will
make a picture graph and a bar graph from the table.
Survey: Favorite kinds of Pizza
Mushroom use tally marks translate the tally marks to numbers
Cheese
Pepperoni
Chicken
3. Guided Practice: (15minutes)
(e.g., teacher directed, scaffolding, check for student understanding – including any questions
to ask or anticipate from students)
Have Students use their data table to make a picture graph on Student Activity Book
page 234. For pictures in the graph have children use smiley faces.
Sample graph
Favorite Kinds of Pizza
Mushroom     
Cheese      
Pepperoni        
Chicken      
Make sure that the data matches the class survey.
4. Independent Student Practice: (10 minutes)
(e.g., teacher monitored, check for student understanding – including any questions to ask or
anticipate from students)
Have students use the picture graph to make Bar Graph.
Sample Graph

5. Favorite Kinds of Pizza
Mushroom
Cheese
Pepperoni
Chicken
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Number of Children
5. Culminating or Closing Procedure/Activity/Event: (5 minutes)
(e.g., review terms, concepts, and/or learning process; establish connections to the next
lesson; check for student understanding – including any questions to ask or anticipate from
students)
Have students ask each other comparison questions based on their graphs. Be sure
some of the questions include the words more and fewer.
How many more children like chicken than mushroom?
How many more children like pepperoni than cheese?
How many more children need to like mushroom to be equal to pepperoni?
(Guide one pair of students through a modeling of how the comparison questioning
should proceed.
Discussion and review:
Ask student how a bar graph is different from a picture graph
Explain how the numbers on a picture graph are different than a bar graph. (The
numbers on a picture graph are in the middle of the square: the number of pictures and
at the end of the lines of a bar graph. A bar graph shows lengths, and a picture graph
shows things.)
Conduct a silent survey: Have students each cover their eyes. Ask, “Do you feel you
understand how to make bar graphs? Thumbs up for yes, down for no, sideways for
beginning to understand.” Make note of answers.

6. Pedagogical Strategy (or Strategies):
(e.g., direct instruction, cooperative learning groups, partner work)
Direct instruction is used during the presentation of new information. Group discussion is
used during the gathering of the survey and culminating activity discussion.
Differentiated Instruction:
Describe accommodations for such groups as English Language Learners, hearing impaired, learning
disabled, physically disabled, and/or gifted/accelerated learners.
Struggling or learning disabled students may work with a partner. Gifted or accelerated
students may work together to create an additional graph listing months of the year and how
many students were born in each month.
Student Assessment/Rubrics:
Describe how you will know if students have met the objective(s) for this lesson (include pre- and
post-assessment plans—formal and/or informal, summative and/or formative, etc.).
A self-assessment will be in the form of the silent survey noted at the close of the lesson. A
formative assessment will be in the form of the following rubric. A summative assessment
will be given at the close of the three learning segments and the Tables and Graphs unit of
which this learning segment is a part.
yes no
The Student’s data matched the class survey
The student created an accurate bar graph
from the picture graph
.