Investigations: My bar graph tells a story
Connecting stories to qualitative coordinate graphs has been suggested as an effective instructional strategy (Blubaugh and Emmons 1999; Maus 2005; NCTM 2000). Even students who are able to create bar graphs may struggle to correctly interpret them. Giving children opportunities to work with qualitative graphs can help them develop the skills to interpret, describe, and compare information from a graph even without the availability of numeric labels. This investigation addresses the Data Analysis and Probability Standard (NCTM 2000) and explores the value of connecting stories with qualitative bar graph instruction, which too often focuses on only counting, tallying, and creating bar graphs.
Contributor Notes
Sue McMillen, mcmillse@buffalostate.edu, teaches math and math education courses at Buffalo State College in New York. She also provides content-based professional development to in-service teachers.
