Math Lesson: Make a Line Plot
Lesson Plan
45 minutesGrades4Mathematics
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Written by Janet Mahedy, Sustainable Jersey for Schools
About this lesson
Students use the data collected to create visual representations of data sets and compare that data to other data collected in New Jersey.
Inquire: Students practice making a line plot as a class.
Investigate: Students create line plots of the data they collected and the data from the NJ Forestry Big and Heritage Tree databases.
Inspire: Students determine how trees protect their campus from erosion and spread awareness about the importance of these trees.
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Suggestions
- This lesson can be used to reinforce data literacy and graphing skills.
- This lesson can be used during April for Earth Day.
- Students can use technology to create digital line plots and other graphs such as pie and bar graphs.
Prerequisites
- This is lesson 3 of 3 in our 4th grade Math Unit Plan: Big Trees and Erosion.
- Teachers should be aware that large amounts of data might be overwhelming for some students and may wish to streamline or remove some of the entries which will not impact the analysis.
Differentiation
- Teachers can extend the lesson to include other visual representations of data such as bar graphs.
- Students can develop and lead a school-wide action plan to preserve Big Trees and get other students involved in preventing and reversing climate change.
- Scaffolding and support can be provided through effective grouping strategies or by limiting the amount of data to be graphed.
- Students can estimate the measurement of the crown for the largest tree on their campus.
- Students can take steps to nominate the largest tree they measured in the NJ Forestry Big and Heritage Tree database by submitting the necessary entry form.
- Students can research Big Trees in other states or explore the stories behind other Heritage Trees.
From the scientist review
This lesson teaches students the value of trees in mitigating erosion and other negative effects of climate change. Students also learn how to use primary and secondary datasets to create a line plot that shows which trees in their schoolyard qualify to be listed in the New Jersey Big and Heritage Tree Registry. The lesson has passed our science credibility review.
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About the teacher writers
Janet Mahedy
Janet Mahedy is a middle school mathematics educator with 19 years of teaching experience. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Accounting) from Montclair University, as well as a Master of Arts in Teaching in Elementary Education and a Master of Science in Mathematical Foundations from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Janet holds New Jersey Standard Teaching Certification (Nursery School through Grade 8), New Jersey Middle School Mathematics Certification, and New Jersey Educational Supervisor Certification.
Sustainable Jersey for Schools
Sustainable Jersey is a network and movement of municipalities, schools and school districts working collectively to bring about a sustainable New Jersey. Acting with state agencies, non-profit organizations, foundations, academia and industry, Sustainable Jersey researches best practices for what communities could and should do to contribute to a sustainable future.
