Brief Description

Students will work in small groups to collect data from eight classroom pumpkins. Students will collect data about the number of seeds each pumpkin has and then use Microsoft Excel to create a bar graph to represent the data.  Students will use the graphs to write addition and subtraction story problems for each other to solve.

Standards and Frameworks

Technology Standards

• 3T-F2. Use prescribed technology tools for data collection and basic analysis

• 1SC-F1. Plan, design, conduct, and report on the conclusions of basic experiments.
• 1M-F3. Understand the meaning for and application of the operations of addition and subtraction.
• 2M-F1. Collect and analyze data using the concepts of largest, smallest, most often, least often, and middle with special emphasis on PO-2: organize information from experiments.
• 2M-F2. Construct, read, and interprets displays of data to make valid decisions, inferences, and predictions with special emphasis on PO-7: formulate questions from graphs, charts, and tables.
• W-F2.  Use correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar and word usage to effectively complete a variety of writing tasks.
• W-F4.  Gather, organize and accurately, clearly and sequentially report information gained from experiences such as science experiments.

Academic

• Students will hypothesize, conduct a simple experiment, and record the results of a science experiment.
• Students will write two addition and two subtraction story problems using information in their graphs for their classmates to solve.
• Students will analyze their graphs and write a concluding statement about what they learned.

• Students will create a spreadsheet using the data collected from the class science experiment.
• Students will use Microsoft Excel to create bar graphs from the spreadsheets.

Students must be able to use the mouse and keyboard.  Students should have an understanding of basic computer terminology such as tool bar, icon, and click and drag.

Materials

Computers
Microsoft Excel
Student data collection sheets
Student worksheets for writing story problems
Printer
Student dictionaries and/or word lists for spelling help
Calulators (optional)

Accommodations for Special Needs

Students have assigned seats in the computer lab.  Each special needs student is sitting next to a classmate that will assist him/her with the computer tasks. Because this will be my students’ first time using Excel, the entire class will be guided through the lesson at the same time.  Teacher will use the lab’s projection system to model each step.  Teacher should walk around the lab and observe students to make sure they are at the right place in the lesson at all times.  When it comes time for students to write their math story problems, accommodations will be made. Special Education students and Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) students may have their work dictated for them by the teacher or a peer and/or decreasing the number of problems required to write.  In addition, I will guide the children who are having difficulties arriving at their concluding statement by asking probing questions.  Gifted students and other students who finish the assignment early may create another Excel graph, this time independently, using different data collected about pumpkins.

Procedures

1. Prior to visiting the computer lab to create our graphs, students will work in small groups to complete various math and science experiments about pumpkins.  Each group will have a different pumpkin to work with.  Students will estimate the weight, circumference, number of lines, number of seeds, and whether their pumpkin will sink or float.
2. Each group will predict and find the actual data about their pumpkin.
3. Data will be collected from all groups and recorded on a class chart.
4. Students will write down the data for all eight pumpkins on their individual worksheet.
5. Students will take their individual data worksheet with them to the lab.
6. Students will sit at the demonstration area while the teacher uses the large display screen to demonstrate how students will access Microsoft Excel: click on Start button, click on Programs, find Microsoft Excel and click once.
7. At this time, the teacher will explain some of Microsoft Excel’s features students will be utilizing like how to enter data in the different Cells, and where the Chart Wizard icon is located in the toolbar.
8. Teacher will discuss how the students will be using the program to make bar graphs to show how many seeds each pumpkin has.  Teacher Question:  Why do you think we should use a computer program to help us make our graph instead of designing and coloring one in the classroom? Possible student answers: neater, large numbers are difficult to graph, faster
9. Teacher describes the layout of spreadsheet one to the students and discusses how to identify cells.
10. Teacher will continue to use the large display to demonstrate how to type the data into the spreadsheet.
11. Students will be dismissed to go to their assigned computer and instructed to access Microsoft Excel.
12. Students are to stay together and follow the teacher’s step-by-step instructions that are being demonstrated on the large display screen.
13. Teacher will direct students to put their cursor in cell A1 to type in the number of seeds for pumpkin one.
14. Students will press Enter to move their cursor to cell A2.
15. Students will look at their data collection worksheet and enter the number of seeds for pumpkin number two in cell A2.
16. Students will press Enter to move their cursor to cell A3 and enter the number of seeds for pumpkin number three.
17. Students will repeat the procedures in step sixteen until the number of seeds has been recorded for all eight pumpkins.
18. Next students will click in cell A1 again.  They will drag their mouse so that cells A1-A8 are highlighted.
19. Students will then press the Chart Wizard icon at the top of the tool bar to select a graph.
20. Students will be advised to select the first graph shown, which is a column graph.
21. Teacher will guide students to proceed through the Chart Wizard by selecting the tab Labels.
22. X-axis will be labeled “Pumpkin Numbers”.
23. Y-axis will be labeled “Number of Seeds”.
24. Students will then add data labels to their graph by selecting Chart from the toolbar and Chart Options.  Choose the tab Data Labels and the button Show Value.
25. Students will change the gray background to white by clicking in the background and selecting Format from the tool bar and then Background-Selected Plot Area.  This will give the graph contrasting colors.
26. Students will print their graphs.
27. On another day, students will use the data in their graphs to write two addition and two subtraction story problems.  This is good practice for the AIMS Test.
28. Students will exchange papers to solve each other’s story problems.  They will write their name on the blank labeled Classmate’s Name.  Then they will read the story problems, write a number sentence on the blank titled “Number Sentence”, and solve their buddy’s problems and write the answer on the blank titled “Answer”.  Students will discuss and verify each other’s answers while working through the problems one at a time.
29. Finally, students will write a concluding statement about pumpkins that can be drawn from the information displayed in their graphs.  Allow time for students to share their conclusions.

Possible Student Conclusions:
• You can’t tell how many seeds a pumpkin is going to have by looking at its size.
• All of our class pumpkins had over 200 seeds.  I can conclude that most pumpkins will have over 200 seeds.
• The number of pumpkin seeds can be an odd or an even number.
• Pumpkin seeds are hard to count.  The numbers may not be exact.
• I’m glad I didn’t have to make a graph by hand to show the number of pumpkin seeds.

The teacher assess whether each student accurately completed the following tasks:

• Did students hypothesize, conduct a simple experiment, and record the results of a science experiment as evident in student data worksheet?
• Were two or more addition and subtraction story problems written using information from their graphs as evident in student worksheet?
• Did students solve each other’s story problems?
• Did students analyze their graph and write a concluding statement about what they learned as evident in student worksheet?
• Did students create a spreadsheet using the data collected from the class science experiment?
• Did students correctly use Microsoft Excel to create bar graphs from their spreadsheets as evident in their final product?