Lesson 1

Favorite Colors

Est. Class Sessions: 1

Developing the Lesson

Prepare to Gather Data. Begin the lesson by noting the colorful items in the classroom or in the environment.

Then say:

X
  • What is your favorite color?
  • I hear many choices. I wonder what color is the favorite for most people in the whole class.
  • Does anyone have an idea of how we can find out?

Display the first column (Colors) of the data table you prepared and ask each student to choose a color from the chart.

Then demonstrate the value of organizing data in a table. Ask all students who chose red to stand. The rest of the group should count the students who are standing. Repeat this for other colors.

After completing this process, ask questions such as these:

X
  • Do you remember how many students chose yellow?
  • Can you tell us how many other students chose the same color as you?

The questions can lead to uncertainty or confusion on the part of students. Remembering numbers without a visual record is difficult. Having just experienced this difficulty, students will be ready for the introduction of the data table, a tool for recording and organizing data.

Discuss this difficulty:

X
  • I'm having difficulty remembering how many children chose each color. Some of you seem unsure as well. Can anyone think of a way to help us remember more easily? (You could write it down on paper.)
  • Good idea! I know of a math tool to help us. It's called a data table. The data table organizes your choices to help us remember how many students chose each color. Let's make one together.
X

Have students write their names on the self-adhesive note in their favorite color using a crayon or marker. This will help students commit to a decision.

Collect Data in a Table. Display the remaining columns on the prepared data table. Ask students to write their names on self-adhesive notes. Instruct those who chose red to bring their self-adhesive notes to the front. Students should put their notes on the data table in the "Names of Students" column. Continue with the remaining students and their favorite colors.

Read the names on the self-adhesive notes aloud.

Ask:

X
  • Does the data table make it easier to remember how many students chose each color? (Yes because you can see all the names.)
  • True, but how can I tell how many students chose each color now? (We can count the names in each row.)
  • Yes, that would work. Would it make it easier to tell how many if I added a tally for each student name instead of counting for each color? (Yes!)

Make a tally for each name. Present the tally system, in which four tallies are crossed by a fifth. This will help students see units of five and will create a background for skip counting by fives, which is introduced in a later unit. Explain that the tallies represent each name (and each student) on the chart. Demonstrate how the tallies can be counted more easily than each self-adhesive note. Ask students to count the number of tallies and to write the "Total" in the total column.

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