Statistics - Introducing line graphs - Planning

In a Year 5 summer statistics lesson, students are introduced to the concept of line graphs as a means of representing continuous data such as time and temperature. The lesson begins with a starter activity that encourages the children to use their understanding of scales to read a time graph accurately. They explore the key features and benefits of line graphs compared to other forms of data presentation, discussing terms like 'warmest', 'coolest', 'temperature', 'continuous data', and 'discrete data'. A practical activity involves examining a line graph showing playground temperatures on a March morning, identifying the x and y axes and interpreting the data points. Students are prompted to use rulers to accurately read values from the graph, and to articulate their findings using sentence stems for clarity.

Progressing through the lesson, the children engage in a hands-on activity where they create their own line graphs from a table of data, tracking the growth of a plant over several weeks. They are tasked with plotting points on a blank number line, with the challenge of determining the appropriate scales for the axes. The activity is repeated with an extended data set to observe how additional information alters the line graph. Throughout the lesson, independent learning is supported by differentiated worksheets, and key questions prompt students to compare line graphs with bar charts, estimate values, and understand the significance of the axes. The lesson concludes with a reflective 'Give me five' exercise, where students identify what they've learned, the skills they've used, any challenges faced, and the key points they will remember. Differentiated outcomes cater to varying levels of understanding, from plotting main points on a graph to calculating and plotting precise data points for a more in-depth graph construction.