By Kimberly Bisner

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Types of Candy BarsNumber of Students Kit Kat1 Snickers6 Peanut Butter Cups8 Skittles3 Milky Way3 Creating Bar Graphs Using the following data that we collected as a class, you and your teammates will be creating two graphs like the ones you watched me create on the SMART Board. One graph you will create using Excel. The other graph you will create by using this link: You will print out both graphs and turn them in when you are finished. As you are working keep in mind that we will be having a discussion as to the pros and cons of both programs. If you have any problems or questions, please check with your teammates first. You are working together to create both graphs. Good luck and have fun!!!

Creating Bar Graphs: Learning Center Learning centers are a wonderful way for students to work independently or cooperatively without constant direct assistance from the teacher. This allows the teacher the flexibility of working with small groups of students while the rest of the class works at their centers. As a second grade teacher, I am responsible for teaching bar graphs to my students. Each year I have students decide on something they would like to collect data on and then survey the class and record the results. This year the students decided to collect data on their favorite type of candy bar. They each voted anonymously on a piece of paper and one student tallied the results on the SMART Board. The next step in introducing this learning center is to go through creating the graph step by step with students as a whole class. For most of the students this is usually their first time using the graphing program online or Excel so they need a quick how to lesson before they can try it on their own. As a class we create graphs using both programs. The remainder of the week, the students work in groups to create graphs in using both programs. When they are finished they print out their graphs and discuss with their teammates the pros and cons of each program. Students really love this learning center and often want to keep editing their work until it is “perfect.” By allowing students the freedom to try anything, it really helps them to discover things they didn’t know before and increases their confidence. Their comfort level with computer technology also increases. I think I will continue using this center (tweaking it when necessary) for as long as students continue to be engaged and are learning something new.