In fourth grade at Laburnum today we combined a database lesson with a lesson on ordered pairs. I gave each student a Numbers template which you can download by clicking here. The template has a link to an online form for each student to enter some coordinates for a shape of their choice. They choose the x-coordinate, the y-coordinate, the shape, the color, and type their name. After all the students have entered their data, they open the next link which shows all the records. Now they are ready to enter this information into the Numbers document. As they type in their classmates’ coordinates, the points are automatically plotted on the graph. The final step is to use the Shapes tool to put the correct shape on the correct coordinates and change the fill color to the one specified. You can take a look at this class’s final copy by clicking here.

One of my fifth grade classes was working on graphing. Since most of these students have been making graphs since first grade, I wanted to focus on something different. Instead of just entering the data into the spreadsheet and making the graph, I wanted the students to experience the value of formulas and what they can do. I created a template where the graph is automatically generated when they enter the data so the students could move quickly to the next step which was writing a word problem about the data. They enter the answer into an “invisible box” then give the word problem to a friend to solve. The power of the hidden formula shows up when the friend checks his or her answer. If it’s wrong, an X automatically appears, and if it’s correct, a check mark appears. It’s almost like magic! Students can continue making up new problems or even change the data entirely. They can also customize the colors of the bars in the graph if they wish. You can download the template by clicking here and you can see the sample graph by clicking on the picture.

Fourth graders at Trevvett were up for a math challenge! They knew all about rays, line segments, parallel lines, intersecting lines, and angles. But could they create them using only a spreadsheet?? I provided them with a Numbers template and they had enter the correct numbers into the spreadsheet to create the geometric figures in line graph form. It required some serious thinking and collaborating, but they did a fantastic job meeting the challenge! You can see an example by clicking here and you can download the template to use by clicking here.