Illuminations: What's in a Name?

What's in a Name?
Students explore sets of names and create bar graphs, pictographs, glyphs, and circle graphs. They also find the range, compute measures of center, and create box and whisker plots.

Math Content

  • Circle graphs, pictographs, and bar graphs
  • Range of a set of data
  • Measures of center
  • Box and whiskers plots
  • Comparison of related sets of data
  • Comparison of different representations of the same data

Individual Lessons

Lesson 1 - First Names First

Students create bar graphs and find the range and mode of a set of data. They explore the relationship of vowels to consonants in their names.

Lesson 2 - Last Names Next

Students create bar graphs and circle graphs and find the range and mode of two data sets.

Lesson 3 - Creating Pictographs

Students create pictographs and answer questions about the data set.

Lesson 4 - Comparing Averages

Students create a box and whisker plot and compare the mean, median, and mode of a set of data.

Lesson 5 - Describing Data

Students create glyphs based on the characteristics of their names. They also enter data into a spreadsheet and sort it in several ways.

NCTM Resources

Navigating through Data Analysis in 3‑5
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Thinkfinity Verizon Foundation
More and Better Mathematics for All Students
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