Victoria Leindecker

Candy Heart Sort and Graph - Math Lesson

Taught February of 2018
Kindergarten

Kindergarten
Math
Standard:
K.MD.B.3
- Classify objects into given
categories; count the numbers
of objects in each category and
sort the categories by count.
Objectives:
- I can sort objects by color.
- I can count the number of
items in each sorted grouping
using tally marks.
- I can graph the objects in each
group to determine which
group has the most objects
and which group has the least.
Time Needed:
35 minutes
Materials:
- Candy Hearts (peanut free)
- Sort and Graph Worksheet
- Crayons (green, red, blue,
purple and yellow)
- Pencils
- 1 Document Camera
- 1 Computer
Candy Heart Sort and Graph
Overview:
During the lesson, the students will sort candy hearts into
groups by color. They will count and tally the number of
hearts of each color onto a sorting mat. Once sorted and
counted, the students will graph their candy hearts using
a bar graph. All papers will be put up on the board, after
completion, for the students to make observations and
comparisons of the graphs.
Anticipatory Set:
With the students seated at the carpet, the teacher
will begin by starting a discussion about a time that the
students may have used a graph to organize data.
Student Examples of Graphs May Include:
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears Voting Bar Graph
(Previously, the students voted using sticky notes, on their
favorite version of the fairytale “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”)
- The Daily Weather in the Months of January and
February Bar Graph
(Students have been learning about the weather)
- How We Get to School Bar Graph
(Each student shared with the class how they got to school one
morning)
The teacher will use one of the student examples of
a graph to ask them what the information or data would
have looked like if it were not organized into a graph. The
data would be difficult to interpret and obtain
information from.
Modeling (I Do):
When building an understanding of sorting and
graphing, the teacher will first begin by modeling the
process. The students have practiced sorting objects by
color in a previous lesson. This will allow the teacher to
move through the model of sorting rather quickly. She
 should highlight the process of tallying, as this strategy is

important and one that was not incorporated in the previous sorting activity.
After modeling the sort, the teacher will model how to use the graph.
To begin the model of the graph, the teacher will begin by pointing out the
key at the top of the page. The students have been exposed to the key in other
places in the curriculum (maps, charts and graphs in non-fiction texts). The key
shows that one bar represents one candy heart. She will then select a color of
candy heart to insert onto the graph. She will color the heart on the x-axis of the
graph with the same color as the one chosen. Coloring the corresponding number
of bars, she will demonstrate how to use the graph.

Body (We Do):

During the modeling, the teacher will begin to ask the students for their
input. By asking questions about how to fill in the graph, the teacher will be able
to identify if the students are understanding how to complete the activity. In
order to ensure that all the students are sharing their thoughts, she should have
the students whisper the answers into their hands, then release it all together.
This gives students time to think about their answer and allows the teacher to
listen to many students ideas at once. She is able to highlight the answer that is
correct. During this response time, the teacher needs to encourage the students
to respond in complete sentences to support their learning in English.
Before releasing the students to work independently, the teacher will show
how to add titles to their different parts of the graph. In order to name the titles,
she will ask the students what they were graphing on each axis. This question may
require her to give hints and make observations to support students.
Due to the large quantity of information and directions, it is important to
recap the directions and steps over. This is best accomplished by asking students
to sequence the order in which they are to complete the tasks. She may ask the
group, “When beginning this activity at your tableseat, someone please raise your
hand to tell me the first direction you were given.” This question and answer
sequencing should go on until the all the directions have been repeated.

Body (You Do):

Students take their candy hearts and use them to complete their worksheet.
They will independently sort, tally and graph the number of each color candy
heart. Because some students will finish the activity before others, there will be a
tallying activity on the back side of the paper. The teacher will display the hearts
from a larger box of candy hearts on the document camera for the students to
count and tally. This is good practice for tallying and working with numbers that
are in the teens. Upon finishing the activity, the students will pin their work the
the board for class analysis.
The analysis will be led by the teacher to help the students make
observations about the data they collected. This is also a good opportunity for the
students to show off their hard work. To begin the discussion, the teacher will ask
the students to share some observations of the graphs.
Students may observe how the graphs were made, which colors have more
or less and how the labels help to read the graph. The teacher will elaborate on
the idea that data organization in graph form helps us to quickly look at and
understand data. Graphs also help us to make predictions about future data
collection. Students should practice using complete sentences to describe what
they notice about the graphs.

Assessment:
The assessment of this activity is formative. The teacher will collect and
review student work on the worksheet. This is to evaluate how the students
received the new material and identify the areas that require more support in
future lessons. The main items that the teacher will be evaluating for
understanding on the worksheet: sorting by color, tally marks indicating how
many hearts and the transfer of that information into the graph.