Line Plots Susan Phillips Meadow Lane Elementary Lee’s Summit, MO Adapted from Math Thematics, Book 1

Learn how to draw and interpret a line plot. In this lesson you will... Learn how to draw and interpret a line plot.

Materials you will need... Pencil Paper

Work as a Team... Discuss each slide. Do not go on until you are sure everyone on the team understands the concept presented on the slide. Take your time. Have fun!

Let’s Begin!

In this lesson, we will work with animal data. The first type of animals we will use are invertebrates. Invertebrates are animals without backbones. They are often very small. However, we will be investigating very LARGE invertebrates.

show the lengths of five giant invertebrates. This table and line plot show the lengths of five giant invertebrates. 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 X Five Giant Invertebrates Length (cm)

Suppose you pick up a bird-eating spider Suppose you pick up a bird-eating spider. Will it fit on the tip of your finger, in the palm of your hand, or in both hands? 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 X Five Giant Invertebrates Length (cm)

How do you think the data in the table was used to draw the line plot? What information is lost when you transfer data from a table to a line plot? 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 X Five Giant Invertebrates Length (cm)

What is the longest length of the giant invertebrates shown? The shortest length? What is the range of the data? 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 X Five Giant Invertebrates Length (cm)

Which is easier to use, the table or the line plot, to find the longest and the shortest lengths? Why? 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 X Five Giant Invertebrates Length (cm)

What numbers start and end the line plot? Why do you think these numbers were chosen? 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 X Five Giant Invertebrates Length (cm)

Line Plots A line plot displays data using a line marked with a scale. The scale must include the greatest and least value of the data. If you make a line plot before having all your data, you may want to include some extra numbers to the left and right in case the data includes some surprisingly small or large data.

Use the table on the next slide to construct a line plot. Now you try it! Use the table on the next slide to construct a line plot.

Make Your Own Line Plot

Use the table and your line plot to help you estimate how many hours a day each of the following animals sleep. (Hint: Look at the clusters of animals in your line plot. Think about what each animal eats and where it sleeps.)

How many hours a day do you think a zebra sleeps?

How many hours a day do you think a beaver sleeps?

On a new sheet of paper... List 3 things you liked or disliked about math today. List 2 ways line plots are different than bar graphs. List 1 thing you learned today that you did not expect to learn in math class.

Zippidy Do Dah!!!! You are ready to practice making line plots. Please begin the assignment on the assignment board!