The kids were behind, so we were having to go in and hit all the concepts. During this time of year (or any time of year for that matter), no one wants to be beat down with a bunch of notes. Since I started doing an interactive journal in my 8th grade class, I thought I would go that route with these kids. They responded so well! They loved getting the information without feeling like they were copying down a bunch of "stuff".
During the fall, I reviewed over the different graphs and central tendency with my 8th graders. I used turkeys and pumpkins. I didn't think that theme would go well at this time of year, so I created baskets and bunnies.
Each basket represented a different graph. The egg was glued on to each basket (in a slightly overlapping pattern), and it titled what the graph was. The eggs serve as a tab for easy reference. The graphs we reviewed were:
- line plot
- line graph
- stem and leaf plot
- bar graph
- circle graph
- venn diagram
Each bunny represented each measure of central tendency. One ear was glued to each bunny (in a slightly overlapping pattern), and it detailed what the bunny covered. When we finished we had a four-eared bunny!
Click here to get the template I used for the baskets/eggs and bunnies/ears.
The kids were able to go back and add some color to the foldable. I loved seeing them pull them out and use them to help answer different questions. The eggs and ears allowed for easy reference. The kids were engaged and got the material I needed them to get.
The slowest part is the cutting! I have found that when we do activities like this, it is best to go ahead and hand out the material when they come in, so they can start cutting as soon as they finish the bell ringer. We also have to share scissors. I plan on buying A LOT of scissors this summer! Once you get past the cutting hurdle, it is smooth sailing!
Happy basket and bunny making!
