Name:Create a Graph
Brief Description of the Site:
Create a Graph is a straightforward easy-to-navigate site that appears to be simpler than it really is. Actually, this site is worthy of heading the list of favorites because of its usefulness in teaching graphing, and allowing students to enter their own data, topic, and labels. Links demonstrate different kinds of bar graphs for comparisons and students can easily grasp concepts because of the accessibility of the explanations. Examples of circle graphs, bar graphs, when to use different types of graphs, and comparisons of data using graphs are all available. The site index offers categories that include Tools, Games and Activities, a Multi Media section that highlights art in mathematics, and "Other Good Stuff" which has quite a range of materials. The site is by NCES, or the National Center for Education Statistics. The site states that NCES fulfills a Congressional mandate to collect, analyze, and report statistics on American education. The power of this site is that there are some but not all sections of are of considerable interest for the classroom. Games and Activities focus on math and science on a variety of levels. Create a Graph, Math Teaser, and Games and Activities are, in this reviewer's opinion, the most worthwhile links for educators. Those alone are worth revisiting the site.
How to use the site:
Create a Graph offers an introduction to the different kinds of graphs, when and why they are used, and how they serve as a quick way to visually understand comparisons such as changes over time. Using instructions provided, students can generate their own graphs with data that they provide. Choices include an area, line, pie or bar graph. The student chooses the title, enters numbers in fields that define the type of data entered, and labels for the x and y axes. With the information, the Create A Graph generates the graph displaying that specific information. This takes the guesswork out of creating graphs and guarantees students a foolproof way to visually depict the data. By removing the focus from the artistic aspect of drawing a graph, students can concentrate on the results that appear with accuracy. Need help? There's a help button and a glossary to define terms. The student chooses they type of bar graph, for example that is needed along with a choice of values, color scheme, graph size, and graph orientation. For those educators in need of displaying class data in the form of graphs for those requisite bulletin boards, this is truly a valuable site. It allows one to customize and accurately depict the information, compare and contrast, and quickly generate pretty graphs for display. There are quizzes and surveys available as learning tools, but the graphing component is an excellent find for elementary and middle school educators and students.
Submitted by:
Edited by Katherine Kuang
Student, PS 56Q
