Primary Type: Formative Assessment
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 44766
Collecting Cans for Recycling
Students answer questions about a scaled bar graph.
Subject(s): Mathematics
Grade Level(s): 3
Intended Audience: Educators
Freely Available: Yes
Keywords: MFAS, bar graph, scale, one-step, two-step, more, less
Resource Collection: MFAS Formative Assessments
ATTACHMENTS
MFAS_CollectingCansForRecycling_Worksheet.docx
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT TASK
Instructions for Implementing the Task
This task can be implemented individually, with a small group, or with the whole class.
1. The teacher should show the student the Collecting Cans for Recycling worksheet and read the problem with the student to ensure understanding.
2. After the student has completed the worksheet, the teacher should ask the student to explain his or her strategies in answering each question.
TASK RUBRIC
Getting Started
Misconception/Error
The student is unable to accurately read data from the graph.
Examples of Student Work at this Level
The student assumes that each horizontal line represents one can and concludes that the fifth grade collected one fewer can than the kindergarten.
The student attempts to count up by 20 to read the height of the bars but makes errors in doing so.
The student is unable to read the graph without extensive assistance.
Questions Eliciting Thinking
What do the labels on the horizontal axis represent? What does the height of the bar tell you?
page 1 of 3 Do you know what “scale” means? What is the scale for the vertical axis?
How many cans did the kindergarten collect? How many do you think the second grade collected?
Instructional Implications
Provide clear instruction on the structure of a bar graph and how to read bar graphs. Instruct the student to read the height of a bar by comparing the top of the bar to
the scale on the vertical axis. Focus on bars whose heights are between two given values on the scale. Provide opportunities for the student to practice reading data from
scaled bar graphs and using data to answer questions.
Allow for the student to collect categorical data and create a bar graph with a single-unit scale to represent the data.
Moving Forward
Misconception/Error
The student is unable to use data from the graph to answer the questions.
Examples of Student Work at this Level
The student can use the graph to determine the numbers of cans collected at each grade level but is confused by the wording of the questions.
The student struggles with the term fewer in the first question, and in the second question the student combines all three grade levels and incorrectly determines that the
answer is 210 cans.
Questions Eliciting Thinking
How many cans did the kindergarten collect? How many cans did the fifth grade collect? Can you show me how many more cans the kindergarten collected than the fifth
grade?
How many cans did the first grade collect? How many cans did the second grade collect? If you combine these two amounts, what do you get? How does this compare to
the number of cans the third grade collected?
Instructional Implications
Help the student answer “how many more” and “how many fewer” questions by first identifying the quantities that are being compared. Then, have the student use the
bar graph to find these quantities. Next, have the student reread the question and complete the comparison. Assist the student with the meaning of the words more, less,
and fewer, if necessary.
Almost There
Misconception/Error
The student is unable to devise an effective strategy for answering the two-step question (#2).
Examples of Student Work at this Level
The student is able to answer the first question. In response to the second question, the student gives two answers: how many more cans the third grade collected than
the first grade and how many more cans the third grade collected than the second grade or the student combines two grade levels only.
The student is only able to answer the second question with sufficient prompting.
Questions Eliciting Thinking
How many cans did the first grade collect? How many cans did the second grade collect? If you combine these two amounts, what do you get? How does this compare to
the number of cans the third grade collected?
Instructional Implications
Help the student answer two-step compare questions by first recognizing that there are two steps to the problem. Have the student read the problem several times and
discuss with the student what those steps are and in which order they can be completed. Guide the student to be explicit about which quantities must be found or
calculated in each step.
Got It
Misconception/Error
The student provides complete and correct responses to all components of the task.
Examples of Student Work at this Level
The student determines that (1) the fifth grade collected 20 fewer cans than the kindergarten and (2) that the third grade collected 30 more cans than the first and
second grades combined. The student shows supporting work clearly on his or her paper and can explain the strategies used to answer each question.
page 2 of 3 Questions Eliciting Thinking
Can you use the graph to find the total number of cans collected?
Can you rank the grade levels from most to least number of cans collected? Were there any ties?
Instructional Implications
Give the student opportunities to create bar graphs. Provide guidance in choosing a scale for the vertical axis that fits the data. Give the student a checklist of all important
components to include (title, horizontal axis with category labels, scaled vertical axis, axis labels, and bars drawn to the correct height).
Consider implementing MFAS task Lunch Orders (3.MD.2.3).
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Special Materials Needed:
Collecting Cans for Recycling worksheet
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: MFAS FCRSTEM
Name of Author/Source: MFAS FCRSTEM
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Okaloosa
Is this Resource freely Available? Yes
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
Name
MAFS.3.MD.2.3:
Description
Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and
two­step “how many more” and “how many less” problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs. For
example, draw a bar graph in which each square in the bar graph might represent 5 pets.
page 3 of 3