Primary Type: Formative Assessment
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 62842
Bulk Candy Part One
Students are asked to use a given set of data to create a line plot with an appropriate scale.
Subject(s): Mathematics
Grade Level(s): 5
Intended Audience: Educators
Freely Available: Yes
Keywords: MFAS, scale, line plot, upper limit, lower limit
Resource Collection: MFAS Formative Assessments
ATTACHMENTS
MFAS_BulkCandyPartOne_Worksheet.docx
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT TASK
Instructions for Implementing the Task
Note: This task may be implemented individually, in small groups, or in a whole-group setting. If the task is given in a whole-group setting, the teacher should ask each
student to explain his or her thinking and strategy.
1. The teacher gives the student measurement data from the Bulk Candy Part One worksheet.
2. The teacher asks the student to create a line plot of the data ensuring that the student understands that the line plot should be scaled in a way that allows for all of the
data to be displayed.
Note: If this task is done in advance of Bulk Candy Part Two, the student should keep his or her line plot to use when answering the questions in that task.
TASK RUBRIC
Getting Started
Misconception/Error
The student makes significant errors in scaling the horizontal axis.
Examples of Student Work at this Level
The student makes any of the following errors when scaling the horizontal axis:
Places each value on the axis more than once (e.g., places
multiple times on the axis).
page 1 of 4 Groups values together into a range instead of scaling the axis.
Scales the horizontal axis incorrectly and does not use symbols to record the data.
Omits values not reported and/or incorrectly spaces the values.
Creates separate line plots for each fractional unit.
Place values out of order on the horizontal axis.
Questions Eliciting Thinking
When you count from zero to two by eighths, what do you say? Have you omitted some values on your line plot?
What is the smallest value in the data? What is the largest whole number less than this value? What is the largest value in our data? What is the smallest whole number
greater than this value? Can you make a number line that goes from ___ (the whole number lower limit) to ____ (the whole number upper limit)?
It seems you have left out some numbers. If you have measurements that are to the nearest eighth of a pound, how should you scale the number line?
Instructional Implications
Provide direct instruction on scaling a number line by eighths. Have the student create number lines scaled by eighths that begin and end at given whole numbers (e.g.,
from 1 – 3). Then, ask the student to locate various whole numbers as well as numbers involving halves, fourths, and eighths on the number line.
Guide the student to select an appropriate lower and upper limit for a number line that is to be used as an axis in a line plot. Generally, this can be the largest whole number
less than the smallest data value and the smallest whole number larger than the largest data value.
Provide the student with an additional data set. Ask the student to create a line plot from the data set. Then provide feedback to the student.
Moving Forward
Misconception/Error
The student makes errors in symbol placement.
Examples of Student Work at this Level
page 2 of 4 The student:
Uses different-sized symbols and/or places the symbols in a nonlinear arrangement.
Attempts to use a variety of different symbols in the graph instead of just one.
Uses an incorrect number of symbols for one or more categories.
Questions Eliciting Thinking
What does each symbol in your graph represent? How many should there be for each measurement? How many 1
are in the data set? Is that what your graph shows?
Why did you use different symbols? Why might that be confusing for the reader? Does each symbol represent the same amount or different amounts?
How can you determine which category has the greatest count? The lowest count? What if your symbols were all the same size? Would your graph be easier to read?
Instructional Implications
Provide the student with completed line plots, and ask the student to determine the counts for each category of data. Point out that only one type of symbol is used and
that equally-sized and spaced symbols are placed in vertical columns to show the count for each data category. Explain to the student how this placement of the symbols
helps one to quickly see the total for each category and the overall shape of the distribution. Then ask the student to determine which data category has the least and
greatest counts or frequencies.
Model for the student how to label a line plot with an appropriate title, axis labels, and key.
Provide the student with an additional data set. Ask the student to create a line plot with an appropriate scale from the data set. Then provide feedback to the student.
Almost There
Misconception/Error
The student makes a minor error in some component of the graph.
Examples of Student Work at this Level
The student scales the graph correctly and draws the correct number of symbols for each weight category but makes any of the following errors:
Does not include a title that describes the line plot.
Only includes numbers on the scale for which there are data.
Extends the horizontal axis well beyond the range of the data.
Inaccurately describes what each symbol represents in an included key.
Questions Eliciting Thinking
If you showed your line plot to someone from another class, would they be able to determine what it represents? What is missing from your graph?
Can you think of a good title for your line plot? Does your title let someone know what your line plot represents?
Which numbers are missing from the scale on your horizontal axis?
What part of your horizontal axis was not used? Does it need to be included in your graph?
Instructional Implications
Provide specific feedback and allow the student to revise his or her work. Provide the student with additional opportunities to create line plots. Provide the student with a
checklist of features that each line plot must include and ask the student to review his or her work.
Guide the student to select an appropriate lower and upper limit for the scale on the horizontal axis. Generally, this can be the largest whole number less than the smallest
data value and the smallest whole number larger than the largest data value.
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 correctly scales the horizontal axis using reasonable lower and upper limits, provides the correct number of symbols for each data category, places same-sized
symbols in linear arrangements, and includes axis labels and a title.
page 3 of 4 Questions Eliciting Thinking
Which bulk candy measurements occurred most often?
What is the lightest bag of candy in our class? What is the heaviest bag of candy in our class?
How much more candy did the person with the heaviest bag get than the person with the lightest bag?
Instructional Implications
Show the student line plots with different distributions (e.g., uniform, skewed left or right, bimodal, or normal), and model for the student how to draw conclusions based
on the data. For example, if a line plot was made to show the heights of the students in the class and the data were:
Uniform, model by saying, “The graph shows that about the same number of students in the class are this height.” Skewed left, model by saying, “Most of the students in the class are shorter but a few of the students in our class are very tall.”
Bimodal, model by saying, “There seem to be two groups of students in the class, those who are shorter and those who are taller.”
Normal, model by saying, “Most of the students in the class are about 60 inches tall, but a few are very tall and a few are very short.”
Consider using MFAS task Rock Measurements Part One (5.MD.2.2) for additional practice creating a line plot from given data.
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Special Materials Needed:
Bulk Candy Part One worksheet
Blank sheet of paper (optional)
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.5.MD.2.2:
Description
Make a line plot to display a data set of measurements in fractions of a unit (1/2, 1/4, 1/8). Use operations on
fractions for this grade to solve problems involving information presented in line plots. For example, given different
measurements of liquid in identical beakers, find the amount of liquid each beaker would contain if the total amount in all
the beakers were redistributed equally.
page 4 of 4