Multimedia in Muller's Curriculum
Lesson Plan by Angela Carty & Ellen Francois         1999

Grade level: 1st through 3rd grades

Primary curricular area:  Math

Connected curricular areas: Social Studies  and Art

Curriculum objective:
         ïTo gather data.
         ïTo use the data to create a bar graph.
Time Line:  4-5 class periods.
Resources:
     Fingerprint Kit
     Mathematics Text
     Data Sheet
     Samples of Various Types of Graphs
     Computer
     Graph Club Program
     Police Officer
     Computer Lab Teacher
     Chalkboard, Masking Tape, Newspaper Print
     Mailbox Magazine article on fingerprints (Aug./Sept. 1996)

Activities:
Day 1:
Officer will discuss and display different types of fingerprints.
Students will be fingerprinted individually.
Officer will determine each studentís fingerprint and record the type on the fingerprint card.

Day 2:
Review lesson taught on bar graphs earlier in the year.
Teacher will draw chart of different types of fingerprints on newspaper print taped to the board.
Each student will be given his/her fingerprint card and tape to place on chart.
Observe, discuss, and compare the various types of fingerprint patterns.
Students will record data on a tally sheet.

Days 3: Computer Lab
ïHalf of the class will visit the computer lab to create bar graphs of the classí fingerprints using the Graph Club program.
ïThe remaining students will read article on fingerprints and compare the most common fingerprints in the class with those of the general population.

Day 4:
Students will reverse activities of Day 3.

Assessment:
Students will be able to answer oral and written questions based on their graphs.
Enrichment:
Students will compare their fingerprint graphs with other participating classes through oral discussion.   Graphs will be displayed, by class, on the walls along the hall way.

Navigation guide for Teachers:
Computer Lab Resource teacher will:
1.   Set up the Graph Club program.
2.   Review the program with the students.
3.   Prepare a tally sheet for recording data.

Navigation guide for Students:
1.   Double click on Graph Club icon.
2.   Click on Skip Introduction.
3.   Click on Explore Mode and then click on OK.
4.   Click on one animal at a time and rename each with one type of fingerprint.
5.   Click on type of graph you will use.
6.   Go to Graph  on the Menu Bar and scroll to down to Choose Symbols.  Click on four different
        colors to represent data.
7.   Click on Table and input data.  Click on the 0 across from each name and type in the number that
        represents that amount.  Then click OK.
8.   Print 3 different types of graphs.
9.   Save document.
10. Quit program.
 
 

Click the Schoolhouse to return to the Main Menu. Click the Notebook to return to the Lesson Plan Menu.