How do we get to school? A survey and chart project
Students read a model description of a bar chart, learn the language of numbers and comparison, survey their own class and write a short report about their chart.
At a glance
- From
- Level 3, Bridge English: Week 23, Numbers and charts
- Grammar
- comparatives with numbers; fractions and percentages
- Key language
- 40 per cent, almost a third, half, a quarter, one in ten / twice as many as, three times more, the most popular, the least popular / The chart shows...
- Children make
- A class bar chart and a 70-word description.
- Class size
- Works with 10 to 50 children; pair and group steps say how to scale.
Objective
Students describe data accurately using fractions, percentages and comparative structures.
Success criteria for children
- I can say numbers as fractions and percentages.
- I can compare results with "twice as many as" and "the most popular".
- I can write a clear description of a chart.
Timing: 60 minutes
| Minutes | Stage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | Warm-up: hands up | Quick hands-up questions; say the results as fractions. |
| 5 to 15 | Numbers language | Fractions and percentages; per cent spelling and pronunciation. |
| 15 to 25 | Reading: a model description | Read the description of Class 8's chart; check against the chart. |
| 25 to 32 | Practice | Task 1 gap-fill from the chart. |
| 32 to 45 | Class survey | Each group surveys the class on one question and draws a chart. |
| 45 to 55 | Write the description | 70 words: what the chart shows, the biggest and smallest, one comparison. |
| 55 to 60 | Exit ticket | Say two facts about a chart in two ways. |
Materials
- Worksheet, pens, rulers
- Describing a bar chart (B1) (free, linked from Week 23)
- Writing about a pie chart (B1) (free, linked from Week 23)
Step by step, with teacher talk
0 to 5 minWarm-up: hands up
- Ask "Who has a pet? Who has a brother?" Count hands and say "About half of us have a pet."
5 to 15 minNumbers language
- Write: 50% half, 25% a quarter, 33% a third, 10% one in ten, 75% three quarters. Drill.
- Teach "almost", "just over", "about" for numbers that are not exact: 48% is almost half.
- Is 26% "almost a quarter" or "just over a quarter"? (Just over.)
- Do we say "40 per cents"? (No, 40 per cent.)
15 to 25 minReading: a model description
- Students read the text and look at the chart on the worksheet. They answer the questions and find two comparison phrases.
25 to 32 minPractice
- Students complete task 1 using the chart.
32 to 45 minClass survey
- Groups choose a question with four answer options (How do you get to school? Favourite subject? Bedtime?).
- Each group asks the whole class by a show of hands, records the numbers, and draws a bar chart in task 2.
45 to 55 minWrite the description
- Students use the model structure: introduction, most popular, least popular, one comparison, a conclusion.
55 to 60 minExit ticket
- See below.
Differentiation
Support
- Use only fractions (half, a quarter) and "the most / the least".
- Give the model text with gaps instead of writing from scratch.
Stretch
- Calculate percentages for their own class data.
- Add a reason or prediction: "This is probably because..."
- Draw a pie chart for the same data and say which chart is clearer.
Reading passage
The data is invented for this lesson.
The bar chart shows how the 30 students in Class 8 travel to school.
Walking is the most popular way to get to school. Twelve students walk, which is 40 per cent of the class. Nine students come by bus, almost a third of the class.
Six students come by car, so twice as many students walk as come by car. Cycling is the least popular way: only three students, or one in ten, ride a bike.
In conclusion, most of the class walk or take the bus. Perhaps more students would cycle if the school had a safe place to leave bikes.
Questions
- How many students are in Class 8?
- What percentage of the class walks?
- Why is nine "almost a third"?
- Complete: twice as many students walk as...
- What does the writer suggest at the end?
Printable worksheet
Prints on its own A4 page. Use Print the worksheet above, or print the whole plan and the worksheet starts on a new page. One copy per child, or one per pair to save paper.
Describing a chart
1. Look at Class 8's chart. Complete the sentences.
- students walk to school. That is 40 per cent.
- Nine students, almost of the class, come by bus.
- Twice as many students walk come by car.
- Cycling is the popular way to travel.
- One student in cycles to school.
2. Our class survey. Question:
| Answer | Number of students | Fraction or % |
|---|---|---|
3. Describe your chart in about 70 words.
Answer key
Reading passage questions
- Thirty.
- 40 per cent.
- A third of 30 is 10, and 9 is just under that.
- ...come by car (12 and 6).
- More students might cycle if there was a safe place to leave bikes.
Worksheet
- 1: Twelve; a third; as; least; ten.
- 2: answers will vary. Check the numbers add up to the class total.
- 3: answers will vary. Look for an opening sentence, the most and least popular answers, one comparison and a conclusion.
Exit ticket
Point to one bar of a group's chart. Students write the same fact in two ways: as a number and as a fraction or percentage.
Homework
Ask ten people one question with four possible answers. Draw a bar chart and write three sentences about it.
Teaching this to a whole class?
Litlings lets you plan lessons like this one, set photo and voice homework, and see who needs help. Free for up to 40 pupils.
Start free with LitlingsMore lesson plans
- Level 3, Week 23: Numbers and charts (the curriculum week this plan comes from)
- All reading texts, dialogues, scripts, worksheets and answer keys on this page are original to Litlings and free to copy for classroom use.