Class Color Count

Class Color Count lesson plan

Hold a favorite color election then construct graphs to present data.

  • 1.

    Find out when different groups (such as women, Native Americans, African Americans) won the right to vote in the United States and in the state where you live. How old must you be to vote? Who may not vote in government elections? When are national and local primaries and elections held?

  • 2.

    Agree on a standard set of colors for a color survey, such as the hues in boxes of 8 or 16 Crayola® Crayons. Make sure each of you has a box.

  • 3.

    Write the name of each color to be surveyed on an index card using its crayon.

  • 4.

    Take part in a whole class favorite color survey. Arrange index cards in a column on the open floor. Vote for favorite colors by placing the crayon boxes on the floor beside the appropriate index card. Carefully space the crayon boxes evenly so quantities can be compared. Discuss the results of the survey.

  • 5.

    Record voting results on a chalkboard with Crayola Chalkboard Chalk.

  • 6.

    Make a pictograph of the voting data using crayons on white paper. Write color names in a column to the left. Draw crayons to the right of each row to show survey results. Space the drawn crayons evenly so they line up vertically and horizontally.

Benefits

  • Students research the history of voting rights in the United States and their state or Canada and their province, then take part in a democratic voting process by choosing their favorite colors.
  • Students engage in problem solving, communicating, reasoning, and connecting concepts to collect, organize, and describe data about color choices.
  • Students construct graphs of data on color preferences.

Adaptations

  • Use unit blocks, instead of crayon boxes, to make a bar graph on the floor to record votes on other topics. Push the blocks together to form a bar. Compare bar graphs to pictographs. Make an accurate bar graph on the chalkboard.
  • Expand surveys to include other classes and students' families. Use representational pictographs in which each picture is a symbol, standing for two or more votes. Make a floor graph using blocks, then create pictographs on the chalkboard.
  • Work in groups to survey favorite color shirt, juice, or team colors. Interview classmates, using tally marks to track choices. Record results. Each member makes a different kind of graph (circle, pictograph, horizontal or vertical bar).