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"Graphing Stories" is a project by Dan Meyer, a former high school math teacher turned educational consultant. The project consists of short video clips that depict real-life situations, each with a corresponding graph. These videos are designed to help students develop their skills in interpreting and analyzing graphs, particularly in the context of real-world scenarios.
The idea behind "Graphing Stories" is to engage students with relatable and meaningful contexts, making graph interpretation more accessible and relevant. By connecting mathematical concepts to everyday experiences, students can better understand the utility and applicability of graphing in various situations.
To engage with "Graphing Stories," students typically watch the short video clips, observe the depicted scenario, and then analyze the corresponding graph. They may be asked questions such as interpreting the meaning of various points on the graph, identifying trends or patterns, or predicting future outcomes based on the graph's behavior.
Overall, "Graphing Stories" provides an interactive and engaging way for students to practice graph interpretation skills while also fostering critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
Procedure
Procedure
Show the first part of the film to the students. Pause the film after the coordinate system is displayed and relevant variables are visible on the axes. Explain that students should draw a graph of the event, describing the relationship between the two variables.
Explain to the students that they do not have all the information needed to draw the graph, so they will have to make some assumptions and estimates.
Give students time to draw a coordinate system in their notebooks.
Restart the film to show the event once more. Depending on the nature of the story, it may be necessary to play the film several times or to play it at a slower speed. If students have their own computers, you can choose to give them access to the film, so that they can watch it several times and pause if necessary.
Give students time to draw the graph. Walk around the classroom and observe the students’ work. Students who have difficulty getting started can be advised to first describe the relationship between the variables in words. Once a hypothesis is formulated in words, it is often easier to transfer this idea to a graph. It can be helpful for the students to work in pairs.
These three questions are also a good way to support students:At what point should the graph begin?
At what point should the graph end?
What do you think the graph looks like in between?
Select a few graphs that show different mathematical ideas to compare in a whole-class discussion. Look for graphs that manifest common misconceptions.
Present the selected graphs to the class. Students can describe their graphs orally, as you draw them on the board, or students can come forward and draw their graphs on the board.
Guide the class discussion to help students understand the key features of their suggested graphs and how these relate to the event shown in the video.
Give students time to revise their graphs based on what they learned during the discussion. By emphasizing that the first graph is a draft, it becomes less risky for the students to be wrong. This, in turn, can increase participation in the class discussion.
Restart the video and show the correct graph. Discuss any similarities and differences between the correct graph and the students’ suggestions.
Links to resources, material and activates can be found below:
Three Act Task Graphing Stories
Graphing Stories as Desmos Activities
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