Graphing with Apples

Objectives:
Students will be able to graph the results of an apple comparison.
Essential Questions:
What is a pictograph?
How can you use a pictograph to compare results?
Based on the results of the pictographs, which apple did the class like the most?
Vocabulary:
pictograph
interior
exterior
appearance
texture
variety
Duration:
One 45-minute class period
Materials:
Three varieties of Pennsylvania apples
Suggestion: Use apples with varying tastes and textures - Red Delicious, Granny Smith, and
Pink Lady
knife
paper towels or cutting board
Two pictographs, which can be replicated on poster board or chart paper
appearance
taste and texture
two apple stickers per student and one set for teacher demonstration
plain paper or index card
Exit Ticket: Your Ticket Out The Door
Anticipatory Set:
As a class, discuss what you look at when you pick out an apple at the grocery store. Ask,
What is important when finding the perfect apple?
Introduction:
Ask, What is a pictograph? If the students are not sure, define pictograph and explain how
it is used to compare information. If available, show a sample.

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Modeling:
Draw a pictograph on chart paper or the whiteboard.
Place a sticker in the row for the apple of your choice. This shows students how they will
place their stickers to represent their selections. Explain that the class will be able to
determine which apple was the favorite at the end of this activity.
Procedure:
1. Draw two pictographs, one representing appearance and the other representing taste and
texture.
2. Distribute stickers to the students.
3. Ask the students to examine the three apples before they are sliced.
4. Instruct the students to place a sticker in the row of their favorite apple on the appearance
graph, based on the exterior of the apple.
5. Slice the three apples. Give every student one slice of each variety. Ask the students to taste
each apple. While they are eating, remind them to think about the flavor and the texture (soft
vs. crisp).
6. Based on these interior qualities, the students should indicate their favorite by placing a
sticker in the corresponding row on the taste and texture graph.
Independent Practice:
The students should write down three facts about the data on the graphs.
Closure:
As a class, discuss the facts that the students wrote down.
Assessment:
Formative: Discuss these questions with the class:
Which apple did the class think had the best exterior appearance? Taste? Texture?
How many people liked each variety?
Summative: Students will answer the following questions on Your Ticket Out The Door:
On the appearance graph, which apple was most visually appealing? Which apple
was least visually appealing?
On the taste and texture graph, which apple was most popular? Which apple was least
popular?
Which apple was the least favorite of the class? Why do you think that it is the least
favorite?
Related Materials and Resources:
Pennsylvania Apples Variety Chart
http://www.pennsylvaniaapples.org/AllAboutApples/PAAppleVarieties.aspx

Accommodations and Adaptations:

The teacher can use two varieties of apples to simplify the lesson.

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The teacher can use four varieties of apples to make the lesson more complex.
The class can focus on one quality of the apple( e.g., taste).

Grades 3-5
Common Core Standards:
CCSS.MATHCONTENT.3.MD.B.
Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories.
Solve one- and two-step how many more and how many less problems using information
presented in scaled bar graphs.
CC.1.2.4.J Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic,
and domain specific words and phrases, including those that signal precise actions, emotions,
and states of being that are basic to a particular topic.
Example Pictographs:
Appearance
Red Delicious
Granny Smith
Pink Lady
Taste and Texture
Red Delicious
Granny Smith
Pink Lady

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