Graphing Teaching Resources
Teach graphing this school year with printable worksheets, fun graphing activities and games, task cards and more teacher-created resources for elementary school math!
This collection of editable teacher-created resources is aligned with the Common Core curriculum. It has been carefully reviewed by the expert teachers on the Teach Starter team to ensure every single digital or printable resource is ready to use in the classroom. That means you can save hours on lesson planning with activities ready to print or use digitally!
Are you looking to learn more about teaching students to use graphs, or just on the hunt for fresh ideas and activities to engage your students? Read on for a primer from our teacher team, including a look graphing on this level and some key vocabulary!
What Is Graphing? A Kid-Friendly Definition
Graphing starts as early as kindergarten or first grade in many schools around the country with simple pictographs. But how do you explain what graphing is to the youngest students? This kid-friendly definition may help.
Graphing is a way to show information using pictures and symbols. It's sort of like drawing a picture that helps you understand numbers and facts.
For example, we could use graphs to show how many kids in our class like different colors or how many toys in the toy bin are cars.
Graphing Vocabulary for Elementary Teachers
Looking for a guide to some of the graphing vocabulary your students will encounter — and you will have to define? Here's a comprehensive look, along with some simple definitions!
- Data —Information that is collected and analyzed
- Axis — The horizontal and vertical lines that make up a graph.
- X-axis — The horizontal axis on a graph
- Y-axis — The vertical axis on a graph
- Bar — A rectangular shape we use to represent data on a bar graph
- Scale — The units used to measure data on a graph
- Pictogram/pictograph — A graph that uses pictures to represent data
- Legend/key — A chart that explains the symbols used on a graph (students may recognize this from their map skills lessons)
- Line of best fit — A straight line on a graph that represents the overall trend in a set of data
- Line plot — A graph that shows the frequency of data values on a number line
- Tally — A mark used to represent data on a tally chart
- Pie chart — A graph that shows the proportion of each data value to the whole, represented as a circle that looks like a pie
- Line graph — A graph that shows the relationship between two variables using a line
- Data point — An individual value on a graph
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Search and Find – Back to School
Start the school year with a fun Back to School math activity for first graders.
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Types of Graphs Posters and Worksheets
A collection of posters displaying the different types of graphs along with matching worksheets to assist students with laying out graphs on the page.
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Blank Graph Template
A blank template for constructing graphs.
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We're Going On a Shape Hunt! Graphing Game
Consolidate students' knowledge of 2D shapes while teaching about data collection, recording and graphing!
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Count and Graph – At the Beach
Practice collecting, sorting, and organizing data to create a graph with this 2-page worksheet.
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Count and Graph – In the Classroom
Practice collecting, sorting, and organizing data to create a graph with this 2-page worksheet.
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Number Talks - Data Analysis Task Cards
Build data analysis skills with this set of 26 task cards.
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Types of Graphs Posters
This colorful and easy-to-digest visual display shows students the varying data displays they will encounter in their elementary math lessons.
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Basketball Math- Mixed Operations Worksheet
Practice multiplication, division, fractions, and problem-solving skills with a high-interest basketball-themed math task
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Analyzing Graphs — Scaled Bar Graphs, Pictographs, & Dot Plots —Task Cards
Use data analysis skills to analyze scaled bar graphs, pictographs, and dot plots with this set of task cards.
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Graph It! Worksheet (Single-Unit Intervals)
Draw a single-unit picture graph and bar graph to represent data with this worksheet.
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Picture Graph Templates
A set of blank picture graph templates for students to represent data.
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Battleship Coordinate Grid Game
Practice using ordered pairs with this fun battleship game.
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Sports Day Dilemma - Metric Conversions Math Task
Engage students with a real-world application of measurement conversions with Sports Day Dilemma, a metric conversion math task!
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Creating Line Plots (with Fractions and Decimals) Small Group Activity
Incorporate this small group activity into your math centers to reinforce students skills in interpreting data and displaying it as line plots.
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Count and Graph - Thanksgiving Math for Kindergarten
Practice counting and graphing with a fun Thanksgiving Math worksheet for kindergarten.
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Mean Median and Mode Task Cards
Use this set of 24 data interpretation task cards to teach students to find the mean, median and mode of a limited data set.
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Bar Graphs Worksheet
Use this double-sided bar graphs worksheet to check your students’ understanding of interpreting and drawing bar graphs.
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Interpreting Graphs Task Cards
Use this set of task cards students to practice interpreting bar graphs, histograms and line plots.
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Analyzing Line Plots Task Cards
Strengthen data analysis skills by interpreting line plots with this set of 24 task cards.
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Graphing on the Coordinate Plane Teaching Slides
Teach your students how to plot points on a graph using ordered pairs from input-output tables with this set of teaching slides.
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Picture Graphs - Worksheet
Use this double-sided worksheet to help your students practice reading and evaluating a simple picture graph.
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Pictographs - Interactive Activity
Use this fun and engaging interactive activity to aid students. in practicing their pictograph interpretation skills.
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5th Grade Math Review – Google Slides Interactive Activity
Review important 5th-grade math standards with a student-led interactive activity that covers 12 different mathematical concepts.
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Analyzing Graphs (Scaled Intervals) – Board Game
Use this board game to sharpen data analysis skills when solving problems with information presented in a scaled picture graph and bar graph.
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Draw a Bar Graph and Pictograph Task Cards (Single-Unit Intervals)
Practice drawing single-unit bar graphs and pictographs with this set of task cards.
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Pictograph and Bar Graph Match-Up (Single-Unit Intervals)
Use data analysis skills to match frequency tables with a corresponding bar graph or pictograph.
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Pictograph, Bar Graph, & Dot Plot Match-Up (Scaled Intervals)
Use data analysis skills to match tally charts and frequency tables with their corresponding bar graph, pictograph, or dot plot.
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Analyzing Graphs – Single-Unit Bar Graphs & Pictographs – Task Cards
Use data analysis skills to analyze bar graphs and pictographs with this set of task cards.
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Data Math Investigation - Should I Buy It?
Practice collecting and graphing data in a real-world situation.
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Parts of a Graph (Color Version)
A poster showing the different parts of a graph.
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Dot Plots / Line Plots - 4th & 5th Grade Assessment
Assess student understanding of reading and creating line plots with a printable math test for 5th grade.