Problem Solving Prompts

Learning Goals:

  • Read, interpret, and draw conclusions from data presented in charts, tables, and graphs
  • Communicate mathematical thinking orally and visually

The Challenge:

Last week, a lot of WRDSB students and families submitted observations about bugs they saw in their backyards and beyond. Below is a bar graph displaying the top ten most observed species:

A bar graph displaying the number of checklist observations for the 10 most observed species in the WRDSB Backyard Bug Blitz. The bars display 220 observed snails, 243 observed woodlice, 261 observed butterflies, 264 observed hymenoptera, 362 observed earth worms, 378 observed mosquitoes and midges, 379 observed bumble bees, 424 observed spiders, 451 observed flies, and 563 observed ants.

Alma says that she notices that a certain bug was observed about twice as often as another one. What pair might she be talking about? How do you know?

If this many total flies were observed across the 5-day bug blitz, about how many, on average, were observed each day? Try to find an approximate one-day average for another species, if you can!

What other conclusions and comparisons could you make from this graph?

Questions and Prompts to Support your Child:

  • How do you know the value of each bar in the graph? What do the lines between the labelled scale show?
  • If feeling stuck, remember to think about these bar values based on how close they are to “friendly” numbers. With the scale labelled this way, how precisely did the author want us to think about these numbers?

Extensions & Adaptations: