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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Input-Output Tables & Graphing – Task Cards
Practice reading input-output tables and plotting points in the first quadrant with this set of task cards.
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Data Vocabulary Poster
A poster that explains the concept of data and lists associated vocabulary.
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Drawing With Ordered Pairs - Rocket
Students create a rocket ship by plotting a set of ordered pairs.
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Line Plot Project: Bakery Menu Design
Make learning about math as sweet as your students' favorite treats with this project based learning line plots exercise!
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Analyzing Line Plots Interactive Activity
Dive into data with your class using this engaging Analyzing Line Plots Interactive Activity!
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Data Collection Worksheet Set
Use this set of differentiated graphs worksheets to assess your students’ understanding of how data is collected, organized and presented.
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Creating Graphs Interactive Activity
Share this interactive activity with your students to help them practice using digital tools to create graphs from raw data.
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Spin, Tally, Graph and Interpret Data – Task Card Activity
Guide your students to collect data, make tally marks, create a bar graph and analyze data with this math activity designed for 1st and 2nd-grade students.
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Mean Median Mode Worksheet
Use this double-sided worksheet to check students’ ability to find the mean, median and mode of given data sets.
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Search and Find – Halloween Math Worksheet
Get your students in the mood for Halloween with this fun search and find activity.
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Differentiated Line Plot Worksheet
Guide your students to create line plots with whole-number or ¼ inch measurements with this differentiated line plot worksheet.
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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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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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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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Groundhog Day Worksheets for Making Predictions
Celebrate the groundhog's day of fame in the classroom with a free printable for making Groundhog Day predictions.
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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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Bar Graphs – Instructional Slide Deck
Learn about the features and how to create a bar graph with this 25-page instructional slide deck.
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Graphing Using Input-Output Tables – Differentiated Worksheets
Use data from input-output tables to graph points with this set of differentiated worksheets.
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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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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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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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Fall Count and Graph Worksheet
Practice counting and graphing with a Fall-themed count and graph worksheet.
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Halloween Count and Graph Worksheet
Practice counting objects with a Halloween count and graph worksheet.
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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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Picture Graph Templates
A set of blank picture graph templates for students to represent data.
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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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Drawing With Ordered Pairs - Lion
Students create a lion by plotting a set of ordered pairs.
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Data Match Game Cards (Set 2)
A match up game for students to use when exploring data.
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Chance and Data Math Investigation - Roll Me a Six!
A mathematics investigation involving chance and data, embedded in a real-world context.
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Battleship Coordinate Grid Game
Practice using ordered pairs with this fun battleship game.
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Parts of a Graph (Black and White Version)
A poster showing the different parts of a graph.
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Mean, Median, Mode, and Range - Posters
A set of posters to use when teaching numerical data summaries to your students.