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COLOR MATTERS
Grade Level: 6-8
Subject (s):
- Technology
skills
- Mathematics
Skills
- Art
Reference to Color
Class Time –
Approximately. 4 days
Description:
Students will survey ten people their own age and ten adults
to discover their favorite color. Does
age affect color preference? Report
your findings in a spreadsheet and graph.
Goal:
Students will create and manipulate spreadsheets and graphs.
Objectives:
- Students
will create a spreadsheet to chart favorite colors
- Students
will collect data, create appropriate charts, and use percentages to
describe quantities.
State Standards:
- Technology
- 1B
– compare, contrast, and appropriately use the various input,
processing, output, and primary/secondary storage devices
- Create
and edit spreadsheet documents using all data types, formulas and
functions, and chart information.
- 10C
– create a variety of spreadsheet layouts containing descriptive
labels and page settings.
- 10D
– demonstrate appropriate use of fonts, styles, and sizes, as
well as effective use of graphics and page design to effectively
communicate
- 10E
– match the chart style to the date when creating and labeling
charts
Materials:
- Sample
color wheel
- Computers
with either Microsoft Excel or Appleworks
- Sketchbook
for gathering information – logged on worksheet per color and
signatures
- Worksheet
with instructions
Procedure: (Depending
on class size and computer availability, teachers may choose to have
students work individually or in pairs)
Task 1 - Begin the lesson by discussing the color wheel (primary, secondary,
intermediate colors ). Ask students to record their favorite color and
state why it is their favorite color. What percentage of each color do
you think are favorites among friends and family?.
Using the worksheet distributed, now go out and survey 20 people
your age (male/female) and 20 adults (male/female) on which of the six
main colors (primary and secondary) would be considered their favorite.
Students will need to log name, favorite color, reason why, and
signature of person interviewed. Students can not use classmates as
reference.
Timeline 1-2
days
Task 2
– After the
results have been tallied, hand out an instruction sheet to each
student. The
instruction sheet provides step-by-step direction for
creating a graph using Microsoft Excel.
Timeline
2-3 days
Students should be able
to follow the instructions with minimal help.
If additional help is needed, students can access the website, www.atomiclearning.com
, to help with the steps. This
site is also available from home. If
students/parents wish to use this site from home, they may contact me
about access. The teacher
can also encourage students to ask each other for help if the teacher is
busy assisting another student. When
students have completed their graphs, they should print out a copy of
their work. Students can
compare their results with classroom predictions.
Task 3 -Extension
Have
students go to the Color Matters web site (listed below) to take a
survey about favorite
colors to see if their pie charts and percentages are
similar to those advertised on the web.
Evaluation: Collect
students’ completed work to check for accuracy.
Useful Internet Resource:
www.atomiclearning.com
www.colormatters.com
See also Dick
Blick Lesson Plan: Graphs Use Art and Math - using art materials to
make graph.
Social comments:
This activity can be done with favorite colors of M&M’s or
any other material with multicolors…… Students may enjoy completing
this type of lesson and then eating their colors.
What is Your
Favorite Color
Spreadsheet and Pie Chart
1.
Open the program called Microsoft Excel.
2.
Click the mouse in cell A1 and type “Color Matters” in the
entry bar.
3.
Highlight “Color Matters” in the entry bar and change to font
size 14 and BOLD
4.
Press the enter key to move the information from the entry bar to
the active cell.
5.
Click the mouse in the B3 and type in “Male.”
Highlight the word and change the font to size 12 and make it BOLD.
Press the enter key to move
the information from the entry bar to the active cell.
6.
Move to D3 cell and repeat the same using the word “Female”.
7.
Move to F3 cell and repeat the same using the word “Total”.
8.
Highlight the cells A4 through A9; change the font to size 12 and
BOLD.
9.
Enter the names of the different colors into cells A4-A9. Place
your mouse in cell A4 and type in the color, hit enter key. Continue
until all the colors are entered.
10.
Once the data is entered, click on cell A3 and drag the mouse to
the end of where you entered information in Column B.
From the Insert menu on the Task Bar select Chart.
Select Pie Chart. Click
Next and Next again. Click
on the Data Option table and select Show Percent and then Finish.
11.
Move the Pie chart off the spreadsheet table by clicking on the
pie chart and dragging it to the side.
To increase the size of the pie chart, drag down on the bottom
and side of the chart area, and the chart will grow in size.
12.
Change the color of each piece of the pie on the chart by
clicking once on square, then double click on the color square in the
legend and selecting the appropriate color from the pattern tab color
chart. The legend and the
piece of pie will change to the new color after you click OK.
13.
Repeat steps 10-12 beginning at C3 – column D
and the same for E3 – column F.
14.
When you have completed your pie chart, click on Print Review to
make sure that the chart and the spreadsheet will be printed.
Save your work in the student folder with your name , print two
copies (one for sketchbook and one to be turned in). SEE
EXAMPLE
If you have questions about this lesson mailto
Jackie Brewer
[MIDDLE
SCHOOL LESSONS] [I
A D HOME] [ COLOR PIE CHARTS] |
