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The Average Kid

 

Subject: Visual Arts, Math
Grade: 3-5, 6-8

Brief Description
Students determine the traits they have in common with other students in the class and create visual profiles of the "average" boy and the "average" girl.

Objectives

Students create and complete a questionnaire about the physical and personal characteristics of the students in their class. Students create visual profiles of the "average" boy and the "average" girl.

Keywords

average, graphs, similarities, differences, tolerance, probability

Materials Needed

2 large sheets butcher paper, construction paper of various colors, crayons or markers

Lesson Plan

 

  • Explain to students that they are going to create "portraits" of two "average" students in their class. Brainstorm with students a list of characteristics they might want to include in such a portrait, such as eye color, hair color, hair style, favorite food, favorite color, favorite activity, favorite sports team, and so on. Help students create two questionnaires, one for the boys and one for the girls, about the characteristics they decide on.
  • Arrange students into small groups -- one for each characteristic covered in the survey -- and have each group create a bar graph showing the prevalence of one characteristic. Display all the bar graphs in the classroom.
  • Arrange students into two groups, by gender, and provide each group with a large sheet of butcher paper, pencils, crayons or markers, and construction paper. Have each group use the information in the graphs, and any other information they discover as they complete the project, to create a life-size image of the average student. The boys should create a portrait of the average boy and the girls should create a portrait of the average girl.
  • Discuss with students the similarities they discovered.

Assessment

Students will be evaluated based on the graphs and on their participation in the group discussions preceding and following the creation of the portraits.

Lesson Plan Source

Education World

Submitted By

Linda Starr

National Standards

Math:
NM.5-8.11
NM.K-4.11

Visual Arts:
NA-VA.K-4.3
NA-VA.5-8.3