At the heart of it, graphing in the early years is about quantifying information in order to answer a question. That requires children to organize data in some visible way so that comparisons and generalizations are possible.

Data analysis uses math to make sense of the world. It is compiling information and describing it in a quantitative way: how many?

This second grader demonstrates an interesting choice for a mathematical model by graphing.

A student explains how his classroom’s attendance chart is used.

Olivia Trevino’s preschool class at Marsh Elementary School took advantage of all the winter weather to explore picture books about mittens. The Mitten by Jim Aylesworth and The Mitten by Alvin Tresselt are two delightful versions of the Scandinavian folk tale about a group of animals that try to squeeze into a boy’s lost mitten.

A child explains the function of a chart in his classroom.

A child explains the attendance chart he uses in class.

A class draws pictures of their shoes and organizes them on a graph based on various characteristics.

A class organizes their shoes on a grid based on specific characteristics.

A teacher gets her class in the right mindset for thinking about data analysis.