The purpose of this activity is for students to analyze a line plot that represents lengths that are measured to the nearest half inch. Students make observations and write statements about the data represented in the line plot. Then they generate questions that could be answered with the line plot. When students recognize how organizing data helps to read the information and to answer questions, they learn that line plots are a powerful tool to present data (MP5).

• Display the list and the line plot.
• “How is the information displayed in the line plot different from that in the list?” (In the line plot, all the measurements that are the same length are together. The measurements go from smallest to largest along the bottom. In the line plot, we don’t keep writing the numbers over and over, we would just use an X for each measurement.)
• “What were some questions that could be more easily answered with the line plot than the list?” (“How many seedlings were 3 inches tall?” is easier because we could just count the Xs at 3 instead of searching through the list. “What’s the shortest seedling?” is easier because we can find the X on the left end of the scale. “Which seedling height was the most common?” is easier because we can see which number has the most Xs.)

The purpose of this activity is for students to use a line plot to answer questions about a set of length data. The data show measurements to the nearest quarter inch. Students may apply their understanding of fraction equivalence to interpret the data and answer the questions.

• “Discuss with your partner how you answered the last question.” (Since the inches are partitioned into 4 equal parts, I knew the scale shows quarters of an inch. I used the quarter inch marks to add an X for a twig that is inches long because that is between 3 and 4 inches.)
• “How did you use fraction equivalence to answer the questions?” (When the question asked how many of the twigs were inches long, I used the mark that was at , because the lengths are equivalent. When I added a twig to the line plot, it was at the inch mark, but I wrote  because the fractions are equivalent.)