Math Lesson 1 on Olympics

Introduction |The Task | Resources | The Process | Learning Advice | Conclusion

Introduction

You have learned about bar graphs and how to read them. You have also learned how to read a divided bar graph. Now you will construct a divided bar graph using the medal results from the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.

The Task

You will use the table of medal standings to make a divided bar graph.

Resources

You will use the following address from the internet.

Olympics on NBC

The Process

  1. You will need graph paper and a pencil.
  2. On the horizontal axis, place the names of the top 12 medal-winning countries. Leave space between each.
  3. Choose a scale for the vertical axis so the total number of medals won can be shown.
  4. Choose three colors and make a key for gold, silver, and bronze.
  5. Make a single bar for each country which will consist of the colors in your key. The top of the entire bar should match the number in the total column for that country. Show your teacher your graph before you color in any sections of the bars.
  6. Label each axis with a title and give the graph a title.

Learning Advice

Remember that the gold, silver, and bronze medal amounts are stacked to arrive at a total which corresponds to the total number of medals won. For example, if a country won 30 gold, 20 silver, and 10 bronze medals, the bar would be as follows. The top of the gold section would be at 30, the top of the silver section would be at 50, and the top of the bronze section would be at 60. The length of the three colors is 30, 20, and 10, which total to 60.

Conclusion

Compare your divided bar graph with another classmate's graph. How are they alike? How are they different? What conclusions are quickly and easily drawn from your graph?

This page written by Stephanie Wroblewski
Last updated date, 1996.

This page was adapted from Bernie Dodge 's WebQuest_Template1.html by Tom March