Graphing the Number of Letters

in Our First and Last Names

After seeing several examples of way to use a spreadsheet to record information and graph data, first graders were given a classlist with first and last names of all their classmates. The class was divided into different groups to make one of four different graphs. Students were also given a highlighter to help them pick out their data from the classlist.

After highlighting the names they were going to graph, students opened the appropriate file for their spreadsheet and graph. Students added their data to the spreadsheet by typing in their list of names and counting and recording the number of letters in the name.

After completing their spreadsheet and graph, students wrote a sentence about what they noticed about their data.

Here is a sample of the spreadsheet and graph that students used to enter the data.

From my graph, I can see that Kimberly has the most letters in her name. Kelly has the least.