Virginia SOL 7.PS.2.d
The Standard
Organize and represent numerical data using histograms with and without the use of technology
Virginia Standards of Learning for Mathematics · The student will apply the data cycle (formulate questions; collect or acquire data; organize and represent data; and analyze data and communicate results) with a focus on histograms.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students sort numerical values into nonoverlapping, equal-width intervals and count how many values fall in each interval. They build a histogram by hand and with a graphing tool, using touching bars, accurate scales, labels, and a title.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given a data set, students choose or use sensible intervals, place every value once, and plot each frequency correctly. Their paper and digital histograms match, and another reader can identify the variable, interval scale, and frequencies.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may leave gaps between bars, treating a histogram like a bar graph. They may use uneven interval widths, count a boundary value twice, or plot raw values instead of frequencies. Digital tools may choose poor intervals, and students may accept them without checking.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Draw a histogram for 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, 7, 8, 9, 9, 10 using intervals 1 to 3, 4 to 6, 7 to 9, and 10 to 12. Label both axes and write each bar's frequency.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs 20 numbered cards; students sort them into labeled interval trays, tally each tray, then build touching bars with sticky notes.
Display two histograms of the same data with different interval widths, then ask which better shows how scores are distributed and why.
Run a histogram relay: teams draw interval cards, place data values correctly, and earn a point for each accurate frequency bar.
Record class commute times in minutes, enter them in a spreadsheet, adjust interval widths, and compare the resulting histograms.
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