Draw an X- (horizontal) and Y-(vertical) axis on a piece of paper. Along the X-axis, write the names of the colors of the candies you will provide students with. Along the Y-axis, write numbers that will represent the amounts of each color candy.
Provide students with a handful of candies. Instruct students to sort the candies into piles of individual colors; red with red, blue with blue and yellow with yellow, for example.
Instruct students to count the total number of candies in each pile. Have them write down the number of each color candy on a piece of paper.
Explain the X- and Y-axis to students. Inform them that the X-axis shows each individual color candy and the Y-axis shows the total number of each color candy.
Explain to students that they should use crayons to create a bar on the graph that represents each colored candy. For example, if they have 10 blue candies, they should use a blue crayon to create a bar above the word "blue" on the X-axis and the bar should extend up to the number 10 on the Y-axis. Instruct them to follow the same procedure for each colored candy.
Examine the graphs. Ask students to look at their graphs and tell you how many of each colored candy they have. Ask students if it's quicker to read the graphs to find out how many pieces of each colored candy there are, or if it is quicker to count out each individual candy. Tell students that graphs are used because they are an easy way to show specific information and they are an easy way to find out specific information.