Problem
Can you match the night nurse, a taxi driver and a teacher to their graphs?

What is this problem about?
By ‘reading’ the graphs, the children have to decide which graph represents which worker.

Achievement Objectives
Algebra (Level 2)
- use graphs to illustrate relationships

Mathematical Processes
- devise and use problem solving strategies to explore situations mathematically

Resources
Blackline master of the problem

Specific learning outcomes
The children will be able to:
- describe the "story" (relationships) in a line graph
- work systematically to solve a problem

Teaching sequence

1. Draw the axis of a graph on the board. Ask: what can you tell me about this?
2. Add title of graph (distance from home) and axis labels (time, distance in km)
   Now what can you tell me about the graph?
3. Plot a point on the graph.
   What does this mean?
4. Plot another point and join the two points with a line.
   What does this mean?
5. Pose the problem.
6. As the children work ask them to describe the story in each of the graphs.
7. Share solutions.

Extension to the problem
Draw your own distance from home graph for a school day.

Solution
The night nurse should be easy to pick out because she is furthest away from her home during the night.  So the second graph is the night nurse.