Graph paper: a versatile visual aid

In considering the mathematics program for elementary children, it is important for teachers to examine not only mathematical ideas but also the contexts within which such ideas are used. This usually means an examination of visual aids or tools of learning, since instruction in elementary grades depends upon the concrete to explain the abstract. With this in mind, one such tool that deserves special attention is graph, or squared, paper. Until one looks at the many possible uses of this visual aid, it may be taken for granted, and its applications remain sporadic and disconnected. This article is presented for the purpose of showing that graph paper is an educational device having few peers, especially from the points of view of economy, availability, and ease of use. An ordinary compilation of graph paper uses would be helpful to some degree, but what follows is a sequential development from the primary level through the upper elementary grades.