Ask a graph a question its data can answer

Invite one statement supported by the displayed values and one question the chart cannot settle. This makes interpretation more than naming the largest category and introduces the limits of the information collected.

Identify what the graph records. Compare two named categories. Support the comparison with numbers.

A category with six responses exceeds one with four by two responses, if the key confirms those counts.

A chart describes data, not every cause

Use the displayed data to support the statement and retain its scope. The chart cannot explain causes it did not measure.

A taller bar does not explain why the pattern occurred.

Is the explanation supported by recorded data? Read labels aloud and compare only two categories.

Resources

• Reflection Journal Template — Use the blank reflection space for observations; write the measurement units and setup separately.

Further reading

• ASIC Moneysmart — teaching lesson plans
• Australian Curriculum Version 9 — Mathematics

Read next

• A tie is a result; a missing response is not a preference
• Find the whole repeating unit, not just the next item
• The receipt adds up, but is the order right?

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