2. Interpreting and creating charts in groups
Collecting data is only part of some investigations, as it may need to be analysed and displayed to understand it better or to share the information with others. Pupils can show their data by using pictographs, pie charts, bar graphs, histograms or line graphs. It is important that pupils know which chart or graph is appropriate for which set of data, and so your examples should be clear. An overview of different kinds of charts is given in Resource 2: Data handling and Resource 3: Charts and graphs.
Again, you will use data from the pupils’ own experiences but it is also a good idea to bring examples to class from newspapers, magazines and government publications.
Helping pupils understand the different kinds of chart takes time and you will need to plan several activities on each method to develop their understanding.
Case Study 2: Drawing a chart
After spending time collecting data, Mrs Obaraku wanted her pupils to make their own decisions about how they would display the data they had collected.
She brought to class examples that she had found in newspapers, magazines and government documents, but selected only three types of chart for them to see. She had got examples of statistics concerning pupils and schools from her local education office and she thought these would interest the class in particular. Her pupils had had some experience the year before of all three types of chart and so Mrs Obaraku only had to remind them of their use. (See Resource 5: Kano's rainfall.)
After a class discussion on the various ways these statistics were displayed, she asked her pupils to return to their groups and decide together how best to display their data. Most of them wanted to do a bar chart and so Mrs Obaraku reminded them how to do this (see Resource 3) and then supported them as each group drew their own chart. They showed their results to the rest of the class.
Mrs Obaraku thought that this method was more pupil-friendly than merely telling her pupils what to do and it allowed them to feel ownership of their work and what they had found out.
(See Key Resource: Using group work in your classroom [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .)
Activity 2: Data presentation
Before the lesson, use Resources 2 and 3 to familiarise yourself with the different kinds of charts. Use Resource 3 to make sure you understand the uses and key teaching points for each chart type.
Collect examples of data displayed as pie charts, pictographs, bar charts and line graphs to share with your pupils, as seeing data displayed in this way will help them see the relevance of selecting the proper chart. Spend time explaining what kind of information is best displayed by each chart.
Plan a sequence of lessons where you will teach pupils how to construct each type of chart, and how they will practise this skill. For each type, think of an appropriate source of data for your pupils to collect, and how you will support them as they make their charts. There may be local issues that they could investigate, such as whether to build another school or a health centre.
1. Organising surveys to collect data
