D1.4 Create an infographic about a data set, representing the data in appropriate ways, including in tables and scatter plots, and incorporating any other relevant information that helps to tell a story about the data.
Activity 1: Analysis of an Infographic
In order for students to deepen their understanding of the infographic and its purpose, have them analyze the features and messages of the infographic shown below.
image The infographic is titled "Recycling Habits of Students at Earth Soldier School". First, there is a pie chart titled “The Student Association voted for the frequency of recycling collection". 31 percent voted for daily, 65 percent voted for weekly and 4 percent voted blank. Next, there is a scatter diagram titled "Evaluation of 20 Bins of Recycling". The horizontal axis is named "Weight of recycled products in grams" and is scaled from 100 to 1100, while the vertical axis is named "Percentage" and is scaled from zero to 100. At the beginning of the horizontal axis, the dots are at the top of the vertical axis, and the trend goes in a downward diagonal line.Below the scatter diagram is a bar graph titled "Student Engagement towards Recycling". The horizontal axis is named "Grade" and runs from first to sixth grade. The vertical axis is named "Percentage" and runs from zero to 100. In grade one, the bar rises to 65 percent. In the second year, the bar rises to 90 percent. In the third year, the bar rises to 92 percent. In the fourth year, the bar rises to 86 percent. In the fifth year, the bar rises to 72 percent. And in the sixth year, the bar rises to 60 percent.Below the pie chart is a broken line chart titled "Products recycled at schoolEarth Soldier, 2021 and 2022". The horizontal axis corresponds to the months of September through June, while the vertical axis, graduated from zero to 70, is called "Products Recycled in Kilograms". In September, the dot is at 60 on the vertical axis. In October, the dot is at 50. In November, the dot is at 45. In December, the dot is at 55. In January, the dot is slightly below 60. In February, the dot is at 50. In March, the dot is slightly below 60. In April, the dot is slightly below 50. In May, the dot is between 45 and 50. And in June, the dot is slightly above 40.Underneath the bar graph is an illustration of children picking up trash from a littered floor. It is written, " At Earth Soldier School, we recycle everything!"
Ask students questions as follows:
- What is this infographic about?
- In your opinion, does the title of the infographic accurately represent its content?
- What patterns in students' habits can be seen in the scatter plot and the broken-line graph?
- Who do you think the infographic is intended for and how do you know?
- What messages do you think the infographic is trying to communicate?
- What types of data representation are used and why do you think they were chosen?
Activity 2: Creating an Infographic
An infographic is a graphic and visual representation of information and data that allows the reader to quickly and easily discern the information and data. Have students select an interesting topic connected to their question of interest and create an infographic to convey a message with the help of their data representations, including a scatter plot.
Answer the following questions to produce a complete infographic on a topic of the student's choice.
- What subject interests you?
- What message would you like to convey with the data?
- Will you use primary or secondary sources for your data?
Here are some tips for creating a good infographic:
- Use three different data sets to present important information about the topic.
- Include a scatter plot as one of the representations.
- Add additional information about your topic to convey a clear and concise message in your infographic.
- Have a classmate peer review your infographic and answer the following questions:
- Who is the target audience for the infographic? Explain how you know.
- Do the graphs reasonably represent the data found?
- What message is the infographic communicating?
Source: adapted and translated from En avant, les maths!, 8e année, ML, Données, p. 9-15.