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60 mins
Teacher/Student led
+80 XP
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Chart Interpretation: What Does It Say?

Learn how to read bar and pie charts for the biggest and smallest values as well as proportions. Write short interpretations ending with a decision for your project and separate what the chart shows from what it does not.

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    1 - Introduction ~5 mins

    Today you will

    • read your bar chart and pie chart in {{code:06_ka2_charts}}
    • find the biggest value, the smallest value and the shares
    • write 3 or 4 sentences under each chart

    Illustration for IntroductionThis counts for your Key Assignment. If one of your charts is missing, tell your teacher now.

    Warm-up

    Think of a bar chart you saw lately, like a sports table. What did you notice first: the tallest bar, a colour or a label?

    2 - Key Concepts ~8 mins

    The four beats

    • What it shows: one sentence saying what was measured.
    • Biggest: the highest value, or a pie's biggest share.
    • Smallest: the lowest value or share.
    • Decision: one thing you will do because of the chart.

    Example

    Aoife makes keyrings. Her bar chart shows each item's cost. Metal blanks cost the most, at €42. Jump rings cost the least, at €4. So she will buy blanks in bigger packs.

    Watch out

    Her chart shows cost only, not what customers like.

    3 - What Can This Chart Claim? ~14 mins

    What can a chart claim?

    Place your marker on each statement in the box below. There is no right score. Be ready to say what a chart can show and what it cannot. It's fine to change your mind after you hear someone else.

    Opinion Line

    4 - Common Issues ~3 mins

    Common issues

    • I only wrote about colours. Use the four beats, and always end with a decision.
    • I wrote "this proves customers prefer X". A cost chart doesn't measure what people like, so take that line out.
    • I don't know what decision to write. Ask yourself what one thing you would change, like cutting a cost or raising a price.

    5 - Portfolio Build ~20 mins

    Portfolio Build

    Your goal: Write 3 or 4 sentences under each of your charts. Key Assignment.
    Time: ~20 minutes
    Task:
    1. Open {{code:06_ka2_charts}} in your {{code:06_charts}} folder.
    2. Click in the empty rows under your bar chart.
    3. Write the four beats.
    4. Do the same under your own pie chart.
    5. If you need to, add one line saying what the chart does not show.

    Keep the same file. If a chart is missing, tell your teacher.

    Success criteria:
    • Both charts have sentences under them.
    • I named the biggest and the smallest, with shares on the pie.
    • Each one ends with a decision.
    • I didn't claim anything the chart can't show.

    Sentence starters

    • This chart shows…
    • The biggest value is… at…
    • The smallest is… at…
    • So for my project I will…
    • This chart does not show…

    Show both write-ups to your teacher before you log off.

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