Choosing The Proper Chart For Your Data Set

Lesson Content

• Lesson Plan Template:

  CTE Lesson Plan

• CTE Course Info and Benchmark Notes

  
  

  Course Title: Digital Information Technology

  Course Number: 8207310

  Career Cluster: Business, Management, and Administration

  CIP Number: N/A

  Course Type: Career and Technology

  Standard(s) or benchmarks:

  • 6.01 Manipulate the worksheet by using the ribbon tabs, group settings, importing data/database, manipulating properties, files, and folders.
  • 6.03 Format cells and worksheets.
  • 6.05 Create and modify charts and graphs.
  • 6.08 Interpret data on line graphs, pie charts, diagrams, and tables.

• Unit Outline

  
  

  Students will have already gathered/collected the data from a previous lesson or activity in the course. After they collect that data, they will create a spreadsheet to organize and analyze the results of that data. After creating the spreadsheet and creating the chart to display data the student will complete a written summary of the chosen chart type and why this is the best chart to represent the data as opposed to a different style.

• Career Connection

  
  

  This lesson aids in analysis, reasoning, decision making, use of information, and classification of data. The ability to create and print a resource to report findings and display data are critical skills for careers that require group discussions and oral presentation to stakeholders. Examples include business, finance, and nutrition.

• Learning Objectives

  
  

  Students will be able to:

  • Create and organize data in proper columns and rows for a spreadsheet with headings
  • Choose a data representation to best display their data set
  • Interpret the data to explain why this is the best chart to display their information

• Prior Knowledge

  
  

  Students should be familiar with/able to:

  • Reading charts and graphs.
  • An understanding of how data is collected.
  • Terms used to categorize information.

• Guiding Questions

  
  
  • How does the chart style used to display your data help form an opinion about that data?
  • What are some advantages of choosing this chart style over another style for your data set?
  • How does formatting the cells on your spreadsheet worksheet help you to organize your data?
  • When analyzing the data, how can you describe the information?

• Procedure

  
  
  1. To introduce the lesson, use whole class instruction to review terminology and parts of a worksheet in the spreadsheet program chosen along with the use of charts for that stated program.
     • Use the Terminology handout to review key terms.
     • Use the Data Set Examples presentation to review specific data examples.
     • Review chart styles including line graph, column chart, and pie chart and what type of data is best displayed with that chart choice.
       • pie chart – percentage of whole
       • line graph – trend over time
       • column chart – compare variables at a given moment.
     • When showing the attachment of Data Set Examples, the teacher can discuss with students how a bivariate data set is meant to describe cause and effect relationships whereas a univariate data set is meant to show patterns in the data and analysis of items including mean, median, mode, or the like.
  2. Students will open a blank worksheet in the chosen spreadsheet program and enter the data they previously collected including the proper headings for the data.
  3. After the data has been entered students will then determine what style of chart will best display the information and use the insert ribbon to create the chart as part of the worksheet.
  4. In small groups, students will discuss the chart chosen and why they chose that chart. These groups can be joined based upon data type - numerical, categorical, univariate, bivariate. Groups can also be joined by chart style: line graph, pie chart, or column chart.
  5. In whole group discussion, each group can have a presenter state the chosen chart and reasoning. Use the guiding questions to faciliate discussion and check for student reasoning, as needed.
  6. To bring the lesson to a close, students will create a short summary statement describing the type of data collected and the reasoning for choosing that specific chart to display their data set.

• Teacher Notes

  
  
  • Be sure to include examples that have the spreadsheet program you wish for the student to use to create their work. The attached PowerPoint uses the Microsoft Excel Program.

• Optional

  
  

  Formative Assessment Ideas:

  • Teachers can collect observational and verbal data throughout the instructional part of the lesson to determine the knowledge students have of using spreadsheet software to create graphs/charts and determining the most appropriate graph/chart for a given data set.

  Summative Assessment Ideas:

  • Teachers can use the written final summary of why they chose this specific type of chart to display the data set and what type of data set they worked with as a summative assessment. The summary should include: (1) the type of data (identifying whether it is numerical or categorial and univariate or bivariate), (2) the reasoning for providing the chosen chart or graph, and (3) an interpretation of the components of the data.

  Extension Ideas:

  • Students can work in teams to create a PowerPoint type portfolio presentation to discuss various types of data sets and charts. The idea is that the class will have collected different data on various topics prior to this assignment and this is more of an additional way to have collaboration amongst the class and restate terms and information to show mastery of the various types of data collected and graphs used for display.
  • Students can create two different chart styles for the data set and then discuss why one chart is the better representative of the data then the second style.