MISLEADING GRAPHS

1
MISLEADING GRAPHS

• Powerpoint by Leah Montange
• Lesson by Leah Montange and Daniel Perry

2
EALRs and GLEs

• Grade Level  Grade 4
• EALR  3. The student uses mathematical
  reasoning.
• Component  3.1 Analyze information.
• GLE  3.1.1 Analyze and compare numerical,
  measurement, geometric, and/or statistical
  information in familiar situations.
• EX Differentiate between a valid and invalid
  comparison of mathematical information or results.

3
Learning Objectives

• Students will be able to identify whether graphs
  are misleading. 
• Students will be able to identify the factors
  that can make bar graphs, line graphs, and
  scatter plots misleading. 
• Students will be able to interpret whose
  interests are favored by misleading graphs. 

4
Think About It

• What is misleading about this graph?
• How could the graph be changed to reflect the
  data more accurately?
• Why would someone make a graph that is misleading
  in this way?

5
Why is this graph misleading?
6
The same data

• www.mediamatters.org/items/200503220005

7
Factors that make a graph misleading

• Y-axis scale is too big or too small
• Y-axis skips numbers, or does not start at zero
• X-axis scale is too big or too small
• X-axis skips numbers, or does not start at zero
• Axes are not labeled
• Data is left out
• What else?

8
Think Pair Share

• What is misleading about this graph?
• How could the graph be changed to reflect the
  data more accurately?
• Why would someone make a graph that is misleading
  in this way?

9

• http//sde.state.ok.us/publ/invest00/bench.html

10

• http//www.brickonomist.net/?cat20

11
Activity Time

• Gather class data
• Make a class data table
• Individually graph it
• Accurate graph
• Misleading graph

12

• Interdisciplinary Connections
• Media Literacy
• Accommodation Notes
• Opportunity to express socioeconomic
  class-related perspectives on the validity of
  data (See Trentatosta, p. 48)

13
Notes on Pedagogy

• Empowerment of students to be able to read the
  world.
• We made a point of
• Using real published graphs from news sources,
  advertisements, reports, etc.
• Having the class create misleading graphs using
  real data that the class generates