Representing data
This set of resources are designed to give students the opportunity to interpret and construct tables and line graphs for time series data, diagrams for grouped discrete data and continuous data.
Students are required to interpret, analyse and compare the distributions of data sets from univariate empirical distributions through appropriate graphical representation involving discrete, continuous and grouped data.
Visit the secondary mathematics webpage to access all lists.
Interpreting Bar Charts, Pie Charts, Box and Whisker Plots S5
This resource is designed to enable students to understand and interpret bar charts, pie charts, and box and whisker plots. This session is in two linked parts. The first is matching pie charts to bar charts and secondly matching box and whisker plots to bar charts. Each part of the session starts with a whole group discussion to compare the newly-introduced type of representation, looking at its advantages, disadvantages and practical applications. Students then work in pairs. No prior knowledge is assumed, though it is helpful if students have encountered some of these ideas before.
These materials exemplify the ideas and approaches adopted in the Standards Unit pilot. To get best value from them use them in association with the guidance and other materials in Improving Learning in Mathematics: Challenges and Strategies.
Interpreting Frequency Graphs, Cumulative Frequency Graphs, Box and Whisker Plots S6
In this resource students are required to interpret frequency graphs, cumulative frequency graphs, and box and whisker plots, all for large samples, and then see how a large number of data points can result in the graph being approximated by a continuous distribution
These materials exemplify the ideas and approaches adopted in the Standards Unit pilot. To get best value from them use them in association with the guidance and other materials in Improving Learning in Mathematics: Challenges and Strategies.
Interpreting Data
These resources are aimed at mathematics practitioners and include activity suggestions, possible probing questions and extension ideas.
The sessions in this resource include:
- Interpreting bar charts: using higher order questions
- Interpretation of pie charts: exposing and discussing common misconceptions
- Time series: using higher order questions
How Old?
Using the data from CensusAtSchool this resource requires students to explore the trends in life expectancy in populations.
Students consider both the primary data collected from CensusAtSchool and secondary data about life expectancy and major causes of death. A plenary activity requires students to consider what they have learnt about age and how to use data presented in graphs and charts.
Students develop skills in making comparisons, interpreting tables, interpreting charts and graphs, line graphs (time series), bar charts, box plots, cumulative frequency, presenting data and secondary data.
Reasoning and Proof
This resource requires students to create and interpret a variety of graphs. The types of graph covered are time series, moving average, stem and leaf, cumulative frequency and scatter graphs.
Students then use the 2005 rescue of a Russian Priz submarine as a memorable context for learning. They are asked to respond to a series of challenges which require them to create and interpret a variety of graphs, concerning the air supply remaining in the submarine, timing and other critical aspects of the rescue effort.
The news article gives details of submarine rescue system completing its trials.
Presenting Data Graphically
This resource contains four instant maths ideas exploring how to represent data graphically. It could be used to consolidate and apply understanding. The resources include a paragraph unpacking the activity and suggesting probing questions to support and challenge students.
In the first task students record how long they watch TV, group the results and draw two separate graphs to compare boys and girls.
The second task requires students to consider what type of diagram is suitable to represent what kind of data.
The third task asks students to draw a pie chart to represent a day in their life which the final task is more challenging, requiring students to draw a pie chart showing the ingredients of a chocolate bar.
Student resource sheets explain the different types of correlation, a check list of things to consider when drawing bar charts, vertical line graphs, histograms, pie charts, cumulative frequency graphs and box and whisker graphs.
The final resource sheet accompanies the third task and is designed to make pie charts accessible without knowledge of angles.
Statistics in Your World - Level 4
The unit appropriate to this topic is entitled ‘Figuring the future ‘
The theme of the unit is to build up a statistical picture over the period 1965 to 1977 and use a trend line to predict. The data used include television licences, cinema attendances and admission charges, telegrams and telephones. After working through the unit, students should be able to plot time series and fit a trend line by eye, passing through the bivariate mean.
Each unit includes comprehensive teacher's notes giving an overview of the unit, the aims and objectives for that unit, and prior learning or prerequisites and the equipment required.
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
In this Study Plus unit, the subject of global warming is used as the context for students interrogate and analyse data to answer the question ‘Is there global warming in the world?’. The resources include teacher and student resources and a set of teacher guidance notes.
In the module, students are expected to analyse the data through drawing charts and diagrams and then interpreting the charts.
Students are expected to work in small groups preparing a presentation, using the evidence they have found, to agree or disagree with the statement: ‘Global warming is affecting the climate of the world.’
The unit involves forming hypotheses, analysing, representing and interpreting data.
There are opportunities for links with science exploring heat and the properties of ice and water and geography looking at climate and maps.