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Data and Society 9-12 / Week 07 / Mission Quest
6/6
Week 07 · Picturing Data

Mission Quest

Mission Quest: Graph the Window Count
// Bars, lines, pies and dots, drawn by hand
⏱ about 20 min

Mission Quest: Graph the Window Count

The Commons is quiet on Saturday morning, and the crew is at home by their own windows.

Comet holds up her bird tally from week 4. "Mine is just rows of marks," she says. "Nobody can see it at a glance."

Wren holds up his vehicle tally. "Twelve cars, four trucks, two buses and six bikes. What do you notice? Mine has the same problem."

Nova hovers beside the window. "Would you like a hint?" she asks. "You already know which graph compares groups."

Comet grabs a ruler. "Bars! And a title, a source line and a y-axis from 0."

Wren smiles. "Then we explain it to someone at home. If they understand it, our graph works."

  1. Tables, diagrams, text and other visuals can share what data show.
  2. A graph needs a title, a source line, labeled axes and, when there are colors, a legend.
  3. Bar graphs compare groups. Pie charts compare parts of a whole and do not show change over time.
  4. Line graphs track changes over time and are better than bar graphs for small changes.
  5. X-Y plots show positive, negative or no relationship between two things.
  6. On a bar graph, the y-axis usually starts at 0 and is split into equal parts.
◇ GRAPH THE WINDOW COUNT
You need graph paper (or lined paper and a ruler) and a pencil.
Use your 15-minute window count from week 4 if you still have it.
No week 4 count? With a grown-up, look out a window for 15 minutes and tally birds, or vehicles by type.
Count only birds or vehicles. Never count or write about people, and never write down license plates.
No window view today? Use the made-up count in the table after this box.
Write the metadata at the top of your page: the date, the time and what you counted.
Draw a bar graph with one bar for each type. If you counted birds, draw one bar for each 5-minute part instead. Start the y-axis at 0 and use equal steps.
Add a title and a source line, such as "Source: my window count, 15 minutes".
Explain your graph to a family member. Tell them which bar is tallest and one thing the graph cannot tell you.
Ask them for one question your next count could answer.
Vehicle type (made-up count, 15 minutes)Tally
Cars12
Trucks4
Buses2
Bikes6
Total24
For a grown-up
This week your student learned to draw honest graphs by hand and to choose the right graph for a question.
The window count is of birds or vehicles only. Please stay nearby while your student counts.
Ask: why does the y-axis start at 0? Ask: what does a source line do?
Everything in this course is done on paper. No app, website or account is needed.
QUEST CHECK (MADE-UP COUNT)
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
In the made-up count, which bar is tallest?
Which graph best compares the four vehicle types?
Suppose you counted again every 5 minutes to see how traffic changed. Which graph would show that change?
How many vehicles are in the made-up count in all?

Wonderful work this week, data analyst. Next week you will hunt for charts that tell a false story with true numbers.

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