Parts of a Graph
This tells the reader what the graph is about.
What is the title?
This graph uses pictures or symbols to show data.
What is a pictograph?
You are tracking the temperature every day for a week. Which graph would you choose?
What is a broken line graph?
These tell us what the x-axis and y-axis represent.
What are labels?
This graph uses rectangular bars to compare categories like favourite foods or sports.
What is a bar graph?
This type of graph is best for comparing how many books were checked out from different genres (Mystery 12, Fantasy 9, Sports 6, Graphic Novels 15).
What is a bar graph?
This shows where data is collected?
What is the source?
This graph uses points connected by straight lines and is best for showing change over time.
What is a broken line graph?
You collected data on how many pets each student owns (0–5 pets). Which graph would you choose?
What is a line plot?
Why must the numbers in a scale increase by equal amounts?
So the graph is accurate and not misleading.
(Also accept: So it is fair / So comparisons are correct.)
This graph shows X’s or dots stacked above numbers on a number line to show frequency.
What is a line plot?
You want to compare the favourite sports of Grade 4 and Grade 5 students. Which graph would you choose and why?
What is a multiple bar graph?
(Because it compares two groups.)
A graph has a title and labels, but the scale goes 0, 10, 20, 50, 60.
What is wrong?
The scale does not increase by equal amounts, so it is inaccurate and misleading.
This graph has two or more bars for each category and is used to compare groups (like Grade 4 vs. Grade 5).
What is a multiple bar graph?
You surveyed students on their favourite ice cream flavour. Each picture of an ice cream cone represents 2 students. Which graph would you choose and why?
What is a pictograph?
(Because symbols can represent more than one item.)