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Computers & Digital Literacy · Grade 8

Analysis, Visualization and Misleading Data

Learners summarise data with the mean, median and mode and see how one outlier can drag the mean. They then take apart misleading charts from fictional Cedar Valley posts and newsletters: truncated axes, cherry-picked time ranges, pictures scaled in two directions, percentages without counts and dual axes. They separate correlation from causation and finish by redesigning a misleading chart and justifying every change.

  • 5 lessons
  • About 110 minutes
  • Data and charts check: 10 questions
  • Ways to answer: fill in the blanks, choose an answer, highlight a text, match pairs, type a number and sort into groups
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What learners will discover

  • Calculate the mean, median and mode of a small data set and explain how an outlier affects the mean more than the median.
  • Identify misleading chart techniques: truncated axes, cherry-picked ranges, area-distorted pictographs, percentages without counts and dual axes.
  • Distinguish correlation from causation and suggest other explanations such as a third factor, reverse direction or chance.
  • Redesign a misleading chart and justify each change.

Lessons

  1. Mean, median, mode and the outlier problem 6 steps4 practiceabout 24 min
  2. Misleading axes and cherry-picked ranges 5 steps3 practiceabout 22 min
  3. Pictures, percentages and two axes 5 steps3 practiceabout 22 min
  4. Correlation is not causation 6 steps3 practiceabout 22 min
  5. Redesign a misleading chart 5 steps2 practiceabout 20 min
  6. Data and charts check 10 questions at the end

Keep exploring

More 8th grade computer skills

Guide for grown-ups