Newspaper stories

Newspaper stories

Pencil and paperOnline interactive
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Further Resources
This task is about how graphs can be misleading. 
The following graphs were found in two newspaper articles. Explain what is misleading about each graph.

Question 1Change answer

 
a)  Explain why this graph is misleading.  

Question 1Change answer

b)  Explain why this graph is misleading.  
Task administration: 
This task can be completed with pencil and paper or online (with SOME auto marking).
Level:
5
Curriculum info: 
Maths, Statistics, Statistical literacy
Key Competencies: 
Thinking, Using language, symbols, and texts
Keywords: 
line graphs, histograms, graph interpretation
Description of task: 
Students are required to explain the misleading aspects of two graphs found in newspaper articles.
Curriculum Links: 
Key competencies
This resource involves identifying misleading statements and explaining why  data displays are misleading. These relates to the Key Competencies: Thinking and Using language, symbols and text.

For more information see http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Key-competencies

Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Interpreting statistical and chance situations, set 5
within the Mathematics Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
 

 

Y10 (06/2000)

a)

There appears to be a sudden jump at year 2000, but this is only because there is a five-year gap rather than the one-year gap for all the other years.

easy

b)

Any 1 of:

  • The size of the age groups for 0-19 and 60+ are bigger. This means there are more people in them.
    Accept if only the 0-19 age range is mentioned.
  • The graphs show the numbers of people in each group, not the percentages.
  • The different age groups have different numbers of people in them.

difficult