5+Step+Approach+for+Reading+Charts+and+Graphs

__What is the strategy?__ 5 Step Approach for Reading Charts and Graph
 * 1) What is the topic?
 *  Look for the title and reword it in your own words
 * 1) What is being measured?
 * Look for labels, get an idea of what the graph is saying
 * 1) How is it being measured?
 * Look for units
 * Ask yourself if the units make sense with what you know about the graph so far
 * 1) Is color-coding use and if so, how?
 * Color coding is often used to add additional information to a graph without taking up extra space
 * Check for a key that explains the color coding
 * 1) Make a statement about the information in your own words.
 * Look for a trend or a piece of information that you find interesting and mentally form a sentence about it
 * If you are struggling with this step, don’t get frustrated or give up- start over from Step 1. Each time you investigate the graph you are building up your knowledge and understanding of the information.

__Why is it useful for readers?__ Understanding and interpreting graphs are important aspects of science literacy (see CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.7 , CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.7 , CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.7 ). However, many students don’t have the skills necessary to read and interpret graphs and other visual representations of data. Even if students do have adequate graph-reading skills, sometimes unpacking the information in more complex graphs can be very overwhelming. By explicitly teaching readers to approach graphs with these five steps, students will have a go-to system for breaking down even the most complex of graphs. Once readers get comfortable with this approach, they can utilize this strategy on standardized tests, in other classes, and in the “real world.”

__When should a teacher use this strategy?__ A teacher should teach this strategy the first time he or she expects students (of any age range) to read a graph, particularly if this is group of students that will likely struggle to comprehend graphs.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">__How should a teacher use this strategy?__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">After teaching the strategy, the teacher should continually remind students to use this approach every time they encounter a graph. If students aren’t encouraged to practice this as a go-to approach for reading graphs, they won’t be able to independently employ the strategy on a test or outside of the context of the classroom.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">__Additional Resources__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kemp, M. & Kissane, B. (2010). A five step framework for interpreting tables and graphs in their contexts. Retrieved from: @http://www.statlit.org/pdf/2010KempKissaneICOTS.pdf.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Reading different text forms: Reading graphical texts (reading graphs). Think literacy: Cross curricular approaches, grades 7-12. 63-68. Retrieved from: @http://oame.on.ca/main/files/thinklit/ReadingGraphs.pdf.