Grade 6 · Making Sense of Nonfiction · Reading Media
Reading Charts, Maps and Media
Read a chart's axes, units and source.
Learning objectives
- Read a chart's axes, units and source
- Match a claim to the data that supports it
- Spot a misleading visual
AERO English Language Arts alignment
AERO.ELA.6.RI.7
Integrate and evaluate information presented in different media and formats, including charts, maps, infographics and video, as well as in words. Grade 6 / MYP 1 emphasis: work with one text or a clear pairing, with modelled evidence, sentence starters and short structured responses.
AERO.ELA.6.RI.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as used in an informational text, including technical, connotative and figurative meanings. Grade 6 / MYP 1 emphasis: work with one text or a clear pairing, with modelled evidence, sentence starters and short structured responses.
AERO.ELA.6.RI.3
Analyse how a text introduces, illustrates and elaborates key individuals, ideas or events, including through examples and anecdotes. Grade 6 / MYP 1 emphasis: work with one text or a clear pairing, with modelled evidence, sentence starters and short structured responses.
AERO.ELA.6.RI.9
Analyse two or more texts on the same topic, comparing how each shapes its presentation of key information and interpretation of facts. Grade 6 / MYP 1 emphasis: work with one text or a clear pairing, with modelled evidence, sentence starters and short structured responses.
MYP criteria
- Criterion A — Analysing
- Criterion B — Organizing
ENGAGE
What Does the Visual Really Show?
Charts, maps and media posts can communicate information quickly, but you must read them carefully. A tall bar may look impressive, yet the scale could exaggerate a small difference. A map symbol may seem obvious, but its meaning comes from the key. In this lesson, you will examine axes, units, sources and visual choices. You will then connect a claim to evidence and decide whether a visual gives a fair impression.
Think about it
- What do you check first when you see a chart?
- How could a visual create a misleading impression?
EXPLORE
Visitor Information from a Learning Hub
Read the chart, map description and media claim
An Education City learning hub recorded the number of visits during four afternoons. The chart below places the days on the horizontal x-axis and the number of visits on the vertical y-axis. The unit is individual visits. According to the chart, visits rose from 120 on Monday to 150 on Tuesday and reached their highest point, 210, on Wednesday. They then fell to 180 on Thursday. The source note reads: “Learning Hub entry counter, 14 April; lesson dataset.”
A small map beside the chart uses blue circles for study rooms, green lines for shaded walking routes and a star for the main entrance. It shows that the quiet study room is beside the western shaded route. A media post reports, “Wednesday was the busiest afternoon, so visitors may wish to use the quiet room near the western route.” That claim matches the chart and map. However, another post says, “Visits tripled from Tuesday to Wednesday!” Its chart begins the y-axis at 140 instead of zero, making the increase look much larger. The numbers rose by 60 visits; they did not triple.
| Day on x-axis | Visits on y-axis |
|---|---|
| Monday | 120 |
| Tuesday | 150 |
| Wednesday | 210 |
| Thursday | 180 |
Think about it
- What information appears on each axis, and what unit is used?
- Which chart value supports the claim that Wednesday was the busiest afternoon?
- Why is the claim that visits tripled misleading?
EXPLAIN
A Careful Reader's Method
1. Read around the data
Before interpreting a chart, identify its title, axes, units, scale and source. The x-axis often shows categories or time. The y-axis often shows an amount. In the learning hub chart, the x-axis shows days, while the y-axis measures individual visits.
- Title: What is the visual mainly about?
- Axes: What does each direction represent?
- Unit: Are the values visits, people, kilometres, percentages or something else?
- Scale: What interval appears between the numbers?
- Source: Who collected or published the information?
Match claims to exact evidence
Use a sentence such as: “The claim is supported because the chart shows ___.” For example, the Wednesday claim is supported because 210 is the highest value.
2. Integrate information from different media
| Medium | Information provided | Question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Chart | Amounts and patterns | Which value supports the claim? |
| Map | Locations, routes and distances | What do the key and symbols mean? |
| Written post | A claim or interpretation | Does the wording accurately represent the visual? |
Watch for a cropped scale
A y-axis does not always have to begin at zero, but a cropped scale can exaggerate differences. Check the starting value and compare the actual numbers before accepting the visual impression.
MYP_PRACTICE
Check a Corniche Refill-Station Chart
Study this dataset from an observation activity at a water refill station on Doha Corniche: 6:00—18 bottles, 8:00—30, 10:00—27 and 12:00—21. The unit is bottles refilled per hour. The source is “Student observation team, National Sport Day practice dataset”. Test the claims and organise a short response.
- State what the x-axis and y-axis should show, including the unit.
- Identify the highest value and write one accurate claim about it.
- Evaluate this claim: “Refills at 8:00 were twice the number at 6:00.”
- Imagine a chart with a y-axis beginning at 16. Explain how this might exaggerate the differences.
- Write two organised sentences using: “The data shows…” and “However, the visual may mislead because…”
EXIT_TICKET
Before you close this lesson
Think about it
- Which two chart features will you always check before accepting a claim?
- How can a chart be numerically accurate but visually misleading?
Watch
Check Yourself with Lateral Reading: Crash Course Navigating Digital Information #3
CrashCourse · 14 min
Learn to investigate online claims by leaving a page and checking what reliable external sources say about it.
Before you watch: Why might studying only one webpage give you an incomplete picture?
- What is lateral reading, and how is it different from reading vertically?
- Which outside sources would you consult to verify an unfamiliar website?
Interactive practice · media evidence check
Build an Evidence Check
Use the Corniche refill-station data to produce a short evidence check. Identify the chart features, test both the wording and the visual impression, and finish with a clear judgement.
Rows to complete
Check your answer
Task
A careful reader checks the data before trusting a headline.
Steps
Sentence frames
Your answer
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Key vocabulary
- axis
- A reference line that shows what chart values or categories mean.
- unit
- The standard quantity used to report a measurement.
- source
- The person, group or record from which information comes.
- scale
- The numbered intervals used to represent values on a chart.
Practice questions
0/3 correct
Level 1 · Criterion A
What does the y-axis of the learning hub chart represent?
Level 2 · Criterion A
Which evidence best supports the claim that Wednesday was the busiest afternoon?
Level 3 · Criterion A
Why is the second media post misleading?
MYP criterion tasks
Level 2 · Criterion A
Identify the chart's source and explain why readers should check it.
Level 3 · Criterion B
Write two organised sentences explaining how the chart and map together support the first media post.
Reflect & track
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