Virginia SOL 4.PS.1.d.i
The Standard
describe the characteristics of the data represented in a line graph and the data as a whole (e.g., the time period when the temperature increased the most)
Virginia Standards of Learning for Mathematics · The student will apply the data cycle (formulate questions; collect or acquire data; organize and represent data; and analyze data and communicate results) with a focus on line graphs.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students read the title, axes, labels, and scale on a line graph. They compare points and intervals to identify changes and trends. They describe their findings with accurate numbers and time periods.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students correctly identify increases, decreases, highest and lowest values, and periods with the greatest change. They explain the overall pattern aloud and in writing, using labels and values as evidence.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often confuse the highest point with the interval showing the greatest increase. They may ignore the scale or compare point heights without reading the values. Some describe each point but miss the overall pattern.
How to Assess It
- Give students a line graph labeled Monday through Friday with values 62, 65, 63, 70, and 68. Ask them to name the greatest increase and describe the weekly pattern using two values.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Have pairs measure a cup of cooling water every five minutes, plot the temperatures, and label where the greatest decrease occurred.
Show a line graph and ask, “What story does this graph tell?” Students write three claims supported by specific values.
Play Graph Detective by giving teams clue cards such as “Find the greatest increase” or “Name two intervals showing a decrease.”
Graph one week of classroom attendance, weather, or reading minutes, then have students summarize the pattern for a class report.
Keep exploring
Related Standards
- 4.PS.1.d.iii
make inferences about data represented in line graphs;
- 6.PS.1.f
Compare data represented in a circle graph with the same data represented in other graphs, including but not limited to bar graphs, pictographs, and line plots ...
- 4.PS.1.d.ii
identify parts of the data that have special characteristics and explain the meaning of the greatest, the least, or the same (e.g., the highest temperature show...
- 5.PS.1.e.i
describe the characteristics of the data represented in a line plot (dot plot) and stem-andleaf plot as a whole (e.g., the shape and spread of the data);
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