Today you will
- read a chart for its trend and its odd values
- write a short, plain story under a chart
- say what one decision the chart should change
Warm-up
A GAA club stall takes about €50 most weeks and €95 on match day. What is the one thing the club treasurer should notice?
If you have a project chart already, say its story in one sentence instead.
A trend is the overall direction the numbers move, like rising, falling or steady.
An outlier is one value far above or below the rest.
A hidden average is when an outlier pulls the average away from a normal week.
A chart interpretation is three or four plain sentences that say what the chart means.
Example
A stall takes €95 on match day and about €50 other weeks. The €95 is the outlier, and it pulls the average up to about €57.
Use this frame
Trend: Sales were ______ most weeks.
Biggest value: Week __ at €__.
Smallest value: Week __ at €__.
Decision: Because of this, I will ______.
You will make a small practice sheet from six weeks of stall sales, add a column chart and write a short story about it. Follow the steps in the box below.
| Week | Sales (€) |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | 45 |
| Week 2 | 52 |
| Week 3 | 48 |
| Week 4 | 95 |
| Week 5 | 50 |
| Week 6 | 55 |
Sales were ______ most weeks. Biggest: Week __ at €__. Smallest: Week __ at €__. Decision: ______.
Common issues
- My story only says the bars go up. Add the biggest and smallest values with their units, like € or hours.
- I treated the average as a normal week. Check for an outlier first, then plan from a typical week.
- I don't know what decision to write. Ask what someone would change next week, like stock, price or hours.
Independent Practice
- Open {{code:sm3_chart_data_page}} in {{code:09_specialism/sm3/}}.
- Under a chart, type the heading {{code:Chart interpretation}}.
- Below it, write three or four sentences using the frame below.
- Do the same under each chart in {{code:sm3_advanced_chart}}.
- When your teacher says, swap screens with a partner.
Trend: Sales were ______ most weeks.
Biggest value: Week __ at €__.
Smallest value: Week __ at €__.
Decision: Because of this, I will ______.
If you have no project chart yet, write your story under the practice chart in {{code:sm3_interpretation_practice}} instead. Add a note saying where your real chart will go for your Key Assignment.
- My stories are saved under my charts.
- Each story names the trend and the biggest and smallest values with units.
- Each story ends with one decision.
- My partner can name my decision without looking at the numbers.
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