Unit 05 · Data Tables, Graphs & Patterns
Numbers only tell their story once you organize them. This unit is where a messy list of readings — how tall the bean seedling grew each day, how long the ice cube took to melt, how far the toy car rolled from each ramp height — becomes a tidy table and then a graph that shows the pattern at a glance. A student picks the right kind of graph, labels the axes, plots the points honestly, and reads what the shape is saying. Mastery means your table is clear enough for anyone to use and your graph earns the conclusion you draw from it.
| Criterion | Not yet | Approaching | Mastered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organizing data in tables | Jots numbers loosely with no columns, headers, or units — you can’t tell what was measured. | Makes a table but leaves off units, mislabels a column, or lists the rows out of order. | Records data in an ordered table — clear headers, units on every column, one trial per row — so anyone can read it. |
| Choosing the right graph | Picks a graph type at random, or graphs data that should have stayed in a table. | Chooses a graph but the type doesn’t fit — a bar chart where a line would show the trend. | Matches the graph to the data: a line for the ice cube shrinking over time, a bar to compare paper-towel brands. |
| Building a graph correctly | Leaves the axes unlabeled, lets the scale jump around, or drops points in the wrong place. | Labels the axes but uses an uneven scale, forgets the title, or plots a point or two carelessly. | Draws it right — both axes labeled with units, an even scale, a title, and every point plotted accurately. |
| Reading patterns & trends | Reads single points but misses the overall shape, or invents a pattern that isn’t there. | Notices the line rises or falls but can’t say what that means for the two things measured. | Describes the relationship the graph shows: “the steeper the ramp, the farther the toy car rolled.” |
| Drawing a justified conclusion | States a conclusion the data don’t support, or claims the data prove more than they do. | Draws a reasonable conclusion but doesn’t tie it to the graph or admit its limits. | States what the data support — and what they don’t: “the seedlings grew taller in the window, but I only tested three, so I can’t be sure yet.” |
| Integration (cross-domain) | Treats graphing as isolated; makes no connection to the year’s anchor. | Mentions the Semmelweis story but can’t say what a graph of his data would show. | Graphs Semmelweis’s monthly death rates and points to the drop after handwashing began — connecting across History · Reading · Statistics, and defends why the picture convinces. |
“Time goes along the bottom and the ice cube’s width up the side — both labeled with units, even scale, title on top. The line drops fast at first and then levels off, so the cube melted quickest when it was biggest. I can say it melted faster at the start, but I only ran it once, so I’d repeat it before I’m sure.”
“I just wrote the numbers down somewhere. I picked a pie chart because it looked nice. It goes up, I think, so it’s good.”
You demonstrate this unit through watched graphing tasks — organizing your own bench data into a table, choosing and building the right graph, then reading the pattern aloud — plus short oral checks where you explain what the graph does and doesn’t show. Not a multiple-choice test. A criterion counts as mastered only when a guide can watch you build a clean, correctly labeled graph and draw a conclusion the data actually support. Mastery is demonstrated, not awarded.
A 5-page clipboard packet — unit overview, key terms, the mastery rubric, anchor examples, and a score sheet you can print and grade against.