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The Promise and Practice of Teaching Data Literacy in Social Studies: A Companion Site
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A Taxonomy of Data Visualizations
Information can be visualized in multiple ways, from bar graphs to scatterplots, choropleth maps to distribution maps, timelines to time series. Designers can choose from an array of graphical elements such as points, lines, or icons used to represent data, and multiple aesthetic attributes such as color, shape, and size. Furthermore, designers can apply multiple combinations of titles, legends, and explanatory text to provide context for a data visualization. Given the almost dizzying array of data visualizations students may encounter in social studies, it is helpful to place them in categories related to the types of questions they will help us answer.
Data Visualizations as Primary Sources
Humans have been creating different types of data visualizations for centuries. Explore this collection of timelines, maps, graphs and charts to see what they reveal about the historical time and place in which they were produced.
How do students learn with data visualizations?
Reading data visualizations in print and online social studies texts can improve students' overall comprehension and quality of reasoning. And there is evidence to suggest that reading data visualizations helps students better understand historical and geographic context, multiple causation, and change over time — all important concepts for students to grasp in social studies subject areas. However, students may face significant challenges in trying to make sense of different kinds of data visualizations. This section provides insight into both benefits and challenges of reading timelines, maps, and graphs and charts.
How should students analyze data visualizations in social studies?
The challenges that data visualizations present, coupled with their prevalence in social studies texts, standardized assessments, in online social studies resources, and as sources of information in society, suggest that teaching with and about data visualizations in social studies is essential. This module provides guidance for how teachers can support students' data literacy for social studies.
How do I help students create and integrate data visualizations for social studies?
This page highlights several tools that are useful for data-based projects in social studies. And accompanying each tool is a "minimal manual" that provides guidance for using the tool in social studies inquiry- and project-based learning.
Project-Based Learning Activities for Data Literacy in Social Studies
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Index of Lesson Plans
This page contains a list of the minimal manuals and lessons found on this website. Minimal manuals are designed to be adapted to different grade levels and do not have a grade designation associated with them. Lesson plans are organized according to the school level for which they are designed. However, many of these lessons can be adapted for different grade levels.
Tamara Shreiner
72eaa2d1ba1352b75b8a8da73e879a4ceb510ae0
New York and Erie Railroad Diagram (1855)
1 2020-05-08T10:49:28-07:00 Tamara Shreiner 72eaa2d1ba1352b75b8a8da73e879a4ceb510ae0 35133 5 This diagram comes from the early days of the railroad and shows the organizational structure of the New York and Erie Railroad Company. Like many early rail companies they had the challenge of securely managing the traffic going in both directions on single tracks and avoiding deadly collisions. Those responsible for the lines in the company used the telegraph to exchange current traffic information. The diagram illustrates the strict lines of communication that had to be observed to prevent fatal mistakes. The long main branches of the diagram represent the fives lines of the railroad company, which are rooted in the circular structure of management. The numerous round leaves on all the various branches stand for individual employees. plain 2020-07-31T07:21:47-07:00 Carolyn Corey a3be5ecac5feb3465ab045c4d8c977721103c688Contents of this tag:
- 1 media/Screenshot 2020-07-14 16.14.21.png media/7823054.jpg 2020-05-18T06:57:48-07:00 Tamara Shreiner 72eaa2d1ba1352b75b8a8da73e879a4ceb510ae0 Primary Source Data Visualizations for U.S. History & Geography 125 This page provides a list of primary source data visualizations to support inquiry in U.S. history and geography. They are organized according to the periodization scheme in Michigan's social studies standards for U.S. history. plain 2021-08-16T09:59:36-07:00 Kristen Taurence 096bf11ea9ce4df55aba17c3029242306dd910c3