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The Bar Graph That Cut Off the Bottom

6th grade nonfiction passage about misleading graph scales: 215 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade nonfiction misleading graph scales 215 words

The Bar Graph That Cut Off the Bottom

The school newsletter printed a bar graph of a cookie sale, in which Room 4 sold 52 boxes and Room 5 sold 55 boxes. On the graph, the Room 5 bar towered over the Room 4 bar, standing more than twice as tall, so Room 5 cheered and Room 4 groaned. But the numbers say the two classes were nearly tied.

The trick was in the vertical axis, the number line running up the side of the graph. Instead of starting at 0, it started at 50, and this cut-off bottom made Room 4's bar only 2 units tall and Room 5's bar 5 units tall. A bar graph shows an amount by its length, so cutting off the bottom makes small differences look enormous.

When the same data is drawn with an axis that starts at 0, the bars look almost the same height. That picture matches the truth better: Room 5 sold just 3 more boxes.

Graphs are not always drawn to fool anyone. Sometimes a cut axis helps to show a small change that matters, such as a few degrees of body temperature. In those cases, honest graph makers say so clearly.

Good readers check three things before trusting a graph. First, find where the axis begins. Second, read the numbers on the labels. Third, compare the real values, not only the heights of the bars.

Questions

  1. How many boxes did Room 4 sell? in the text

  2. Where did the vertical axis start on the newsletter graph? in the text

  3. Why did the Room 5 bar look more than twice as tall? think about it

  4. How many more boxes did Room 5 really sell? in the text

  5. When can a cut axis be useful? in the text

  6. Why should readers look at the labels and not only the bars? think about it

Words to know

axis
the number line along the side or bottom of a graph
vertical
going straight up and down
data
facts and numbers collected about something
tied
having the same score or nearly the same amount
honest
truthful and fair
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One passage, three levels

The same topic and facts written three ways, so a mixed class can read and talk about one text. Each group’s sheet shows only a shape; the key says which is which.

● Easier · 177 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.5

The school newsletter had a bar graph of a cookie sale. Room 4 sold 52 boxes. Room 5 sold 55 boxes. On the graph, the Room 5 bar was more than twice as tall as the Room 4 bar. Room 5 cheered. Room 4 groaned. But the numbers show the rooms were almost tied.

The trick was the vertical axis, the number line up the side. It did not start at 0. It started at 50. The cut-off bottom made Room 4's bar only 2 units tall. Room 5's bar was 5 units tall. A bar graph shows an amount by its length. So a cut-off bottom makes small gaps look huge.

Draw the same data with an axis that starts at 0. Now the bars look almost the same. That picture is more true. Room 5 sold just 3 more boxes.

Some graphs cut the axis for a good reason. It can show a small change that matters, like a few degrees of body temperature. Honest graph makers say so.

Check three things. Find where the axis starts. Read the labels. Compare the real numbers, not just the bars.

▲ This passage · 215 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.4

The school newsletter printed a bar graph of a cookie sale, in which Room 4 sold 52 boxes and Room 5 sold 55 boxes. On the graph, the Room 5 bar towered over the Room 4 bar, standing more than twice as tall, so Room 5 cheered and Room 4 groaned. But the numbers say the two classes were nearly tied.

The trick was in the vertical axis, the number line running up the side of the graph. Instead of starting at 0, it started at 50, and this cut-off bottom made Room 4's bar only 2 units tall and Room 5's bar 5 units tall. A bar graph shows an amount by its length, so cutting off the bottom makes small differences look enormous.

When the same data is drawn with an axis that starts at 0, the bars look almost the same height. That picture matches the truth better: Room 5 sold just 3 more boxes.

Graphs are not always drawn to fool anyone. Sometimes a cut axis helps to show a small change that matters, such as a few degrees of body temperature. In those cases, honest graph makers say so clearly.

Good readers check three things before trusting a graph. First, find where the axis begins. Second, read the numbers on the labels. Third, compare the real values, not only the heights of the bars.

■ Harder · 235 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.2

The school newsletter printed a bar graph summarizing a cookie sale. Room 4 had sold 52 boxes, and Room 5 had sold 55. On the graph, however, the Room 5 bar towered over the Room 4 bar, standing more than twice as tall. Room 5 cheered, and Room 4 groaned, even though the figures reveal that the two classes were very nearly tied.

The deception lay in the vertical axis, the number line running up the side of the graph. Instead of beginning at 0, it began at 50. This cut-off bottom reduced Room 4's bar to a mere 2 units and raised Room 5's bar to 5 units. Because a bar graph communicates an amount through the length of each bar, removing the bottom causes small differences to appear enormous.

When the identical data is plotted on an axis that begins at 0, the two bars look nearly the same height. That picture corresponds much more closely to the truth, which is that Room 5 sold only 3 more boxes.

Graphs are not always drawn to mislead anyone. Occasionally a cut axis is helpful for revealing a small change that genuinely matters, such as a few degrees of body temperature. In such cases, honest graph makers state it plainly.

Discerning readers verify three things before trusting a graph. First, locate the point where the axis begins. Second, study the numbers on the labels. Third, compare the actual values instead of relying solely on the heights of the bars.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put axis, vertical, data, tied and honest on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the text will be about.
  • Read it aloud once while students follow along, then have them reread it alone or with a partner. At a calm 100 words a minute it takes about 2 minutes to read aloud.
  • Use the Read it big button (or B) to put the text on the projector, and Show answer on one question at a time so the class commits to an answer first.
  • Question 3 asks the reader to infer. Ask students to point to the words in the passage that led them to their answer.
  • Ask students to write one question the passage did not answer, then look for the answer in a book or on a classroom screen.
  • Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "The Bar Graph That Cut Off the Bottom"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 215 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 5.4. That is a formula's estimate from sentence length and syllables, and it is not a Lexile or a guided reading level, so check it against your students.

What do the questions ask?

There are six. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 2 ask the reader to work something out from clues. Each has an answer in the key, and the answers are written as a teacher would accept them, not as the only possible wording.

How long does it take to read?

About 2 minutes read aloud at 100 words a minute. For a one-minute fluency check, paste it into the fluency timer and use the word count.

Can I print it?

Yes. Print student copy gives the passage, the questions with lines to write on, and the word meanings. Print with answers gives the same page with the answers filled in. Both are made in your browser.

Is this passage from a published book?

No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.

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