Teacher-only planning companion for Choosing Data Displays. Use this to justify why graph selection is a real statistics skill, not a decorative extra after the “main” work.
This resource matters because students often learn how to draw one display but not how to choose between several. Keep bringing them back to the variable, the audience, and the question being answered. That is where the judgement sits. A mātauranga Māori lens also asks whether the visual serves the collective kōrero honestly.
Phase 3 Statistics practices include choosing and constructing an appropriate data visualisation for a given set of data according to the data type.
The core of the worksheet is not drawing a graph from scratch. It is deciding which graph is most appropriate and defending that choice. That is a direct fit for the practice of selecting the right display.
This is the strongest alignment row for the resource.
Phase 3 Statistics knowledge includes that categorical data can be visualised with bar graphs and dot plots, while other forms such as time-series graphs suit change over time.
The scenario set deliberately contrasts categories, changing values over time, and individual numerical values so students must match the structure of the data to the display.
Especially useful when students are beginning to distinguish graph families rather than treating them as interchangeable.
Phase 2 Statistics asks students to interpret a visualisation by naming its variables, context, and key features.
For younger students, the same page can be used more lightly: focus on recognising what each display is trying to show and why the wrong display could make the pattern harder to see.
Use this row when adapting the task downward for Year 5-6 learners.
Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum. Learning Media.
Ministry of Education. (2021). Te Mātaiaho: The Refreshed New Zealand Curriculum. Ministry of Education.
Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand. (2021). Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners. Teaching Council.