Line graph thinking
A line graph is useful when values change over time, such as temperature across a week.
Read across the days and compare how the temperature changes.
Look for rises, falls and comparisons.
Year 6
Interpret and construct pie charts and line graphs and use these to solve problems
Read and use information from pie charts and line graphs.
Lesson overview
Statistics
A line graph shows how a value changes over time. A pie chart shows how a whole is split into parts. Both can be used to answer comparison and total questions.
Pie chart thinking
A pie chart shows parts of a whole, such as favourite sports.
Football: 1/2
Swimming: 1/4
Other: 1/4
All the sections together make one whole circle.
The pieces together make the whole.
Worked example
In this pie chart, football is 1/2 of the circle and swimming is 1/4. Which is larger?
Football: 1/2
Swimming: 1/4
Other: 1/4
The larger slice shows the larger fraction.
- Compare the fractions.
- One half is greater than one quarter.
- So football takes the larger part.
- The pie chart shows football as the larger section.
Try it
Decide whether the graph is showing change over time or parts of a whole.
Question 1
Which graph is best for showing temperature over a week?
Question 2
A pie chart mainly shows:
Red: 3/6
Blue: 2/6
Green: 1/6
Question 3
Which is larger in the pie chart: football or swimming?
Football: 1/2
Swimming: 1/4
Other: 1/4
Question 4
In this line graph, the value rises from Tuesday to Wednesday. What does that mean?
Question 5
All sections of a pie chart add up to:
A: 25%
B: 25%
C: 50%
Every slice joins to make one full circle.
Common mistakes
Watch for these when working through the lesson.
- Reading a pie chart like a timeline.
- Forgetting that all pie-chart sections together equal the whole.
- Comparing line-graph points without checking the scale.
Related topics
These ideas fit closely with this lesson.
- Calculate and interpret the mean as an average.
- Recall and use equivalences between fractions, decimals and percentages.