6th grade · Math · Unit 16 of 19
Data & Graphs
Histograms, range and line graphs
What your child practices
Telling discrete data (counted) from continuous data (measured), reading histograms and line graphs, finding the range, and spotting misleading graphs.
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: 6.12(A); 6.13(A) · dot plots, stem-and-leaf plots and histograms, and reading them
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- Discrete data is counted (pets). Continuous data is measured (height).
- A broken-line graph shows how something changes over time.
- The range is the greatest value minus the least value.
Example: Test scores: 6, 9, 7, 10. What is the range? Greatest: 10. Least: 6. 10 − 6 = 4. Answer: 4
Data & Graphs in Texas
In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 16 of 19 in 6th grade Math, after Four Quadrants and before Center & Spread.
Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.
Source: Texas Education Agency (TEA)
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
A bar graph has bars of different widths. Why is that misleading?
- It makes the graph more accurate.
- Wider bars look bigger even if the values are equal.
- Narrow bars are always wrong.
Wider bars look bigger even if the values are equal.
Hint: Check the scale, the widths and the labels before you trust a graph.
Question 2
Between which two times did the temperature rise the most?
Temperature (°C) through the day Time °C 8 a.m. 11 10 a.m. 8 12 p.m. 13 2 p.m. 14 - 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
- 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Hint: On a broken-line graph, the steepest climb shows the biggest rise.
Question 3
How many students were counted in all?
Minutes spent reading (histogram) Minutes Students 0–9 2 10–19 7 20–29 8 30–39 12 - 29
- 34
- 26
29
Hint: Add the counts for every interval.
Question 4
Which data set has the greater range?
Set A Set B 25 29 23 7 20 24 21 3 13 23 - Set B
- Set A
Set B
Hint: Find the range of each set. The greater range is more spread out.
Question 5
What is the range of this data?
42, 3, 20, 39, 31
- 39
- 43
- 42
39
Hint: Range = greatest value − least value.
Question 6
How many students read for 30–39 minutes?
Minutes spent reading (histogram) Minutes Students 0–9 9 10–19 9 20–29 3 30–39 6 - 9
- 6
- 2
6
Hint: Find the row for that interval.