D. Data · Data and Probability

Telling a Data Story with an Infographic

D1.4 D1.5 A1About 50 minutes

Learning goals

I can explain what an infographic is and what it needs.
I can choose data displays and key numbers that help tell a story about data.
I can plan and make my own infographic.
I can give and use kind, helpful feedback.

Words to know

infographic
A poster or page that uses data displays, key numbers, pictures and short sentences to tell a story about data. The word comes from information + graphics.

data story
The main message that the data shows, like "In winter, more of us ride the bus."

headline
A short sentence in big print that tells the main idea.

key number
An important number shown in big print, like a total, a median or a mode.

audience
The people who will read your infographic.

Data that tells a story

Have you ever seen a poster with big numbers, small graphs and pictures, like at a museum, in a magazine or on the wall at school? That is an infographic. An infographic takes data and turns it into a story that people can understand in less than a minute.

Room 12 asked: "How do we get to school in the fall, and in the winter?" They collected data, organized it, and made this infographic.

Room 12's infographic. Fall bars are green and winter bars are blue. Walk: 12 then 8. Bus: 9 then 11. Car: 5 then 7. Bike: 2 then 2.

What makes a good infographic?

A title that says what it's about.
A headline that tells the data story.
Two or three data displays that fit the data, like a frequency table, a stem-and-leaf plot or a multiple-bar graph.
Key numbers in big print, like a total, a mean, a median or a mode.
Short sentences and simple pictures that help, not distract.
A source: where the data came from.

It should be easy to read and not too crowded.

Worked example

Example 1: Read the infographic

Use Room 12's infographic. What story does it tell? Which numbers support the story?

The headline says: In winter, more of us ride the bus.
The graph shows the bus went from 9 students in fall to 11 in winter, and walking went from 12 to 8.
The big 28 tells the reader how many students were asked, so they know the size of the group.
The median trip time tells a typical trip length for students who walk or bike.

The story is that in winter, fewer students walk, and more ride the bus or come by car. The numbers 12 → 8 and 9 → 11 support it.

The data behind the infographic

Before making the poster, Room 12 organized the data. First, a frequency table comparing fall and winter:

How we travel	Fall	Winter
Walk	12	8
Bus	9	11
Car	5	7
Bike	2	2
Total	28	28

How Room 12 gets to school. Source: class survey, 2026.

Then the 14 students who walked or biked in the fall timed their trips, in minutes. They used a stem-and-leaf plot:

Stem (tens)	Leaf (ones)
0	5 6 8
1	0 0 0 2 4 5 5 8
2	0 2 5

Trip times in minutes for the 14 fall walkers and bikers. Key: 1 | 5 means 15 minutes.

From the plot: the shortest trip is 5 minutes and the longest is 25. The mode is 10 minutes (three students). There are 14 values, so the two middle values are the 7th and 8th: 12 and 14. The median is halfway between them: 13 minutes. That's the key number on the infographic.

Worked example

Example 2: Plan an infographic

Plan the steps to make an infographic about your own data.

Question: choose a question you're curious about, like "Do kids and grown-ups in my family like the same season?"
Collect and organize: collect the data and put it in a frequency table (or a stem-and-leaf plot for number data).
Choose displays: pick two or three that fit, like a multiple-bar graph to compare groups.
Find key numbers: a total, the mode, the median or the mean, or the biggest difference.
Write the headline: one sentence that the data supports.
Sketch the layout: title at the top, the biggest idea in the biggest space, the source at the bottom.
Check: title, labels, scales, legend, key and source. Is it easy to read?

Question → organize → displays → key numbers → headline → sketch → check.

A sketch of an infographic layout. The biggest idea gets the biggest space, and every part has a job.

Worked example

Example 3: Choose a headline the data supports

Which headline is best for Room 12's data?

"Everyone hates walking in winter!"
"In winter, more of us ride the bus."
"Most students ride the bus in winter."

1: The data doesn't say anything about how people feel, and 8 students still walk in winter. Not supported.
2: The bus went from 9 to 11. Supported.
3: 11 out of 28 is less than half, so "most" is not true. The bus is the most common choice in winter, but not "most students".

Headline 2 is supported by the data.

Infographic checklist

Title and headline
Two or three displays that fit the data
Every graph has labels, a scale starting at 0, and a legend if needed
Every stem-and-leaf plot has a key
Key numbers in big print
Short sentences that the data really supports
Source
Easy to read, not crowded

Giving helpful feedback

When you look at someone's infographic, try two stars and a wish: two things that work well, and one idea to make it better. "I like your big key number. Your graph is easy to read. I wish the headline used a number from the data." When you get feedback, listen, say thank you, and decide what to change. Making a second draft is what real designers do!

Just for fun

Why did the infographic win the school talent show?

It really knew how to present itself!

Hands-on activity

Make your own infographic

You need: a large sheet of paper or the inside of a cereal box, a ruler, a pencil and pencil crayons or markers.

Use your kids versus grown-ups survey, or collect new data.
Make a frequency table, and at least one graph (a multiple-bar graph is great for comparing groups).
If you have number data (like ages or clap counts), add a stem-and-leaf plot and find the median and mode.
Choose one or two key numbers to show in big print.
Write a headline that the data supports.
Sketch the layout in pencil first, then make the final copy.
Show a family member. Ask for two stars and a wish, then improve one thing.

Math talk: "What story does my data tell? Which number proves it?"

Your turn

How many Room 12 students walked to school in the fall?

How many walked in the winter?

Which way of travelling stayed the same from fall to winter?

What is the mode (most common way to travel) in the winter?

Use the stem-and-leaf plot. How many students took 15 minutes?

Why does the infographic show 28 in big print?

Which display on the infographic compares fall and winter?

More practice: warm-up

What is an infographic?

Name three parts of a good infographic.

Why should an infographic include a source?

Which display shows every trip time in order?

What is a headline?

More practice: on your own

Write a different headline that Room 12's data supports.

How many more students came by car in winter than in fall?

Owen says an infographic should list every single piece of data. Do you agree? Explain.

Lucy's infographic has 9 graphs, tiny writing and no headline. Give her two stars and a wish.

Using the trip-time data, Sam wrote "Most walkers and bikers take 10 minutes." Is that true?

Challenge

Plan an infographic that answers: "Do we spend more time outside in summer or in winter?" Name the data you need, two displays and one key number.

A headline says, "Half of Room 12 walks in the fall." Is it supported? Use the numbers.

Room 12 wants one key number to describe a typical trip time. Should they use the mode (10 minutes) or the median (13 minutes)? Justify.

Check your understanding

Quiz

What is the main job of an infographic?

Which part tells the reader where the data came from?

Room 12: 11 of 28 students ride the bus in winter. Which headline is supported?

Which display fits best to compare fall and winter travel?

The trip times have 14 values, and the 7th and 8th values are 12 and 14. What is the median?

What is "two stars and a wish"?

For parents and teachers

What this lesson teaches: creating an infographic that tells a story about a data set, using frequency tables, stem-and-leaf plots and multiple-bar graphs, key numbers such as the median and mode, and other relevant information (D1.4, using D1.5). Giving and using feedback (A1) is included.

How to help at home:

Look at infographics together (in children's magazines, museums or on cereal boxes) and ask: "What's the story? Which numbers prove it?"
Be the audience for your child's infographic and give "two stars and a wish".

Common difficulties:

Crowding too much onto the page. Two or three displays are enough.
Headlines that the data doesn't support ("most" when it's less than half; feelings when the data is about choices).
Forgetting the source, the key on a stem-and-leaf plot, or the legend on a multiple-bar graph.
Spending all the time decorating. The data story comes first.