Grade by Grade
D. Data · Data and Probability

Creating an Infographic

D1.4 D1.5 A1About 50 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can explain what makes a good infographic.
  • I can use relative-frequency tables and stacked-bar graphs in an infographic.
  • I can choose key numbers, like a mean or median, that help tell the data story.
  • I can plan and make an infographic, and use feedback to improve it.

Words to know

infographic
A poster or page that uses graphs, tables, key numbers, pictures and a few words to tell a story about data quickly.
headline
A short sentence that tells the main message of the data.
key number
One important number shown in big print, like a total, a mean or a median.
data story
What the data tells us, explained so that others understand it.

Remember from Grade 4

You made an infographic with a title, a headline, two or three data displays, key numbers and a source. In Grade 5, your infographics will also use relative-frequency tables and stacked-bar graphs, and you'll tell readers how the data was collected.

Two classes, one story

Two Grade 5 classes asked every student: "What was your main outdoor activity last weekend?" Room 14 has 25 students and Room 15 has 20. They also asked: "How many minutes did you spend outside on Saturday?"

They want to share what they found with the whole school, on one poster that people can understand in less than a minute. That's an infographic.

ActivityRoom 14 frequencyRoom 14 relative frequencyRoom 15 frequencyRoom 15 relative frequency
Sledding1010/25 = 0.466/20 = 0.3
Skating66/25 = 0.2488/20 = 0.4
Snowshoeing44/25 = 0.1622/20 = 0.1
Other55/25 = 0.244/20 = 0.2
Total251201
Main outdoor activity last weekend. Source: Room 14 and Room 15 surveys, February 2026.

The classes are different sizes, so they compare relative frequencies. A stacked-bar graph where each bar is 1 whole shows it at a glance:

Main Outdoor Activity Last WeekendSleddingSkatingSnowshoeingOther00.20.40.60.810.40.240.160.2Room 140.30.40.10.2Room 15Relative frequencySource: Room 14 and Room 15 surveys, February 2026
Room 14: sledding 0.4, skating 0.24, snowshoeing 0.16, other 0.2. Room 15: sledding 0.3, skating 0.4, snowshoeing 0.1, other 0.2. Sledding is green, skating is yellow, snowshoeing is blue and other is unshaded.

Finding a key number

The classes chose 10 students at random to share their Saturday minutes outside:

30, 45, 60, 0, 90, 45, 120, 45, 75, 60

  • In order: 0, 30, 45, 45, 45, 60, 60, 75, 90, 120.
  • Median: the two middle values are 45 and 60, so the median is 52.5 minutes.
  • Mode: 45 minutes.
  • Mean: total 570, and 570 ÷ 10 = 57 minutes.

They chose the median as the key number: "Half of the students we asked spent 52.5 minutes or more outside on Saturday."

What makes a good infographic?

  • A title that says what it's about.
  • A headline that tells the data story in one sentence.
  • Two or three displays that fit the data, like a relative-frequency table and a stacked-bar graph.
  • Key numbers in big print, like a median or a relative frequency.
  • Who was asked and how (the population and the sample).
  • A source.
  • A few pictures or icons, but not so many that they hide the data.
  • Not too many words. People should get the main idea fast.
Title: Winter Weekends OutsideHeadline: one sentence that tells the data storyStacked-bar graphof relative frequenciesfor each roomKey number:median: 52.5 minRelative-frequencytableWho we asked: Rooms 14 and 15Source: our class surveys, February 2026
One possible layout for the two classes' infographic: a title, a headline, a stacked-bar graph, a key number, a relative-frequency table, who was asked, and the source.
Worked example

Example: Write a headline

Look at the stacked-bar graph. Write a headline that tells the data story.

  1. What stands out? In Room 14, sledding has the biggest share (0.4). In Room 15, skating has the biggest share (0.4).
  2. What's the same? Other is 0.2 in both rooms.
  3. Put it into one short sentence.

"Room 14 loves sledding, Room 15 loves skating!" (Any headline that matches the data is fine.)

Just for fun

Funny but true: a good infographic can be understood in less than a minute. That's quicker than getting into snow pants, boots, a jacket, mitts and a toque!

Feedback makes it better

Show your plan to someone and ask: "What is the first thing you notice? What is my main message?" If they can't tell, that's useful information, not a failure. Change one thing and try again.

Hands-on activity

Make your own infographic

You need: a large sheet of paper, a ruler, markers or coloured pencils, and data you collected (from earlier lessons, or a new survey of 10 to 20 people).

  1. Question and data: write your question and how you chose who to ask.
  2. Organize: make a relative-frequency table.
  3. Display: draw a stacked-bar graph, or another graph that fits.
  4. Key number: find the mean, median or mode if you have number data, or the biggest relative frequency.
  5. Headline: one sentence that tells your data story.
  6. Plan the layout in pencil first, then add colour. Include a title and a source.
  7. Ask your grown-up for one star and one wish, then make one improvement.

Your turn

1

What is the relative frequency of skating in Room 15?

2

Which room had the greater share of students who went sledding?

3

How many Room 14 students went snowshoeing?

4

Why do the classes compare relative frequencies instead of frequencies?

5

What is the median of the Saturday minutes, and what does it tell us?

6

Name three things every good infographic needs.

More practice: warm-up

1

What is an infographic?

2

What does a headline do?

3

Why should an infographic include a source?

4

What is the mode of the Saturday minutes?

5

True or false: an infographic should have as many words as possible.

More practice: on your own

1

What is the mean of the Saturday minutes? Show how you found it.

2

The mean (57) is bigger than the median (52.5). Which value pulls the mean up?

3

Write a different headline for the stacked-bar graph.

4

Add the relative frequencies for Room 14. What should you get, and why?

5

Your friend's infographic has a great graph but no title and no headline. What feedback would you give, kindly?

Challenge

1

If the two classes are combined, how many of the 45 students went sledding? What is the combined relative frequency?

2

Why might a stacked-bar graph of counts be misleading for these two classes?

3

The infographic says "Half of all Grade 5 students in Ontario spend 52.5 minutes or more outside on Saturdays." What is wrong with this claim?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

What is the main job of an infographic?

2.

Which is the best headline for the outdoor activity graph?

3.

In Room 15, 8 of 20 students went skating. What relative frequency belongs in the table?

4.

Why use a stacked-bar graph of relative frequencies for two classes of different sizes?

5.

What is the median of 0, 30, 45, 45, 45, 60, 60, 75, 90, 120?

6.

Which piece is missing if an infographic has a title, headline, graph and key number?

For parents and teachers

What this lesson teaches: creating an infographic that tells a story about data, using relative-frequency tables, stacked-bar graphs and key numbers like the median (D1.4, D1.5). Asking for and using feedback (A1) is built in.

How to help at home:

  • Look at infographics together (in magazines, on museum walls or on news sites) and ask: "What is the main message? How fast could you tell?"
  • Help your child plan in pencil before colouring.
  • Give one "star" and one "wish". Let your child choose what to improve.

Common difficulties:

  • Too much decoration or too many words, which hide the message.
  • A headline that only names the topic ("Our Survey") instead of telling the story.
  • Comparing counts when groups are different sizes.
  • Claims that go beyond the sample ("all kids in Canada...").