6th Grade : Analyzing and Interpreting Line Graphs and Dot Plots

6th Grade Math: Analyzing and Interpreting Line Graphs and Dot Plots

By Rob Moore

​Learning Goals

• Understand how to analyze line graphs and dot plots

• Use data to describe trends, compare values, and make inferences

A line graph shows how something changes over time.
Each dot on the graph represents a piece of data, like temperature or hours of sleep. Lines connect the dots so you can see if the numbers go up, down, or stay the same.
To read it:

• Look at the bottom (x-axis) to see when something happened.

• Look at the side (y-axis) to see how much or how many.

• Follow the line to see the trend or pattern.

What is a line graph?

Line Graph 1: Average Daily Temperature in Glendora

Data: Temperatures from Monday to Sunday
Graph Type: Line Graph

Fill in the Blanks

Multiple Choice

On which day did the temperature increase the most?

• Monday to Tuesday

• Tuesday to Wednesday

• Wednesday to Thursday

• Thursday to Friday

• Friday to Saturday

Fill in the Blanks

Open Ended

Was there a pattern or trend in the temperature? Explain.

Open Ended

From Saturday to Sunday, the temperature decreases.

If this trend continues, what would you estimate the temperature will be on Monday?

Line Graph 2: Hours of Sleep per Night

Data: Student's sleep from Monday to Sunday
Graph Type: Line Graph

Fill in the Blanks

Open Ended

How does the sleep on school nights compare to the weekend?

Math Response

What is the average number of hours of sleep per night?

Round your answer to the nearest tenth.

8 + 7.5 + 7 + 6.5 + 6 + 9 + 9.5 = 53.5

Type answer here

Correct Answer: 7.6

Deg^°

Rad

Open Ended

If the student wants to improve their sleep, what pattern should they change?

A dot plot shows how often each number or category happens. Each dot represents a piece of data, one person, thing, or result. The more dots above a number, the more times it happened.

To read it:

• Look along the bottom to see the numbers being measured.

• Count the dots above each number to see how many people or things had that value.

What is a dot plot?

Dot Plot 1: Number of Pets Students Have

Data: Number of Pets Each Student Has
Graph Type: Dot Plot

Multiple Select

What is the most common number of pets?

• 0

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Fill in the Blanks

Multiple Choice

Are there any outliers in this data set?

• Yes; one of the numbers is much greater or less than the others

• No; the numbers are clustered together and closer in value

Math Response

What is the mean number of pets?

0 + 0 + 0 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 3 = 15

Type answer here

Correct Answer: 1.25

Deg^°

Rad

Math Response

What is the median for number of pets?

0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3

Type answer here

Correct Answer: 1

Deg^°

Rad

Multiple Select

What is the mode for the number of pets?

0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3

• No Mode

• 0

• 1

• 2

• 3

Multiple Choice

If you were to describe this class's pet ownership to someone else, what would you say?

• Most students have

  between 0 and 1 pets.

• Most students have

  between 1 and 2 pets.

• Most students have

  between 2 and 3 pets.

• Most students have

  between 3 and 4 pets.

Dot Plot 2: Text Messages Sent in a Day

Data: Number of Texts Sent by Students
Graph Type: Dot Plot

Fill in the Blanks

Math Response

How many students sent more than 25 messages?

Type answer here

Correct Answer: 3

Deg^°

Rad

Math Response

What is the mean, or average number of texts sent. Round to the nearest tenth.

10 + 15 + 15 + 20 + 20 + 20 + 25 + 25 + 25 + 25 + 30 + 30 + 35 = 295

Type answer here

Correct Answer: 22.7

Deg^°

Rad

Open Ended

If this data was collected on a Wednesday, how might it change if it was a Saturday?