Grade 6: Critique Data in the Media

Warm up with a few quick critique data in the media warm-ups on the board while the class settles, so every child starts thinking about the skill.

Statistical literacy means not taking numbers, percentages and graphs at face value. Students learn to ask who was surveyed, how many, who is telling me this and why, and whether the graph is drawn fairly, so an ad, a headline or a post cannot mislead them. This is the reasoning behind ACARA AC9M5ST02. Model the method clearly, thinking aloud:

• Collect real, age-appropriate examples: ad claims ('4 out of 5...'), headlines, product labels ('up to', '30% more') and screenshots of graphs.
• Teach the four questions to ask of any claim: Who was asked? How many? Who is telling me, and why? Does the graph start at zero?
• Put a misleading graph (scale not starting at zero) next to an honest one of the same data so the trick is obvious.
• Discuss correlation vs causation with a simple example (ice cream sales and sunburn both rise in summer; one does not cause the other).
• Have students rewrite a misleading claim to make it honest ('everyone loves it' becomes 'all 5 friends we asked liked it').

Do the first few questions of the practice worksheet together, one child explaining each step. Check for understanding before releasing the class to work alone.

Students complete the practice worksheet independently while you circulate and support.

Circulate and look for these, they are the usual sticking points:

• Believing a percentage without asking 'percent of what, and how many people?'.
• Assuming a small or biased sample speaks for everyone.
• Judging a bar graph by height without checking whether the scale starts at zero.
• Confusing 'two things happen together' with 'one causes the other'.

Pull the class back together. Ask one child to explain critique data in the media in their own words, pose a single check question everyone answers on a mini whiteboard, and name what you will build on next lesson.

Use the independent worksheet as the evidence. A child who can complete it accurately and explain one answer has met the objective; anyone who cannot needs the easier level and a short reteach next session.