Charts & Graph

• Create a Graph Tutorial


  1. Begin by logging on to the Internet and going to http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph

  2. A screen will appear with several options for what type of graph you want to build

  3. If you are unsure of which type of graph you should use, read the "How Do I choose Which Graph to Use" section of the tutorial

  4. Select the appropriate graph by clicking the icon

  5. Read the Help menu on the left side of your screen
• Design


  1. Select a background color for your graph

  2. Select the color you want the grid lines to be

  3. Select the number of gridlines you want (how many segments do you want the y-axis separated into)

  4. Select whether you want the graph to be 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional

  5. Select where you want the legend for your graph to be

  6. For bar graphs, select what kind of bars you want to have

  7. For pie charts, select what kind of filler you want the slices to have

  8. For X-Y plots, select which type of plot you wish to have
• Data


  1. Give your graph a title

  2. Identify the source of your data

  3. If your graph has axes, label them

  4. Select how many data points you are going to enter and whether you are entering one or more groups of data

  5. Select the colors for your bars/lines/slices

  6. Select the shape, size, and color of the points for line graphs and x-y plots

  7. Enter your data and give each data a label that will appear along the x-axis or, of you are creating a pie chart, in the legend
• How Do I Use the New Create a Graph

  • Getting Started
  • Design
  • Data
  • Labels
  • Print/Save
• Getting Started


  • Begin by logging on to the Internet and going to http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph
  • Select the appropriate graph by clicking the icon
  • Read the Help menu on the left side of your screen
• Design


  • Select background color, grid line color, number of gridlines, 2D or 3D, legend position
  • Select bar type for bar graphs
  • Select filler for pie chart slices
• Data


  • Give graph a title and identify data source
  • Label axes
  • Select number of data points and whether entering one or more groups
  • Select colors, shapes, sizes for data points
  • Enter data and labels
  • Select min and max values for axes
• Labels


  • Choose whether to show data labels and their position, font, color
  • Choose color and size for other text (title, axis labels, legend)
  • Select font for all labels
• Print/Save


  • Print, save, or email the graph
  • Erase graph or start a new one
• When to use a line graph


  Track changes over short and long periods of time, compare changes over time for more than one group
• When to use a pie chart


  Compare parts of a whole, do not show changes over time
• When to use a bar graph


  Compare things between different groups, track changes over time when changes are larger
• When to use an area graph


  Track changes over time for one or more related groups that make up one whole category
• When to use an x-y plot

  Determine relationships between two different variables
• Bar Graph


  • Title
  • Legend
  • Source
  • X-axis (names of things being compared)
  • Y-axis (amount being measured)
  • Data (one group, stacked groups, side-by-side groups)
• Line Graph


  • Title
  • Legend
  • Source
  • Y-axis (amount being measured)
• Graph


  Contains information about the changes in money spent on students of elementary and secondary schools from 1961 to 2002
• Legend


  Tells what each line represents. Helps the reader understand what they are looking at. In this graph, the green line represents the actual dollar amount spent on each child and the purple line represents the amount spent when adjusted for inflation.
• Source


  Explains where the information in the graph was found. Gives credit to those who collected the data. In this graph, the source is NCES.
• 1. axis


  Runs vertically (up and down) and measures the amount of money spent on individual students for public education.
• Data


  The most important part of the graph, containing two sets of data presented.
• 1. axis


  Runs horizontally (flat) and measures different school years.
• Pie chart


  Can be used to show percentages of a whole, and represents percentages at a set point in time. Unlike bar graphs and line graphs, pie charts do not show changes over time.
• Title


  Offers a short explanation of what is in the graph. Helps the reader identify what they are about to look at.
• Legend (pie chart)


  Tells what each slice represents. Helps the reader understand what they are looking at. In this pie chart, the legend tells us that the green slice represents money spent on instruction, the blue slice represents money spent on support services, and the orange slice represents money spent on non-instruction activities.
• Source (pie chart)


  Explains where the information in the graph was found. Gives credit to those who collected the data. In this graph, the source is the NCES Common Core of Data.
• Data (pie chart)


  The most important part of the chart, containing information represented as part of 100 (a percentage). Each slice represents a different piece of data.
• Area graph


  Can be used to show how something changes over time. They can be used when plotting data that has peaks (ups) and valleys (downs), or that was collected in a short time period.
• Title (area graph)


  Offers a short explanation of what is in the graph. Helps the reader identify what they are about to look at. In this graph, the title tells the reader that the graph contains information about the changes in enrollment of elementary and secondary schools from 1970 to 2000.
• Legend (area graph)


  Tells what each shaded area represents. Helps the reader understand what they are looking at. In this graph, the legend tells us that the blue area represents enrollment in public schools and the yellow area represents enrollment in private schools.
• Source (area graph)


  Explains where the information in the graph was found. Gives credit to those who collected the data. In this graph, the source is NCES.
• 1. axis (area graph)


  Runs vertically (up and down) and measures the number of students enrolled in public and private schools.
• Data (area graph)


  The most important part of the graph, containing two sets of data presented.
• 1. axis (area graph)


  Runs horizontally (flat) and measures different school years.
• 1. Y (scatter) plot


  Can be used to see if one event affects another event.
• Title (X-Y plot)


  Offers a short explanation of what is in the graph. Helps the reader identify what they are about to look at. In this graph, the title tells the reader that the graph contains information about the difference in money spent on students of elementary and secondary schools from different countries.
• Legend (X-Y plot)


  Tells what each point represents. Helps the reader understand what they are looking at. Each of the colors in this legend represents a different country.
• Source (X-Y plot)


  Explains where the information in the graph was found. Gives credit to those who collected the data. In this graph, the source is the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
• 1. axis (X-Y plot)


  Runs vertically (up and down) and measures the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of each country.
• Data (X-Y plot)


  The most important part of the graph, containing two sets of data presented.