Purpose
This document gives examples of some different Plot States in Tuva Jr.'s Plot View. In Plot View, students see the x- and y-axes and have the opportunity to interact with more tools. This document is intended to give you ideas as you design your own lessons using Tuva Jr.'s datasets and tools.
How to Use
Skim the examples to gain inspiration for different Plot States (graphical displays) you can use with students. As a Tuva partner, you have the ability to create and save a Plot State to give students a starting point in the activities you author. Alternatively, you could give step-by-step directions to get students to reach the Plot State on their own.
Examples
Scatter Plot- Introducing Two Axes
When you enter Plot View in Tuva Jr., you gain the ability to place Attributes on two axes. Simply select an attribute from the Case Card Deck and drag it over to the Drag and Drop Areas. Students begin to observe relationships between Attributes. If both Attributes are numerical, like in the rollercoaster Plot State shown below, you can have students notice whether the trend is upward or downward.
Pie Graphs with Labels
Pie graphs show proportions of a whole. To create a pie graph in Tuva Jr. select a categorical Attribute. Then, click on the Pie icon. Each pie section will automatically be labeled with a count of the total in any given category. Use this plot state to reinforce fractions and percentages.
If you’d prefer to have each pie section labeled with the percentage, choose Count, deselect Count by Pie Section, and then choose Percent, Percent by Pie Section.
Dot Plots with Mean, Median and Mode
The Plot State below does not necessitate use of the y-axis. It does require more advanced mathematical understanding, and can be used with students to explore data variability with more sophistication. Students can begin exploring measures of central tendency.
By choosing More and then Averages, you can access a dropdown menu including mean, median and mode. When any of these options is chosen, a line will appear in the Plot View. Labels appear next to these lines when you also choose Show Labels.