Order the numbers. The mode appears most often; the range is the greatest minus the least. Before comparing bars, check the scale's starting point and steps.
modethe value that appears most often
rangegreatest minus least
data seta group of numbers collected
misleading grapha graph that gives the wrong idea
Watch for: Giving the greatest number as the range. Picking the first number as the mode without counting. Trusting bar heights when the scale starts above 0.
At home: Record everyone's bedtime for a week and find the mode and range. Then draw two bar graphs, one starting at 0 and one not, and compare.
Sample sheet and answer key
Luna's Space Adventure
Grade 5 · Mode, range and misleading graphs · 5.DS.A.1
NameDate
Astronaut Luna is exploring a far-off corner of space. Solve each problem to help Luna's mission go smoothly!
Mode and range
Mode: the most common. Range: greatest − least.
Data
Mode
Range
46, 37, 37, 37, 35, 49, 22
49, 37, 9, 9, 24, 9, 12
46, 18, 4, 36, 14, 4, 4
18, 59, 43, 15, 39, 59, 59
Is this graph fair?
Check where the scale starts before you compare bars.
Where does the scale start?
The stars bar looks 3 times as tall as the moons bar. Are there really 3 times as many?
How many more stars than moons?
Yes or no?
Think about how a graph is drawn.
A graph's scale starts at 50. Can a short bar still stand for a big number?yesno
The range is the biggest number in a data set.yesno
Skipping numbers on a scale can mislead a reader.yesno
Grade 5 · Sheet
Luna's Space Adventure
Grade 5 · Mode, range and misleading graphs · 5.DS.A.1
Answer key
Astronaut Luna is exploring a far-off corner of space. Solve each problem to help Luna's mission go smoothly!
Mode and range
Mode: the most common. Range: greatest − least.
Data
Mode
Range
46, 37, 37, 37, 35, 49, 22
37
27
49, 37, 9, 9, 24, 9, 12
9
40
46, 18, 4, 36, 14, 4, 4
4
42
18, 59, 43, 15, 39, 59, 59
59
44
Is this graph fair?
Check where the scale starts before you compare bars.
Where does the scale start?40
The stars bar looks 3 times as tall as the moons bar. Are there really 3 times as many?no
How many more stars than moons?10
Yes or no?
Think about how a graph is drawn.
A graph's scale starts at 50. Can a short bar still stand for a big number?yesno
The range is the biggest number in a data set.yesno
Skipping numbers on a scale can mislead a reader.yesno
Answer key
Something wrong with this sheet? A wrong answer, a hard-to-read picture? Report it
New problems every time, three levels (gentle, core and stretch), themes to pick from, a second page if you want one. Each sheet comes with an answer key and a one-page guide for grown-ups.
