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English lesson plan · 11th grade (Year 12 in England) · 30 minutes

Using data from tables and graphs

Reading Comprehension

CCSS RI.11-12.7CCSS RST.11-12.7England: SAT Reading and Writing (Command of Evidence: Quantitative)England: ACT Science-style reading

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Using data from tables and graphs.

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Command of evidence (SAT/ACT)

Leads to: the next skill in this area.

Materials: A short text or extract (one copy each), Highlighters, Question cards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 4 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Command of evidence (SAT/ACT)). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. A student claims that the poet viewed nature as indifferent to human concerns. A: "The river ran on, not caring whose names were carved upon its banks." B: "The meadow welcomed us with open arms." C: "We picnicked by the gentle stream." D: "The birds sang just for me." Which quotation most effectively illustrates the claim? (A / B / C / D) → APrompt: First decide what the answer to the question is.
  2. A historian argues that the canal transformed the town's economy. A: The canal was 12 miles long. B: Construction began in a rainy spring. C: Within ten years of its opening, the number of mills in the town tripled. D: The canal was later used for leisure boating. Which finding would most directly support the argument? (A / B / C / D) → CPrompt: First decide what the answer to the question is.
  3. A researcher hypothesises that bees prefer blue flowers to yellow ones. A: Bees visited both colours in the morning. B: Bees made 62% of their visits to blue flowers and 38% to yellow flowers of the same size and scent. C: Yellow flowers were more common in the field. D: Some bees did not visit any flowers. Which finding, if true, would most directly support the hypothesis? (A / B / C / D) → BPrompt: First decide what the answer to the question is.

Hook · 3 min

  • Read the first lines of a short text aloud and ask what students predict will happen and why.
  • Share the objective: Using data from tables and graphs. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 7 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: Graph summary: Ice cream sales rise from 200 in March to 900 in July, then fall to 300 in October. Which conclusion is best supported?
  • Step 1: A claim about data must match the numbers exactly.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: Sales peaked in July.
  • Answer: Sales peaked in July.
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 6 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. Graph summary: Ice cream sales rise from 200 in March to 900 in July, then fall to 300 in October. Which conclusion is best supported? (Sales rose every month. / October sales were higher than March sales by 300. / Sales peaked in July. / Sales were highest in March.) → Sales peaked in July.Prompt: Read the table or graph title, labels and units first.
  2. Table: Average daily screen time (hours) Age 8–10: 2.5 · Age 11–13: 4.0 · Age 14–16: 5.5 Which statement is supported by the table? (Teenagers aged 14–16 use screens less than 4 hours. / Average screen time increases with age group. / Screen time is the same for all ages. / Children aged 8–10 use screens the most.) → Average screen time increases with age group.Prompt: Read the table or graph title, labels and units first.

You do: independent practice · 7 min

  • Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
  • Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 3 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Graph summary: Ice cream sales rise from 200 in March to 900 in July, then fall to 300 in October. Which conclusion is best supported? (Sales peaked in July. / Sales were highest in March. / October sales were higher than March sales by 300. / Sales rose every month.) → Sales peaked in July.Prompt: Read the table or graph title, labels and units first.
  2. Table: Bird species counted in Oak Wood 2015: 42 · 2018: 39 · 2021: 31 · 2024: 28 Which choice most accurately uses the data to complete the claim? "Between 2015 and 2024, the number of bird species counted…" (stayed roughly the same. / fell by 14. / rose steadily. / fell by half.) → fell by 14.Prompt: Read the table or graph title, labels and units first.

Watch out for

  • Answering from memory or opinion instead of evidence in the text.
  • Copying a long quote without explaining what it shows.

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Command of evidence (SAT/ACT).
  • Use concrete materials: a short text or extract (one copy each).
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-11.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Using data from tables and graphs

Name

Date

Score/ 6

Cooling the City (with data)

On hot summer afternoons, the centres of large cities can be several degrees warmer than the surrounding countryside. This "urban heat island" effect occurs because dark surfaces such as asphalt and roofing absorb sunlight and release it slowly as heat, while buildings trap warm air and reduce the cooling effect of wind. A lack of vegetation makes the problem worse: trees and plants cool the air by providing shade and releasing water vapour. In a recent study, researchers measured the average afternoon surface temperature in July across four neighbourhoods of one city, alongside the percentage of each area covered by trees. Their results are summarised below. Neighbourhood | Tree cover (%) | Average July afternoon surface temperature (°C) Northgate | 8 | 41 Riverside | 15 | 38 Elm Park | 27 | 34 Hillcrest | 35 | 32 The researchers caution that tree cover is not the only factor: Riverside, for instance, is next to a large river, which may have cooled it independently. Nevertheless, they conclude that expanding urban tree cover is a promising strategy for reducing extreme heat, particularly in neighbourhoods where many residents lack air conditioning.

  1. Question 1

    Read "Cooling the City (with data)". Which statement is best supported by the table?

    • A. Elm Park has the most trees.
    • B. Tree cover has no relationship with temperature.
    • C. As tree cover increases across the four neighbourhoods, average temperature decreases.
    • D. Northgate is cooler than Riverside.

  2. Question 2

    Read "Cooling the City (with data)". Which neighbourhood had both the most tree cover and the lowest temperature?

    • A. Hillcrest
    • B. Elm Park
    • C. Northgate
    • D. Riverside

  1. Question 3

    Graph summary: Ice cream sales rise from 200 in March to 900 in July, then fall to 300 in October. Which conclusion is best supported?

    • A. Sales were highest in March.
    • B. Sales rose every month.
    • C. Sales peaked in July.
    • D. October sales were higher than March sales by 300.

Cooling the City (with data)

On hot summer afternoons, the centres of large cities can be several degrees warmer than the surrounding countryside. This "urban heat island" effect occurs because dark surfaces such as asphalt and roofing absorb sunlight and release it slowly as heat, while buildings trap warm air and reduce the cooling effect of wind. A lack of vegetation makes the problem worse: trees and plants cool the air by providing shade and releasing water vapour. In a recent study, researchers measured the average afternoon surface temperature in July across four neighbourhoods of one city, alongside the percentage of each area covered by trees. Their results are summarised below. Neighbourhood | Tree cover (%) | Average July afternoon surface temperature (°C) Northgate | 8 | 41 Riverside | 15 | 38 Elm Park | 27 | 34 Hillcrest | 35 | 32 The researchers caution that tree cover is not the only factor: Riverside, for instance, is next to a large river, which may have cooled it independently. Nevertheless, they conclude that expanding urban tree cover is a promising strategy for reducing extreme heat, particularly in neighbourhoods where many residents lack air conditioning.

  1. Question 4

    Read "Cooling the City (with data)". What is the difference in average temperature between Northgate and Hillcrest?

    • A. 7 °C
    • B. 27 °C
    • C. 9 °C
    • D. 3 °C

  1. Question 5

    Table: Commuting method (% of workers) City A: car 60, bus 25, bike 15 City B: car 35, bus 40, bike 25 Which statement is supported by the data?

    • A. Nobody cycles in City A.
    • B. A larger share of workers cycle in City B than in City A.
    • C. Buses are more popular in City A.
    • D. Most workers in City B drive.

  2. Question 6

    Table: Bird species counted in Oak Wood 2015: 42 · 2018: 39 · 2021: 31 · 2024: 28 Which choice most accurately uses the data to complete the claim? "Between 2015 and 2024, the number of bird species counted…"

    • A. rose steadily.
    • B. fell by 14.
    • C. fell by half.
    • D. stayed roughly the same.

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Answer key: Using data from tables and graphs

  1. 1. C. As tree cover increases across the four neighbourhoods, average temperature decreases.

  2. 2. A. Hillcrest

  3. 3. C. Sales peaked in July.

  4. 4. C. 9 °C

  5. 5. B. A larger share of workers cycle in City B than in City A.

  6. 6. B. fell by 14.