Numbers do not speak
The librarian has the data points: Fantasy loans rose by 45, Crime fell, Science is small. Put them in a list and nobody remembers them.
Put them in a story and people remember. A story has a start, a change and a reason to act.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Data story | A message that uses data points to explain what happened and what to do. | Fantasy is rising, so buy more |
| Narrative | The order in which you tell the parts of a story. | Setting, change, meaning, ask |
| Audience | The people who will read or hear the message. | The head of English |
| Format | The form the materials take. | A one page summary |
| Context | Where, when and why the materials are used. | Read before a budget meeting |
| Review | Checking if the materials worked and fixing them. | Asking the head of English what was unclear |
| Data point | One useful figure taken from a table of data. | Fantasy up by 45 |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can build materials that tell a clear story from data points, in a format that fits the reader.
Starter: what you already know
Have a go
Starter: what you already know
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
The shape of a data story
Use four parts. Setting: what we wanted to know. Change: what the data shows. Meaning: why it matters to the reader. Ask: what to do next.
Start with the headline, then give the evidence, as a busy reader may stop early.
Check: put the story in order
Have a go
Check: put the story in order
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.