Telling Stories with Data

Section Telling Stories with Data

Data becomes meaningful when it’s connected to a story that helps people understand not just what happened, but why it matters. Students need to learn how to craft narratives that make their data findings accessible and compelling.

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Checkpoint 75.

What’s the most important element of a good data story?

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Hint.

Think about what makes any story engaging and meaningful to an audience.

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Solution.

The best data stories connect findings to things that matter to the audience—their experiences, concerns, decisions, or curiosity. Without this connection, data remains abstract numbers. Students should learn to start with “Why should my audience care about this?” and build their story around that connection.

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Exploration 31. Try This Week: Data Story Structure.

Time needed: 30 minutes for story development and sharing

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The Story Framework: Help students structure their data stories using this progression:

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1. Hook: Start with something interesting, surprising, or relevant to your audience

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2. Context: Why did we investigate this? Why should you care?

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3. Findings: What did we discover? (supported by clear visualizations)

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4. Meaning: What does this mean for our audience? What should they do with this information?

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Elementary Example: Hook: “Did you know some kids in our class read 10 times more books than others?” Context: “We wanted to understand reading habits in our class.” Findings: “We found that kids who read before bed read 3 times more books per month.” Meaning: “This suggests that reading time might be important for reading more books.”

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Secondary Example: Hook: “Students at our school spend an average of 4.2 hours daily on screens outside of homework.” Context: “With concerns about screen time affecting health and grades, we surveyed 150 students.” Findings: “We found huge variation and discovered that students who set daily screen limits report better sleep and higher satisfaction.” Meaning: “This data suggests that self-regulation strategies might help students balance technology use with other priorities.”

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Checkpoint 76.

Students analyzed lunch nutrition data and found that the average school lunch contains more sodium than recommended. How should their message differ when presenting to classmates vs. school administrators?

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Hint.

Think about what each audience cares about and what actions they can take.

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Solution.

For classmates: “Our lunch data shows why you might want to drink more water and choose fruits over chips—the sodium levels are really high.” For administrators: “Our analysis reveals a systemic issue with sodium levels that could be addressed through vendor requirements and menu modifications.” Same data, but framed around what each audience can control and cares about.

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