Browsing for Infographics; The First Steps to Creating Your Own!

Unit 12: Creating an Infographic
Lesson 2 of 4

Objective: SWBAT locate their own excellent examples of infographics for instruction and inspiration ...

Big Idea: ... tracing its heritage to (maybe) the mid 19th c., "infographics" are a powerful and utterly modern tool for presenting ideas, persuading others, and conceptualizing difficult real-world relationships between people and phenomena ...

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Standards:

RI.11-12.7 W.11-12.9

Subject(s):

English / Language Arts, Data Use and Analysis, Writing, Research and Technology, Creative and Narrative Writing, infographic

46 minutes

At the beginning of this lesson, I spend a few minutes re-clarifying just what an infographic is. I've found it helpful to project two definitions, one from techopedia.com and one from computerlanguage.com (which are, incidentally, very reputable sites for technology definitions across a wide array of tech topics and interests).

After reading through these two definitions, I point out that their eventual work -- the student assessment -- will be of a two-dimensional nature (which is discussed in the following lesson). If a student wants to create an animated or "moving" work, I will not stand in the way (of course), but, obviously, it is not an expectation.

With a few examples in their heads and some expectations for the summative assessment loosely defined, we set off to search the internet for example infographics that might serve as "models" for student versions ...

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Guided Practice: Searching for Infographics to Call Your Own!

38 min

Lesson Planning:

lesson relection

For the balance of the period, I ask students to put their considerable browsing talents to use and browse for infographics they particularly like. I expect them to locate 4 - 6 "favs" that they bookmark. I mention these "favs" should be inspirational toward their effort to eventually create their own infographic.

In order to get them started, I include three web-links on my Slide for the day's agenda. I have them start with these highly selective spots for good infographics:

highly respected, tech blog Mashable has a section devoted to infographics;
one of the world's leading and most respected, long-standing commentator on all things tech, Wired magazine collects the best infographics in any given year;
and even an entire site, devoted to delivering an "infographic a day."

Generally, about 10 - 15 min. in to the search process, I share another link with students, and I mention they may want to use this additional site for locating infographics if they have been (for some reason) struggling to find representative examples.