2021 Snapshots

1. Set Focus 
Pose essential questions to guide discussion: What purpose do infographics serve? Why do many publications include graphs and charts like these?

2. Read and Discuss 
Students should study the charts and graphs, then answer these questions: 

• What picture do these graphs paint of the United States? (Sample answer: Based on the infographics, one can tell that Americans typically do not live with extended family members, most Americans have access to the internet, and minimum-wage workers in America earn less than their counterparts in many countries in Europe.)

• What factors do you think might affect the minimum wage a country’s government sets? (Given that all of the countries on the graph are developed countries, the state of the economy is probably a major consideration in setting the minimum wage. How strongly labor is organized and able to put pressure on the government for a higher minimum wage is also probably a factor.)
  

• What might a country having the top electric car sales tell you about that country? (You can infer that the country has probably offered incentives, such as tax breaks, for buying electric cars. You can also infer that the government has invested in infrastructure, such as charging stations, to support widespread use of electric cars.)

• Which of these graphs would you expect to change the most from year to year? Why? (Answers will vary. One can expect that data on religion and language would change very slowly, so these graphs would probably look similar from year to year. However, data on chocolate consumption, electric car sales, and U.S. troop presence could change quickly depending on cultural trends, marketing, and government policy, so these graphs might see more fluctuation.)

3. Writing Prompt
Pick one chart or graph from the collection that you find especially interesting or surprising. Write a paragraph explaining why.

4. Quiz
Assess graph-reading skills and comprehension with the quiz.

5. Assignment
For homework, have students gather data for a new graph they think would be an informative addition to the Snapshots collection.