1. Set Focus
Pose these 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 the U.S. is a wealthy country, Americans spend more time in school compared with people in many other countries, and journalists in the U.S. are able to do their job without fear of being imprisoned.)
- What factors do you think might affect the average number of years people spend in school in a country? (Countries that offer free public education for elementary, middle, and high school will likely have higher averages. Countries that offer free college or provide access to funding for college and cultures that emphasize education will likely also have higher averages.)