“Slow Reveal Graphs” refers to a process for using graphs with students that promotes sense-making.
- You start with a graph and peel back the layers until you have a numberless graph that all students can make observations about.
- Ask students what they notice.
- Add back the elements of the graph, layer by layer.
- With each revealed element, encourage students to make sense of what they are seeing.
Note: If you have a slow reveal that you would like to add to our collection, you can upload a Powerpoint or share a Google Slides link with us.
A slow reveal graph progression might look something like this:
What relationships do you see between the bars?
What do you wonder?
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What other values do you think you could estimate?
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How could we estimate the final two values?
Also, what new information do we have?
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What do you think this graph might be about?
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How do you feel?
What else do you want to know?
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WHY SLOW REVEAL GRAPHS?
Graphs are texts to be read and there are a lot of things going on at the same time when we are reading a graph. Like the reading of any other text, reading a graph is an active process. One of the things that effective sense-makers do is break down a graph. We analyze different parts of the graph, we make conjectures, we test our conjectures, we re-evaluate… in a word, we engage in sense-making. The slow reveal instructional routine invites students to make sense of a graph by giving them space and time to go deep into it. Ask an adult to look at a graph for 5 minutes, and in one minute they’ll look back up at you ready for your next set of instructions. Reveal that same graph to them layer by layer and something else happens.
From an instructors point of view:
- using the slow reveal routine allows us to engage every student, both those that are fast and those who are slower and deeper thinkers, at the same time.
- It allows us to focus attention of specific elements of the graph, which allows students to think about the impact of each element.
- Each step draws out student thinking and allows teachers to learn what students know, and not just what they know about graph reading.
- There is also an aspect of mystery and surprise that keeps students engaged.
RESOURCES
We recommend two Slow Reveal Graph collections to help you get started:
- Slow Reveal Graph Sequences (linked above) is a Google folder full of slow-reveal graphs and sense-making questions focusing on specific GED Social Studies and Science skills. For each graph you will find prepared slides with a slow reveal progression and suggested sense-making questions for each layer of the reveal.
This collection was created by Tim Berrigan (and continues to grow with additional slow reveals added/created by other adult ed teachers) to respond to the fact that Mathematical reasoning is required on the Social Studies and Science sections of the GED. While working with slow reveal graphs, students practice the following skills: fact vs. opinion, evidence and conclusions, using data to make predictions, dependent and independent variables, correlation and causation, mean, median, mode, and range in statistics. Tim Berrigan works at the Brooklyn Public Library and serves as a NYSED Teacher Leader. Read his brilliant article from the Math Practitioner (Summer 2022 issue), where he explains how he uses slow reveal graphs in his classroom and why the routine is so effective – Slow Reveal Graphs: A Powerful Instructional Routine.
If you have a slow reveal that you would like to add to our collection you can upload a Powerpoint or share a Google Slides link with us.
- SlowRevealGraphs.com is a collection of slow reveal graph sequences organized by type of graph as well as by context. Each graph has at least one paired text – often a newspaper article – that goes along with the content of the graph. The site is curated by Jenna Laib, a math specialist in Massachusetts.
DISTANCE LEARNING & SLOW REVEAL GRAPHS
Slow Reveal Graph Progressions work especially well for adult education teachers who have projectors in their classroom.
Remote/virtual learning also provides a wonderful opportunity to explore a slow reveal graph sequence – with an online class, you can go slide by slide having students answering your sense-making questions in the chat or through discussion.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- My First Every Slow Reveal: A lovely blog post about trying out slow reveals by the respected math educator, Marilyn Burns.
- Browse the CUNY Data, Graphs, and Chart Collection: Here you will find engaging graphs that you can use to create your own slow reveal graph progressions. If you do create one, and would like to add it to the collection Tim started, please email mark.trushkowsky@cuny.edu.
- What Every Teacher Should Know About GED Math: Includes information on the math skills students will need on the SS and Science tests of the GED
- Language for Slow Reveal Graphs (from the CUNY Language Immersion Program): This document highlights types of language usage that can be practiced with students in a language classroom, at different levels.
If you try a slow reveal graph with your students, please use the comment box below to let us know how it goes!
