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Visual Aids
Do you learn better from pictures, charts, graphs,
maps, tables, or diagrams? If these visuals are helpful to you when
learning, you may be a visual learner. Visual learners benefit from visual
presentations of information. Visual aids provide
valuable data to accompany texts.
When presented with a visual aid, the first thing you should do is read the
title. This will help you identify the purpose of the visual. Next, read
all of the labeled information in the visual aid since it will tell you
what is being examined.
Graphs are important visual aids that compare
information. Graphs represent data in different forms such as: line
graphs, bar graphs, double bar graphs, picture graphs, and circle graphs.
A circle graph or pie chart uses a circle with different-sized pieces to
show the relationship between the pieces and the whole. The size of each
part is represented using percentages or fractions.
Other visual aids appear in
different forms such as timelines and flowcharts. These aids also
represent data that shows changes over time.
| When presented with any type of visual aid, what is the first
thing you should do? |
- a)
answer the questions that
correspond to the visual
- b)
read the title
- c)
summarize the visual's
meaning
|
| Did you answer b? You are correct. The first
thing you should do when presented with a visual is read the title.
This will provide you with the main idea of the visual and will
establish the visual's purpose. |
| Which choice below is not
an example of a visual aid? |
- a)
flow chart
- b)
table
- c)
paragraph
- d)
double bar graph
|
| The correct answer is c. A paragraph may accompany a
visual aid,
but it is not an example of a visual aid. Visual aids rely on
illustrative materials such as graphics, pictures, and charts to
represent data. |
The weather section in the newspaper is an excellent
example of a table that people scan
for specific information. Take a look at the weather table below. You will
answer questions using the table.
| Monday's National
Temperatures |
| City |
Weather |
Lo |
Hi |
Precip. |
| Albany |
Ptcldy |
22 |
38 |
.00 |
| Atlanta |
Sunny |
45 |
67 |
.00 |
| Baltimore |
Sunny |
39 |
50 |
.00 |
| Bismark |
Windy |
19 |
40 |
.00 |
| Chicago |
Snow sh |
31 |
33 |
.5 |
| Cincinatti |
Rain |
45 |
50 |
.13 |
| Detroit |
Sunny |
30 |
46 |
.12 |
| Duluth |
Cloudy |
30 |
37 |
.00 |
| El Paso |
Ptcldy |
31 |
66 |
.00 |
| Fargo |
Windy |
23 |
37 |
.00 |
| Flagstaff |
Snow |
17 |
20 |
1.53 |
| Gainsville |
Sunny |
50 |
62 |
.00 |
| Honolulu |
Sunny |
71 |
74 |
.00 |
 Which is the only city that had rain during the day?
 Which city had the lowest temperature for the
day?
 |
Scan the
precipitation column to determine the amount of precipitation
recorded on Monday in Detroit. |
|
|
 |
Scan the table to
determine which two cities will have windy conditions on
Monday. |
| Fargo and Gainsville |
Deluth and Detroit |
Bismark and
Fargo | |
 |
A map is
another form of a visual aid. Using this map of France, determine
which body of water does not
border France. |
|
- a)
North Atlantic Ocean
- b)
Mediterranean Sea
- c)
Red Sea
- d)
English Channel
|
 |
What city is to the north of Paris? |
|
- a)
St.-Denis
- b)
Le Mont-Saint-Michel
- c)
Bordeaux
- d)
Versailles
|
Circle graphs are used to
compare data. This circle
graph is titled: The Age
Distribution of a Scout Troop. Use the data presented in the visual aid to answer the
questions that follow. Write your answers to the
questions on the blank provided.
 What percentage of the scouts are 13 and 12 years of
age?
 What percentage of the scouts are 14 and 15 years of
age?
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