D IGITAL LITERACIES

Visualizing Text:
The New Literacy of Infographics
by Mark Davis and David Quinn

S
ince the beginning of recorded time, humans have Importantly, infographics should be viewed as complex,
been using pictures to communicate with each other. standalone texts, not simply a text feature or graphic element.
Sumerians used pictographs for record-keeping More and more, infographics are being used by digital media
purposes, and Egyptians used hieroglyphics to capture their outlets and marketing companies to communicate with their
history. Infographics (see Figures 1 & 2) are modern, written audience. Infographics can be used in education as a timely and
artifacts about collected resources in a dynamic, visual format. relevant means to support reading and writing in exciting and
The concept of an infographic stems from information literacy, powerful ways.
which is the “set of skills needed to ind, retrieve, analyze, and use
information” (American Library Association, 1996–2013, para. 1).
What makes a good infographic?
Figure 1 The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) call for greater
emphasis on complex texts where students demonstrate
knowledge through evidence collection and content connections
(see sidebar on this page). The nature of the infographic
lends itself to the elements commonly cited in writing. The
most powerful infographics include the following elements:

• Purpose: The audience should be able to infer the author’s

purpose, draw conclusions based on the evidence, and
summarize the gist of the infographics.
• Style: The graphic components including the layout, text,
symbols, and color schemes should address the tone of the
author.
• Evidence: Data and text must be cited and appropriately
integrated in the design to support the reader’s
understanding.
• Format: The infographic can be represented in a static
format, designed for print, or a dynamic medium, allowing
for interactivity.

Sampling of Common Core English language arts standards that

can be addressed by including infographics in your classroom
reading materials

Reading: Integrate information presented in different media or formats

(e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent
understanding of a topic or issue. (Standard R7, Grade 6)

Writing:“Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey

ideas; …group related information in sections; include formatting (e.g.,
headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful
to aiding comprehension.” (Standard W2a, Grade 6)

Listening and Speaking: “Integrate multiple sources of information

presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively,
orally), and explain how it contributes to a topic or issue under study”
(Standard SL 2, Grade 6).

16 Reading Today December 2013/January 2014 www.reading.org

Figure 2

Online Infographic Tools

PiktoChart (www.piktochart.com): Free tools with simple and

advanced features and a variety of templates.

InfoGram (www.infogr.am): Simple no cost tool for designing

both information and data visualizations with interactive content.

Easelly (www.easel.ly): Free tool for designing infographics

from pre-designed templates. Easier learning curve than other
infographic tools.

Venngage (www.venngage.com): A great infographic design

that captures audience analytics.

Visually (www.visual.ly): A professional design marketplace

with examples of infographics in all subjects.

How can I teach comprehension with Figure 2: The author’s question is “How much more
infographics? than Colorado do nearby states spend per pupil?” The
High quality infographics can be powerful sources for engaging author’s purpose is to convince citizens to spend more on
students in several levels of critical analysis via close reading. education.
Lesson objectives might include asking students to examine
the elements that make an effective argument. Teachers • What evidence supports the author’s claim?
could also use infographics to help students convey a line of Figure 1: Julie changes by packing her own lunch
inquiry. and cooking her own meals. She also provides a bar
graph that demonstrates her increased academic
As part of a close reading lesson, you can begin by designing performance.
an infographic using one of several free online resources
listed in the sidebar on this page. While this approach Figure 2: The argument is supported by data showing the
offers complete control of the infographic’s content, there dollar difference between Colorado’s per pupil spending
is a learning curve to designing these texts. Thankfully, a and the nearby states. Another strength of this infographic
simple Google search yields multitudes of content-relevant is the clear citation of the data’s source.
infographics you might use instead (see, for example, www.
pinterest.com/k12inc/educational-infographics). • What are the strongest elements of this design?
Figure 1: The text is clear, concise, and easy to read.
Two examples include an infographic created by a The graph is simple for the reader to interpret. As a
student using online resources (see Figure 1), and an narrative infographic, the pictures of Julie and her
infographic used by proponents of Amendment 66, an family help to personalize the text and give the reader
effort in Colorado that would increase taxes to fund a visual of who is involved in this story. The timeline
schools (see Figure 2). aspect of the graph gives a frame to this progression and
adds a frame for organizing the story.
When teaching with infographics, it is useful to model
thinking about the text and images using focused questions. Figure 2: The graphics are clear and dynamic. The sur-
If teaching about Figures 1 and 2, for instance, four rounding states work as an unconventional bar graph to
questions to prompt critical reading and their related grab the reader’s attention. The designer also uses a unique
answers might be: angle to visually enhance the disparity between
states in a way a bar graph might not.
• What is the author’s purpose or question?
Figure 1: The author, Julie, has created a narrative • How could the design be improved?
about the changes she has made in her life over the last Answers will vary for any infographic. You might
ive months. Julie’s purpose is to share her progress with want to use this question as a means of identifying
others. author’s purpose or point of view. Julie’s story was a

www.reading.org December 2013/January 2014 Reading Today 17

 narrative of success, but perhaps there were goals she
left out. In regards to Amendment 66, and any political
infographic, students should be encouraged to think
IRA’s Digital Footprint
about the alternate perspective and what information
would be helpful to understanding the bigger picture.

These are just four of the many questions teachers could SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWING by the numbers
use to analyze these artifacts. For our purposes, once the
close reading of an infographic is modeled for the students,
responsibility for meaning making and analysis should be 745 LinkedIn
gradually released to students (Pearson & Gallagher, 1983) 11,600 692 Pinterest
as they work with different infographics. Initially, students Twitter 367 Google+
can work in groups and work their way toward examining an 18,981
infographic independently. A carefully selected or designed Facebook 62 Other
infographic could also serve as an engaging text to be used as As of 11/21/13
part of a student assessment.

How can infographics be used more

broadly in your school?
Infographics can support reading comprehension and writing
while strengthening critical thinking and synthesizing skills.
They can be useful for dovetailing literacy content with E-BOOK SALES
science, history, or math lessons, creating a cross-curricular
activity. Counselors and mentors may use an infographic
that serves as a visual resumé of a student’s learning 2010 2011 2012 2013
experiences. Finally, administrators can use infographics to
capture data snapshots of the school for parent presentations
or professional development. While we focused on the
reading of infographics, knowledge of how to create these
READING TODAY ONLINE
complex texts are equally important. Given the ease with page views
which these texts can be shared, a well-designed artifact can
lead to increased collaborative engagement and supportive
dialogue.

References
American Library Association (1996-2013). Introduction to information literacy. October 2011 October 2012 October 2013
Retrieved http://www.ala.org/acrl/issues/infolit/overview/intro 24,482 27,435 49,437
Pearson, P. D., & Gallagher, M. C. (1983). The instruction of reading
comprehension. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 8, 317–344.
READING TODAY ONLINE
Mark Davis is a reading specialist at Barrington
High School in Rhode Island and a doctoral
1,074 articles published
reading.org/readingtoday
candidate with the Feinstein Fellows, mark@
davisclassroom.com.

David Quinn was a history teacher at King Philip IRA E-SSENTIALS

Middle School in Norfolk, MA, and is now a doctoral
student at the University of Rhode Island, david_
for your computer, tablet,
or select reader
38
[email protected]. reading.org/e-ssentials

Both are members of IRA’s Technology in Literacy Education Special

Interest Group (TILE-SIG).

18 Reading Today December 2013/January 2014 www.reading.org