Visual Elements
Connections
Have you ever . . .
• Looked at a chart to understand poll results?
• Read a editorial cartoon that illustrated an article in
a magazine?
• Looked at photographs to follow a recipe on a blog?
Visual elements, like pictures, charts, diagrams, and illustrations,
can be found in almost every kind of text. Human beings are visual
creatures! Sometimes it’s easier to understand a concept if you
have a picture or illustration to go along with it.
Visual elements are images. Many types of visual
elements can be found in texts:
• Diagrams
• Illustrations
• Maps
• Charts, graphs, and tables
• Photographs
• Cartoons
Often, visual elements will have labels and captions
to read, but the main point is what you see.
Charts, graphs, timelines, photographs, and editorial
cartoons show information in a visual way that’s easy
to understand and analyze.
109
Essential Reading Skills
Learn
It!
Previewing Visual Elements
Examine visual elements and connect them to the text to get more information
and increase your understanding.
• Connect to what you know.
• Look at features.
• Draw conclusions about the visual element.
• Relate to the text.
Use this passage for the exercises that follow.
Births to Unmarried Mothers and Age
As of 2011, 62 percent of women age 20 to 24 who
gave birth in the previous 12 months were unmarried, according to a report released by the U.S.
Census Bureau. This compares with 17 percent
among women age 35 to 39.
Rose Kreider, a family demographer with the
Census Bureau and one of the report’s authors
said, “The American Community Survey provides
the nation with extensive data on the characteristics of recent mothers with a high level of geographic detail.”
In 2011, 4.1 million women reported that they had
given birth in the last year. Of these women, 36
percent were unmarried at the time of the survey,
an increase from 2005 when an estimated 31 percent of recent births were to unmarried women.
Percent of Births to Unmarried Women
86.1
61.5
31.9
19.3
15 to 19 20 to 24 25 to 29 30 to 34 35 to 39
Source: Social and Economic Characteristics of
Currently Unmarried Women with a Recent Birth: 2011,
from American Community Survey. U.S. Census Bureau.
http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/pdf/
cb13-80_fig1.pdf
“The increased share of unmarried recent mothers is one measure of the nation’s changing family structure,” Kreider said. “Nonmarital fertility has been climbing steadily since the 1940s and has risen even more
markedly in recent years.”
The American Community Survey asks the question on fertility for a variety of
reasons, including to help project the future size of the population and to carry out
various programs required by law, such as researching matters on child welfare.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, adapted from “About 6 in 10 Recent Moms in Their Early 20s are Unmarried, Census Bureau
Reports,” http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/american_community_survey_acs/cb13-80.html
110
17.4
Visual Elements
Connect to What You Know
When you come across a chart, photograph, or other visual element, think about what you
already know.
• Have you seen anything like this in the past?
• What information do you expect to find?
• How does it relate to what you’re reading?
?
1. What kind of information do you expect to see in a bar graph?
A bar graph compares two or more statistics. By showing the numbers visually as bars, they
are easy to compare. You can see which numbers are higher or lower.
Look for Features
To understand what the visual element is about, look for features and visual clues. What
does the visual element show, and how does it show it?
Titles, heads, bold or italicized words, labels, captions, pictures, directional arrows, and icons
can give you clues about what it means.
?
2. What information is shown in the chart? What do the chart’s features tell you?
Using
D A R
Preview visual
elements before
you read as part of
your approach to
the text.
The title is “Percent of Births to Unmarried Women.” The chart shows
what percentage of new mothers are unmarried.
Labels at the bottom of the bars show that mothers in the study are
categorized by age group. The labels in white within the bars give the
percentage of the mothers in each age group who were unmarried.
E
D etermine Purpose
A
pproach the Text
R ead
E valuate
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Essential Reading Skills
Draw Conclusions
Draw conclusions about the graphic.
• If there’s a photograph, what does it mean? Why is it shown?
• If there’s a chart, what’s it pointing out about the data?
• If there’s a diagram, what can you say about it?
?
3. What conclusion can you draw about the data in this chart?
You can conclude that the percentage of babies born to unmarried women is lower among
older women. The percentage of unmarried mothers also seems to level off around age
30 to 40.
Relate It to the Text
Read the text and relate it to the visual element.
• Does the text give more detailed information?
• Can you find your conclusion in the text?
• Is there another conclusion?
?
4. How does the passage relate to the chart?
The first sentence of the passage tells you that 62 percent of mothers aged 20 to 24 are
unmarried. The passage compares this number to lower statistics for older women. The
data in the article is also given in the chart. By comparing high and low statistics, the article
emphasizes the difference between age groups. The passage also provides background
information on measuring births of unmarried mothers.
112
Visual Elements
e
ic
Pract
It!
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
International Migration Is Projected to Become Primary Driver of U.S.
Population Growth for First Time in Nearly Two Centuries
International migration is projected to surpass natural increase (births minus
deaths) as the principal driver of U.S. population growth by the middle of this century, according to three new series of population projections released today by the
U.S. Census Bureau. This scenario would mark the first time that natural increase
was not the leading cause of population increase since at least 1850, when the
census began collecting information about residents’ country of birth. The shift in
what drives U.S. population growth is projected to occur between 2027 and 2038,
depending on the future level of international migration.
Net International Migration and Natural Increase (Births minus
Deaths): 2012 to 2060 Middle Series Projections
Numbers (in thousands)
1,800
Natural Incease
1,600
Net International
Migration
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
Net international migration is projected to overtake natural
increase as the driver of population growth in 2032 in the
Middle series. This occurs in 2027 in the High series and
2038 in the Low series.
0
2012 2016 2020 2024 2028 2032 2036 2040 2044 2048 2052 2056 2060
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 National Projections.
http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/pdf/NetMigration_NaturalIncrease%5B1%5D.pdf
“Our nation has had higher immigration rates in the past, particularly during the
great waves of the late 19th and early 20th centuries,” said Thomas Mesenbourg,
the Census Bureau’s senior adviser. “This projected milestone reflects the mix of
our nation’s declining fertility rates, the aging of the baby boomer population and
continued immigration.”
“Projections of international migration are challenging to produce, because it is
difficult to anticipate future social, political, and economic conditions and how they
may influence migration into or out of the United States,” notes Census Bureau
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Essential Reading Skills
demographer Jennifer Ortman. “Developing this range of alternative projections
shows how differing levels of net international migration alter the pace at which
the U.S. population grows, ages, and diversifies.”
Higher international migration would mean a faster growing, more diverse, and
younger U.S. population. The December 2012 series projected net international
migration to increase from 725,000 in 2012 to 1.2 million in 2060. In contrast, the
alternative measures are considerably different.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, “International Migration is Projected to Become Primary Driver of U.S. Population Growth for
First Time in Nearly Two Centuries,” http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/population/cb13-89.html
1.Connect the graph to what you know and look at the features. What does the
graph show?
a.
International migration versus increase in population from births between 2012
and 2060
b.
The birth rate in the United States versus the death rate between 2012 and 2060
c.
The number of people migrating to the United States versus the death rate
between 2012 and 2060
d.
The number of people born in the United States versus the rest of the world
between 2012 and 2060
2.Which of the following best describes the purpose of the graph?
a.
To compare information
b.
To summarize information
c.
To put events in chronological order
d.
To show the cause and effect of an event
3.What can you conclude about the information on the graph?
4.How does the conclusion relate to the information in the text?
114
Visual Elements
Use this editorial cartoon to answer the questions that follow.
Prohibition, which banned alcohol in the United States from 1920 to 1933, was known as
“The Noble Experiment” because of its noble goals, including keeping families together
and reducing violence.
5.Connect the cartoon to what you know and look at the features. What are the
characters in the cartoon doing, and how are they labeled?
6.What can you conclude about the author’s meaning?
7.How does the caption add to or change the meaning?
8.How does the cartoon relate to the introductory text?
115
Essential Reading Skills
Use this editorial cartoon to answer the questions that follow.
Prohibition was expected to decrease crime, because alcohol can contribute to
violent behavior. Instead, it increased crime, because illegal alcohol became a profitable
criminal business.
9.What is the author’s point of view about Prohibition?
10. How did you think through the cartoon’s meaning to understand it?
11.Write a paragraph comparing the editorial cartoon above with the
one on page 115. How are the author’s points of view similar and
different? How do the cartoons express differing opinions?
116
Reading for
Understanding
A diagram is an
important visual
element in science.
Use diagrams
to understand
processes and
systems.
Visual Elements
Check Your Skills
Use this graph to answer the questions that follow.
Percent Voting in Presidential Elections by Race and Hispanic Origin: 1996 to 2012
70
Non-Hispanic White
65
Black
60
Asian
Hispanic
55
50
45
40
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
Source: The Diversifying Electorate—Voting Rates by Race and Hispanic Origin in 2012 (and Other Recent
Elections), from Current Population Survey.
U.S. Census Bureau, http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/pdf/cb13-84_figure.pdf
1.Which statement best describes what the graph shows?
a.
The percentage of people in different age groups who voted in the Presidential
elections between 1996 and 2012
b.
The candidates who were most popular with voters and the years that they ran
for office
c.
The winners of the last presidential election and the percentage of people who
voted for them
d.
The percentage of people of different races who voted in Presidential elections
between 1996 and 2012
2.Which of the following conclusions can you draw from the graph?
a.
Black voter turnout has climbed steadily since 1996.
b.
Hispanic voters trailed behind the Asian vote in the 2012 election.
c.
Non-Hispanic white voters always have the highest turnout.
d.
Asian and Hispanic voters have not increased since 1996.
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Essential Reading Skills
3.If you were writing an article about the information in this graph, what would be your
central idea? What else would you emphasize? Explain your reasoning.
Examine the photograph and answer the questions that follow.
4.Which of the following best describes this photograph?
a.
A woman is begging on the streets.
b.
A woman is peacefully sitting in a plaza.
c.
A woman is looking for someone.
d.
A woman has just purchased some food.
5.Which of the following texts might accompany this photo?
Select all correct answers.
Remember
the Concept
 A newspaper article about homelessness
 A history text about life during World War II
• Connect to what
you know
 A workplace text about company dress code
• Look at features
 A social studies text about life in a foreign country
• Draw conclusions
• Relate to the text
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Answers and Explanations
Visual Elements
page 109
Previewing Visual Elements
Practice It!
pages 113–116
1. a. International migration versus increase in population from births between 2012
and 2060
2. a. To compare information
The graph shows the increase in international migration compared with the natural
increase in population from births and deaths.
3. The graph shows that net international migration is projected to overtake natural increase in population in 2027. The amount of population increase from migration is rising,
while the amount of population increase from births is decreasing.
4. The graph summarizes the most important ideas in the passage. The passage explains
that international migration is expected to exceed the natural increase in population. In
other words, more people will migrate to the U.S. each year than will be born in the U.S.
that year (accounting for deaths). The passage further develops the central idea by explaining the reasons for the shift. It also explains how the shift would affect the United
States population.
5. A doctor is inserting a syringe labeled “Prohibition” into a patient labeled “American
People.” Two others watch. The man wears a suit. You can identify him as a government
representative, and you might recognize him as Herbert Hoover, the President at the
time. The nurse is helping with the experiment. If you look closely, she is labeled WCTU,
which stands for the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, an organization that lobbied for the prohibition of alcohol.
6. The caption says “Yes, it’s a noble experiment,” but the cartoonist does not think this
procedure is noble. The man representing the American people is forcibly undergoing a
frightening-looking shot, so it seems that the cartoonist thinks Prohibition is an unethical and potentially dangerous experiment.
7. The caption introduces a contradiction. Because of the way the American people are
portrayed, as helpless and resistant, the label “Noble Experiment” is ironic. The cartoonist portrays Prohibition as the opposite of noble.
8. The introductory text helps to clarify the meaning of the cartoon by defining Prohibition
and explaining the term “The Noble Experiment.” The cartoon shows the irony of the
term “Noble Experiment” defined in the text.
i
Essential Reading Skills
9. Prohibition increases crime and becomes problematic for the government to enforce.
The author shows Prohibition as a dangerous wildcat, implying that Prohibition causes
more problems than it solves.
10. You can think through the cartoon’s meaning by considering what you know about
Prohibition and its effects, examining the cartoon and its labels, and reading the introductory text. Since one government agency is trying to hand the dangerous wildcat to
another, you can infer that neither government agency wanted to deal with Prohibition.
It was probably difficult and costly to enforce.
11. Both cartoons are opposed to Prohibition, but the authors focus on different reasons
why. The first cartoon portrays Prohibition as taking away the rights of the people and
enforcing something against the will of the people. It shows Prohibition as unethical.
The second cartoon looks at Prohibition from a more practical perspective. It focuses on
the difficulty of enforcing the law. Instead of showing the harm Prohibition might do to
the American people, it shows the harm Prohibition does to the government agency trying to enforce it.
Check Your Skills
pages 117–118
1. d. The percentage of people of different races who voted in Presidential elections
between 1996 and 2012
2. a. Black voter turnout has climbed steadily since 1996.
3. One central idea is that a higher percentage of Black voters participated in 2012 election
than any other ethnicity. You might emphasize the fact that the percentage of Black
voters surpassed the percentage of non-Hispanic white voters for the first time and that
Black voter turnout has been increasing since 1996. The article could also focus on the
fact that Hispanic and Asian voters are less likely to vote in Presidential elections than
Black and non-Hispanic white voters.
4. a. A woman is begging on the streets.
The woman is sitting by the sidewalk with a container in her hand. Her posture, dress,
and the bag she is carrying all indicate that she is probably begging.
5. A newspaper article about homelessness
A social studies text about life in a foreign country
ii