How to Construct and Interpret a Pie Graph Using Family Budgets

Sheena Doria

This instructional video provides a comprehensive, step-by-step guide on how to construct and interpret a pie graph (circle graph) using real-world data. Through the example of the Santos family's weekly expenses, the narrator demonstrates the complete process of data visualization, from organizing raw numbers into a table to drawing the final graph. The video breaks down complex procedures into five manageable steps: organizing data, converting amounts to percentages, computing degrees for each sector, constructing the graph using a protractor, and adding a descriptive title. The content integrates multiple mathematical concepts, including data handling, decimals, percentages, and geometry. Key topics include calculating percentages from part-to-whole relationships, converting percentages to decimal forms, understanding the properties of a circle (360 degrees), and measuring angles with a protractor. It also touches on financial literacy by using a family budget as the central dataset. For educators, this video serves as an excellent direct-instruction tool for upper elementary and middle school mathematics. It visually scaffolds the calculations for long division and multiplication, making it accessible for students learning these operations. The segment on interpretation offers valuable practice in reading data visualizations, asking students to identify largest/smallest shares and calculate values from percentages, promoting critical thinking and data literacy.