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Line Graphs: Read, Compare and Solve at Skyline Station

Line Graphs: Read, Compare and Solve at Skyline Station

Learn to read line graphs and use them to find totals and differences, by plotting points and reading balloon heights with Nova the owl.

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What you'll learn

  • What the horizontal axis, vertical axis and scale of a line graph show
  • How to read values between gridlines using half a step
  • How to find a difference by subtracting or counting on
  • When a question needs adding: altogether, total and sum
  • How to compare two lines using the key
  • Why the steepest part of a line shows the biggest change

Chapter by chapter

  1. Parts of a line graph: axes, scales and plotting points Free to try

    Year 5 maths · 1

  2. Reading values from a line graph, including between gridlines

    Year 5 maths · 1

  3. Finding differences: how many more, rises and falls

    Year 5 maths · 1

  4. Finding totals by adding values from a line graph

    Year 5 maths · 1

  5. Comparing two lines and finding the biggest change

    Year 5 maths · 1

  6. Solving two-step problems with line graphs

    Year 5 maths · 1

  7. Skyline Station Challenge (10 questions)

What the chapters cover in the national curriculum in England:

  1. Year 5 maths: Solve comparison, sum and difference problems using information presented in a line graph

About this adventure

Line Graphs: Read, Compare and Solve at Skyline Station is an interactive maths game that teaches children aged 8–11 how to read line graphs and use them to solve comparison, sum and difference problems, matching the Year 5 statistics curriculum in England.

Guided by Nova, a weather owl, players plot temperatures from a table, drag markers to read values up and across from the axes, and find how much a sunflower grew or a tank filled. They meet the key ideas: the horizontal and vertical axes, the scale, gridlines, reading values halfway between gridlines, and using a key when a graph has two lines.

The game also tackles common mistakes, such as counting each gridline as 1 or choosing the highest point when the question asks for the steepest part, where a value changes fastest. Spoken instructions, hints after a wrong answer and optional warm-ups support every step.

Questions and answers

How do you read a line graph?

Find the value you know on one axis, go straight to the line, then go straight across or down to the other axis and read the scale. Always check what each gridline is worth before you read.

How do you find the difference on a line graph?

Read the two values from the graph, then subtract the smaller from the larger. Counting on works well too: to go from 35 to 80, count 5 to reach 40, then 40 more, which makes a difference of 45.

What does a flat part of a line graph mean?

A flat part means the value stayed the same during that time. It does not mean the value was zero. For example, a flat line on a distance graph shows that someone stopped for a rest.

What age is this line graphs game for?

It is written for children aged 8 to 11 and matches the Year 5 maths curriculum in England. Year 4 pupils who already know line graphs and Year 6 pupils who want revision can also use it.

What is in the line graphs game and how long does it take?

There are six chapters, two optional warm-ups and a ten-question final challenge, taking about 50 minutes in all. Children can play one chapter at a time, and each chapter takes roughly six to eight minutes.

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