Effective Practices for Description of Science Content within Digital Talking Books
Example H: Standard Diagrams and Illustrations
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Figure caption: experimental setting, upper view. The subject, television, and mirror (or metronome) can be seen.
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The fish embryo is long, narrow and straight. Its head is small, round, and contains gill arches. A large flap extends to the left, from just below the head to the middle of the embryo. A segmented bony structure runs the length of the embryo on the right.
The reptile embryo is much longer and fatter than the fish embryo, but is curled into a fetal position. Its head is bent forward and is twice as large as that of the fish embryo. The reptile embryo has twice as many gill arches as the fish embryo, but the flap on the left side is only half as long. A segmented bony structure runs the length of the embryo on the right.
The bird embryo is curved more than the fish embryo, but is not as long or as curved as the reptile embryo. The head of the bird embryo is almost as large as the reptile embryo, but has fewer gill arches. A flap the same size as that of the reptile embryo extends to the left. A segmented bony structure runs the length of the embryo on the right. Arrows point to the gill arches of all three embryos.
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Above the lizards is a multiple line graph. The horizontal X axis is labeled "time (days)." The vertical Y axis is labeled "% survived."
In the graph there are five separate lines labeled by temperature ranging from 34°C to 42°C and followed by another number in parenthesis. The graph is represented by the following table. All data are approximate.
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Caption: Greg is using a mirror to find the height of a flagpole. He places the mirror on the ground at a measured distance from the flagpole, then moves back away from the mirror until he can see the top of the flagpole in the mirror. The diagram shows this method.
Greg's feet are at point G.
The mirror is 8 feet to his right at point M.
The base of the flag pole is 24 feet to the right of point M and labeled point F.
The distance from point G, Greg's feet, to his eye is 5 feet. This is the vertical leg of a right triangle. The hypotenuse connects Greg's eye to point M, the mirror on the ground.
A similar triangle is formed from point M, the mirror, to point F, the base of the flag pole.
The distance from point M to point F is 24 feet.
The height of the flag pole is labeled H. This is the vertical leg of the second right triangle. The hypotenuse connects the top of the flagpole to point M, the mirror on the ground.
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Funding for this project is provided by the National Science Foundation.
Example H: Standard Diagram or Illustration
- Standard Diagram or Illustration
- Standard Diagram or Illustration comparing objects
- Standard Diagram and Illustration with imbedded graph
- Standard Math Diagram
Standard Diagram or Illustration
Figure caption: experimental setting, upper view. The subject, television, and mirror (or metronome) can be seen.
Guidelines:
- At first this diagram appears simple to describe. However, the caption and the labeling make it more difficult. For example, the term "upper view" is unclear and the television in the caption is actually labeled TVC in the diagram.
- Include the caption in the description if it is not included in the surrounding text.
- Use terminology that is common and useful, even if it differs from terms used in the text.
- Separate the information in easy to scan bundles by using brief sentences, line breaks, or even bullet points or lists.
Description:
- A diagram captioned: "experimental setting, upper view. The subject, television, and mirror (or metronome) can be seen."
- A diagram shows an overhead view of the setting.
- The subject faces a mirror or metronome 200 cm away.
- To the left of the subject is a video camera 300 cm away.
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Standard Diagram or Illustration comparing objects
Guidelines:
- Traditional descriptions of purely visual images benefit from descriptions that are brief and specific.
- Organize the description in a linear fashion, in this case, moving left to right and use bullet points or line breaks to aid in navigation.
- Focus on the intent of the image and the surrounding text. In this case, the illustration compares the similarities and differences of three embryos.
Description:
Note that all three embryo illustrations are shown in side view.The fish embryo is long, narrow and straight. Its head is small, round, and contains gill arches. A large flap extends to the left, from just below the head to the middle of the embryo. A segmented bony structure runs the length of the embryo on the right.
The reptile embryo is much longer and fatter than the fish embryo, but is curled into a fetal position. Its head is bent forward and is twice as large as that of the fish embryo. The reptile embryo has twice as many gill arches as the fish embryo, but the flap on the left side is only half as long. A segmented bony structure runs the length of the embryo on the right.
The bird embryo is curved more than the fish embryo, but is not as long or as curved as the reptile embryo. The head of the bird embryo is almost as large as the reptile embryo, but has fewer gill arches. A flap the same size as that of the reptile embryo extends to the left. A segmented bony structure runs the length of the embryo on the right. Arrows point to the gill arches of all three embryos.
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Standard Diagram and Illustration with embedded graph
Guidelines:
- Use the drill down method, giving a brief overview, i.e., a basic illustration with an embedded graph, and then provide the detail.
- Avoid describing extraneous visual information, ex., one lizard is perched on a rock, there are six lamps on a beam.
- Determine if the graph can be sufficiently summarized in a sentence or two or if it is necessary to provide all of the data. If the data are needed, convert the line graph into an accessible table.
- Note: in the graph there are numbers in parentheses that are not explained in the caption or the surrounding text. They should not be ignored in the description. Include them but do not guess at or assume their meaning.
Description:
A drawing shows two lizards in a confined space. One lizard stands in a shadow, and the other lizard stands beneath a heat lamp.Above the lizards is a multiple line graph. The horizontal X axis is labeled "time (days)." The vertical Y axis is labeled "% survived."
In the graph there are five separate lines labeled by temperature ranging from 34°C to 42°C and followed by another number in parenthesis. The graph is represented by the following table. All data are approximate.
|
| 1 Day | 2 Days | 3 Days | 4 Days | 5 Days | 6 Days | 7 Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42°C (24) | 100% | 95% | 95% | 90% | 85% | 80% | 75% |
| 40°C (12) | 85% | 77% | 73% | 65% | 65% | 65% | 65% |
| 38°C (36) | 60% | 40% | 35% | 30% | 25% | 25% | 25% |
| 36°C (12) | 30% | 30% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% |
| 30°C (12) | 10% | 5% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
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Standard Math Diagram
Caption: Greg is using a mirror to find the height of a flagpole. He places the mirror on the ground at a measured distance from the flagpole, then moves back away from the mirror until he can see the top of the flagpole in the mirror. The diagram shows this method.
Guidelines:
- Traditional descriptions of math diagrams benefit from descriptions that are brief and specific.
- Organize the description in a linear fashion, in this case, moving left to right and use bullet points or line breaks to aid in navigation.
- Notice that the caption has already described how Greg is using the mirror to see the flagpole. The description, then, should focus on what is not included in the caption, i.e., the points and lines.
- Like any image, there are many effective ways to describe this math diagram and our survey participants made suggestions to add or change a word here or there. What they agreed upon was the use of short sentences that focused on the data.
Description:
Greg's feet are at point G.
The mirror is 8 feet to his right at point M.
The base of the flag pole is 24 feet to the right of point M and labeled point F.
The distance from point G, Greg's feet, to his eye is 5 feet. This is the vertical leg of a right triangle. The hypotenuse connects Greg's eye to point M, the mirror on the ground.
A similar triangle is formed from point M, the mirror, to point F, the base of the flag pole.
The distance from point M to point F is 24 feet.
The height of the flag pole is labeled H. This is the vertical leg of the second right triangle. The hypotenuse connects the top of the flagpole to point M, the mirror on the ground.
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Funding for this project is provided by the National Science Foundation.