Mental Health and the Importance of Self Care Infographic

This assignment has two parts:

Create an infographic of your own with at least 5 facts on a topic you care about. An infographic is similar to a poster focused on facts. It provides information in a way that is easy for readers to see, and includes images or illustrations to help catch readers’ attention and also understand the information better. Scroll down for an example. The topic is up to you. The only topic I don’t want to see this semester is “the importance of exercise.”

Write a one-page reflection or discussion of your infographic.

1. My goal is for you to be able to show that you can identify and find credible facts, and separate out your inferences and conclusions from them. I would like you to see that the right facts, presented clearly to your audience, can function like an argument. They can make an entire case for you when you only have a short time or space to make an impact.
2. Here are the requirements for each part:

The infographic

5 facts minimum. More is okay as long as it won’t overwhelm viewers. Make sure the facts are related to each other, connected to one topic. It’s entirely your choice what topic to focus on, but I think it’s a good idea to choose something you care about.

No stated inferences or conclusions. Try to choose facts that you think will lead your viewers to a meaningful inference or realization. Don’t spell it out for them, though. You can include a title, though, as I did in the “important of sleep” sample below.

Find a way to make it visually appealing. It doesn’t have to be stunning if this isn’t your skillset. Just make an effort to make it look like more than a list. You can use a free program like Canva. You can use a mix of images and words in Google slides or docs. You can write it by hand and add your own illustrations or even stick figures, and then take a photo of it. I know you’ll find a way!

Give credit to your sources. Use at least TWO different reliable sources for your facts. Find a way to include where the info comes from. That could be a list at the bottom, or a second page with sources. How it looks is your call.

• If you need photos, I like the free, fair use sites unsplash and morguefile.
• The reflection

Describe why you chose the facts you chose. What impact were you hoping to have on viewers of your infographic? What inferences do you hope or expect they will make? Who did you imagine would be seeing this infographic?

Conclude with any insights yougained. What do you want to remember from this assignment? That could be about facts, or design, or inferences, or any connections you made with critical thinking. For instance, did you find yourself using any habits of critical thinkers, such as slowing down?

• You might be wondering, where do I find these facts?? Here are some sites and tools I recommend:
• fivethirtyeight.com for polling and public opinion, especially about politics or sports

pewresearch.org for polling in the US on all sorts of topics

nielsen.com for entertainment, digital media, and marketing data

National Center for Education Statistics for all sorts of data about schools and colleges in the US

CQ Researcher via the Hartnell Library website. See the Research Resources page to get there.

• Opposing Viewpoints via the Hartnell Library website. See the Research Resources page to get there.
• Bureau of Justice (bjs.gov) for crime and incarceration stats
• CDC.gov or who.int for health statistics

USA.gov for links to data on all sorts of US-related topics

U.S. Bureau of Labor for data on employment, salaries, and unemployment