Small multiples is a data visualization term referring to placing several small graphics (either all charts, all graphs, all maps, etc.), where the scale (axes, etc.) are the same but the data is different. Here’s a great example from the New York Times.

The presence of small multiples means we can track drought patterns over decades within a very small space, as shown in the clip below.

This can be a great accompaniment to a high school study of the Dust Bowl, for example.

Drought’s Footprint – Graphic – NYTimes.com via kwout