Year 3 · Mathematics · Statistics
Collecting and showing data
Asking a survey question, recording answers with tally marks or lists and showing the results in a simple picture graph or column of objects.
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These lessons were written around Australian Curriculum strands and matched to UK year groups by age (Year 1 is the year a child turns 6 in England). They are not mapped to the National Curriculum in England or the curricula of Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, so check them against your own plans.
Learning goals
Learners will
- Ask a survey question with clear choices.
- Record answers using tally marks or a list.
- Show results in a simple picture graph or column of objects and describe what the data shows.
Success looks like
- I can write a survey question with 3 or 4 choices.
- I can use tally marks, with every fifth mark across the other four.
- I can make a picture graph and say which choice was most popular and least popular.
The big idea
A survey is a way of finding out what a group of people think by asking them all the same question. Good survey questions have a few clear choices, such as 'Which is your favourite season: summer, autumn, winter or spring?'
As people answer, record the data. A list of names and answers works, but tally marks are faster. Draw one line for each answer. When you get to the fifth answer for a choice, draw a line across the four before it. This makes a bundle of 5 that is easy to count.
To count tally marks, count the bundles by fives, then count on the single lines. Two bundles and three lines is 5, 10, 11, 12, 13.
Next, show the data. In a picture graph, each answer is shown with one picture or symbol. Draw them in rows or columns that start at the same line, with the pictures the same size and evenly spaced. Give the graph a title and label each choice.
You can also make a column of objects, stacking one block for each answer. The tallest column shows the most popular choice.
Finally, talk about what the data shows. Use sentences such as 'Summer was the most popular season with 6 votes', 'Winter got 2 fewer votes than autumn' and 'Twelve people answered altogether.'
- Ask: a clear question with choices.
- Record: tally marks in bundles of 5.
- Show: a picture graph with a title and labels.
- Describe: most, least, how many more, how many altogether.
Worked examples
Counting tally marks
The tally for 'dog' is two bundles of five and 2 single lines. How many people chose dog?
- Each bundle is 5, so count by fives: 5, 10.
- Count on the single lines: 11, 12.
Answer: 12 people chose dog.
Making a picture graph
Favourite fruit results: apple 4, banana 6, grapes 3. Show these in a picture graph.
- Write a title: 'Our favourite fruit'.
- Write the three choices along the bottom.
- Draw one smiley face above each choice for each vote: 4 above apple, 6 above banana, 3 above grapes.
- Keep all the faces the same size and line them up from the bottom.
Answer: A picture graph with columns of 4, 6 and 3 faces, showing banana as the most popular.
Describing the data
Using the fruit graph (apple 4, banana 6, grapes 3), how many more people chose banana than grapes, and how many people answered?
- Banana 6, grapes 3. Count on from 3 to 6: 3 more.
- Add all the votes: 4 + 6 + 3. 4 + 6 = 10, and 10 + 3 = 13.
Answer: 3 more people chose banana than grapes, and 13 people answered.
Practice check
Have a go, then check your answers. Each answer comes with an explanation.
Answer guide for parents
A tally shows one bundle of five and 3 single lines. What number is that?
8 — One bundle is 5. Count on 3: 6, 7, 8.
When making tally marks, what do you do for the fifth mark?
Draw it across the first four — The fifth mark goes across the other four to make a bundle of 5.
Which is the best survey question?
Which pet would you choose: dog, cat, fish or bird? — It has clear choices, so the answers are easy to record and count.
Picture graph of favourite sport: soccer 5 pictures, swimming 7 pictures, tennis 2 pictures. Which sport is most popular?
swimming — Swimming has the most pictures (7).
Using the same graph (soccer 5, swimming 7, tennis 2), how many people answered altogether?
14 — 5 + 7 + 2 = 14.
Using the same graph (soccer 5, swimming 7, tennis 2), how many more people chose soccer than tennis?
3 — 5 − 2 = 3, so 3 more people chose soccer.
Why should all the pictures in a picture graph be the same size?
So the graph is easy to compare fairly — If some pictures are bigger, a column can look longer even with fewer votes.
A tally shows three bundles of five and 1 single line. What number is that?
16 — Count the bundles by fives: 5, 10, 15. Then count on 1: 16.
Watch out for
- Drawing the fifth tally mark as a separate upright line. Practise bundling by crossing the four with the fifth.
- Making picture graph symbols different sizes or not starting them at the same line, which makes comparisons misleading.
- Forgetting a title and labels, so nobody else knows what the graph is about. Ask, 'Could a visitor understand this graph?'
Tips for parents
- Let your child choose a survey question they are curious about — it makes the counting meaningful.
- Phone or message relatives to collect more answers and make the data set bigger.
- Ask 'What does the graph tell us?' and encourage at least two sentences.
Go further
- Do a traffic tally: watch the street from a safe spot with an adult for 10 minutes and tally cars, trucks, bikes and buses.
- Make the same data into a column of blocks and a picture graph, and talk about which is easier to read.
- Survey the family about a decision, such as what to have for a weekend breakfast, and use the results to decide.
About 35 minutes
You'll need
- Paper, pencils and a ruler
- Small sticky notes, stickers or paper squares of the same size
- Blocks or Lego bricks that stack
- A list of people to ask (family, friends, neighbours)
Key words
- survey
- Asking a group of people the same question to collect data.
- data
- Information collected, such as answers to a question.
- tally marks
- Lines used to count, drawn in groups of 5 with the fifth line across the other four.
- picture graph
- A graph that uses pictures or symbols to show how many.
- most popular
- The choice picked by the most people.
- least popular
- The choice picked by the fewest people.
Still tricky?
For parents
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