The note
How schools teach it now
Children read the scale carefully, check the key on a pictogram (one picture might stand for 4 people) and read line graphs by going across, then up. Year 6 adds pie charts and line graphs over time.
5-minute kitchen-table activity
Tally the cars passing your window for five minutes by colour, then draw a bar chart together. Ask: 'How many more silver cars than red?' and 'What fraction were white?'
Worked example
In a pictogram, one face stands for 4 children. Football has 3½ faces. How many children chose football?
- 3 whole faces: 3 × 4 = 12.
- Half a face is half of 4 = 2.
- 12 + 2 = 14.
Answer: 14 children
Common mistakes to watch for
- Not checking the key or the scale before reading.
- Reading the bar next to the right one.
- Giving 'how many altogether' when the question asks 'how many more'.
Encouragement
- Try saying
- “What does each square or picture stand for?”
- Rather than
- “It's just a graph, read it.”