Lesson Guide
Explanation
Numbers in a table are accurate, but pictures are FAST. A picture graph draws one symbol per vote: seven apples for seven apple-lovers. One glance and you see the winner — the longest row jumps out. The KEY tells you what each symbol is worth; here, one symbol = one vote. Always read the key first!
Your Turn
From the picture graph: how many chose banana? How can you tell apples won without counting? Check: 5; the apple row is longest.
Watch Out
Symbols must line up evenly, like soldiers — a squashed row can LOOK shorter than it really is.
Explanation
For big surveys, one symbol per vote takes forever — so the key can say ⭐ = 2 votes. Now six stars mean 6 × 2 = 12 votes. And a HALF symbol means half the value: two-and-a-half stars = 2×2 + 1 = 5 votes. This is why the key is life-or-death: the same row of stars means different numbers under different keys!
Your Turn
If ⭐ = 2, how many votes is 4 stars? And 3½ stars? Check: 8; and 7.
Watch Out
ALWAYS read the key before counting. Six symbols could mean 6, 12, or 30 votes depending on the key.
Explanation
The COLUMN GRAPH is the picture graph's big sibling: instead of counting symbols, each answer gets a column, and its HEIGHT shows the count. Read a column by sliding across to the number scale on the left: the apple column reaches 7. Columns racing side by side make comparing effortless — the winner towers over the rest.
Your Turn
From the graph: how tall is the grape column? Which two columns together equal the apple column? Check: 3; banana (5) + orange (2) = 7.
Watch Out
Slide straight across from the column TOP to the scale — reading at an angle adds sneaky errors.
Explanation
Drawing your own graph has five steps: draw the two axis lines; number the scale EVENLY (0, 1, 2, 3 — equal gaps, starting at 0); label each column's name along the bottom; draw the columns to the right heights (same width, even gaps); and crown it with a TITLE that says what it shows. Miss the labels and your graph becomes a guessing game!
Your Turn
Draw a column graph of this data: cats 4, dogs 6, fish 2. Checklist: axes, even scale, labels, heights, title!
Watch Out
The scale must climb EVENLY. Jumping 0, 1, 5, 6 squashes some columns and stretches others — the graph would lie!
Explanation
Reading graphs uses the same four questions as tables — but faster. Most popular? The tallest column, no counting needed. Least? The shortest. 'How many more?' Read both heights and subtract. 'Altogether?' Add every height. Tables are precise, graphs are quick — a data detective uses both. Show your skills in the quiz and exercises!
Your Turn
From our fruit graph: what do banana and grape make together, and is that more than apple? Check: 5 + 3 = 8 > 7 — yes, just!
Watch Out
For 'how many more', compare the NUMBERS, not just eyeball the height difference — the scale gives exact answers.
Step 1: Introduction
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