A tally chart records counts with marks. Four upright marks with a fifth across them make a bundle of five, so count bundles in fives and then add the single marks. A picture graph uses a picture for each child, or for a group of children. Always read the key first: if each picture stands for 5, skip count in fives along the row. To find how many more chose one thing than another, work out both rows and subtract.
Explore this idea with maths tools
Maths you can move
Build 8 + 5
Tap two gold counters to fill the ten-frame.
8 in the frame + 5 waiting. The total stays the same.
Words to know
- tally
- a mark that stands for one; five marks are bundled together
- key
- tells you what one picture stands for
- picture graph
- a graph that uses pictures to show amounts
Worked examples
A tally row shows two bundles of five and 3 more marks. How many?
- 1.Each bundle is 5: 5 + 5 = 10.
- 2.Add the single marks: 10 + 3 = 13.
= 13
Each picture stands for 5 children. The Soccer row has 4 pictures. How many chose Soccer?
- 1.The key says each picture is 5.
- 2.Skip count 4 pictures in fives: 5, 10, 15, 20.
= 20
Each picture stands for 2 children. Dog has 7 pictures and Cat has 4. How many more chose Dog than Cat?
- 1.Dog: 7 × 2 = 14. Cat: 4 × 2 = 8.
- 2.14 − 8 = 6.
= 6
For parents
Method: Read the key, then count
What to say: What does one picture (or one bundle) stand for? Which row are you reading?
Common mistakes:
- Counts the pictures and ignores the key, so each picture is treated as one.
- Counts only the upright tally marks, missing the line across each bundle of five.
- Counts each bundle of five tally marks as one.
- Reads the row next to the one asked about.
- Answers 'how many more' with the larger amount instead of the difference.
- Adds the two amounts when asked 'how many more'.