1st Grade Organizing and Reading Data Lesson: Notes and Examples (Free PDF)
This 1st grade graphing data lesson covers organizing and reading data (Common Core 1.MD.C.4), with a free PDF to print.
Key takeaway: This lesson helps Grade 1 students collect, organize, and read data with tally charts, picture graphs, and bar graphs.
- Topic: Organizing and Reading Data (1st grade)
- Content: One-page lesson with a definition, a worked example and key facts
- Standards: 1.MD.C.4
- Answers: Explanations included
- Format: Free printable PDF, US Letter, black and white
Data is information we collect, like how many children like each recess game. We can show data in a tally chart, a picture graph, or a bar graph. Then we read it to find how many are in each group, how many there are in all, and how many more or fewer one group has than another.
This lesson helps Grade 1 students collect, organize, and read data with tally charts, picture graphs, and bar graphs. Children learn that data is information such as votes and that a graph makes it easy to compare.
The lesson shows how to make tally marks and group them in fives. It explains picture graphs, where each picture is one vote, and bar graphs, where a taller bar means more. It then shows how to add to find the total and subtract to find how many more or fewer. Plan about ten minutes.
Grade 1 · Common Core State Standards: 1.MD.C.4
Key facts in this 1st grade graphing data lesson
- Data is information we collect, such as votes.
- Next, a tally mark is one line for one vote, and every fifth line crosses four lines.
- In a picture graph, each picture stands for one vote.
- Then, in a bar graph, a taller bar means more votes.
- Add to find the total. Take away to find how many more or how many fewer.
What is data?
Data is information we collect. Ms. Rivera asks her class, “Where do you like to play at recess?” Each child picks one place. The answers are data.
How do tally marks work?
Count the groups of five first. Then count the extra lines. Seven is one group of five and 2 more.
What is a picture graph?
A picture graph uses one small picture for each vote. In this graph, each circle means 1 child. Count the circles in a row to find the votes.
What is a bar graph?
A bar graph uses bars. Also, a tall bar means more votes. A short bar means fewer votes. Look at the number where the top of the bar stops.
How do you find how many more or how many fewer?
| Question | What to do |
|---|---|
| How many chose the swings? | Read the number: 4 |
| How many children in all? | Add all the groups: \(6 + 4 + 2 = 12\) |
| How many more chose the slide than the sandbox? | Take away: \(6 – 2 = 4\) |
| How many fewer chose the sandbox than the swings? | Take away: \(4 – 2 = 2\) |
Try it: how many more chose the slide than the swings?
- Find the slide. It has 6 votes.
- Find the swings. They have 4 votes.
- Take the smaller number from the bigger number: \(6 – 4 = 2\).
- Say the answer: 2 more children chose the slide.
1st grade graphing data lesson: questions and answers
What is data in first grade math?
Data is information we collect, like the votes in a class poll. We sort the votes into up to three groups. Then we show them in a chart or graph.
How many lines are in one group of tally marks?
One group has 5 lines. Four lines stand side by side and the fifth line crosses them. Count groups of five first, then count the extra lines.
How is a picture graph different from a bar graph?
A picture graph shows one small picture for every vote. A bar graph shows one bar for each group. You count pictures in a picture graph, and you read a number beside the bar in a bar graph.
How do I find how many more?
Find the two numbers you are comparing. Take the smaller number away from the bigger number. If slide has 6 and sandbox has 2, then 6 minus 2 is 4 more.
How do I find how many in all?
Add the number from each group. With 6, 4 and 2, add 6 and 4 to get 10. Then add 2 more to get 12 in all.
Common mistakes with this 1st grade graphing data lesson
- Students count tally marks one at a time and lose track. Group them by fives instead, because every fifth line crosses four. Count 5, 10, 15 and then the extras.
- On a bar graph, children read the top of the bar by guessing. Slide a finger from the top of the bar straight across to the number line on the side.
- Also, when asked how many more, students add the two numbers. How many more is a subtraction idea. If 7 chose swings and 4 chose slides, the difference is 7 – 4 = 3.
How to study this chapter
- Take a real vote at home, such as favorite fruit at dinner. Record it with tally marks, then turn it into a picture graph with small drawings.
- Next, always read the title and the key first. A graph with each picture as one child tells a different story than a graph where one picture is two.
- Also, teachers can let students create questions for a classmate to answer from a graph. Writing a question shows deeper understanding than only answering one.
Download the 1st grade graphing data lesson as a PDF with the button below and keep it with your notes.
More questions about 1st grade graphing data lesson
What are the three kinds of graphs first graders learn?
First graders work with tally charts, picture graphs, and bar graphs. A tally chart records data with marks. Also, a picture graph uses a small picture for each item. A bar graph uses bars whose length shows the count. All three can answer questions about most, fewest, and total.
How do you read a bar graph for first grade?
Find the label under the bar, look at the top of the bar, and trace across to the number on the side. If the bar for swimming stops at 6, then 6 children chose swimming. Comparing bar heights also shows which choice has the most.
How do you count tally marks in groups of five?
Each group of four vertical lines with a slash across is five. Count by fives for the full groups, then add the extra single lines. For two full groups and three single lines, say 5, 10, then 11, 12, 13. The total is 13.
All Grade 1 chapters: Grade 1 math.
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