Lesson 2: Making Pictographs

About 30 minutes — Activity-based lesson

What You Will Learn

This lesson covers:

What a pictograph is: using pictures to show amounts
What a key is: each picture = a certain number
When pictographs work well and when they do not
Activity: create a pictograph using stickers or stamps

What a pictograph is: using pictures to show amounts

This section covers the key ideas about what a pictograph is: using pictures to show amounts. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

What a key is: each picture = a certain number

This section covers the key ideas about what a key is: each picture = a certain number. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

When pictographs work well and when they do not

This section covers the key ideas about when pictographs work well and when they do not. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

Activity: create a pictograph using stickers or stamps

This section covers the key ideas about activity: create a pictograph using stickers or stamps. Discuss with your group or family and explore the concepts together.

Check Your Understanding

1. What is a pictograph?

Answer: A graph that uses pictures or symbols to represent data. Each picture stands for a certain number of items, shown in a key.

2. Why do pictographs need a key?

Answer: Because you need to know what each picture represents. If one cookie picture = 2 votes, then 5 cookies = 10 votes. Without the key, you cannot read the graph.

3. When do pictographs work well?

Answer: When you want a fun, visual display and your numbers are fairly simple. They work great for young audiences and for categories with not-too-different amounts.

4. When do pictographs NOT work well?

Answer: When numbers are very large or very precise. If one category has 3 and another has 247, pictographs become impractical.

Key Takeaways

What a pictograph is: using pictures to show amounts
What a key is: each picture = a certain number
When pictographs work well and when they do not
Activity: create a pictograph using stickers or stamps

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Continue to Lesson 3: Dot Plots and Line Plots

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