3
Pictures that count: pictograms
Learner’s Book 1: Unit 14, pp. 208–211
GoalRead and make a pictogram where one picture stands for one thing.
New words
pictogram · a chart that uses pictures to show how manykey · tells us what one picture meansrow · a line of pictures going across
Explanation
A pictogram uses pictures to show numbers. It needs a title, so we know what it is about. It also has a key. The key tells us what one picture means, for example ‘one picture is one book’. Each row is for one name or group. Start at the left of the row, put the pictures close together and leave no gaps. To read a row, count the pictures.
Worked examples
Look at the pictogram above. Title: Books read this month. Sara has 6 pictures, so she read 6 books. Leo has 3 pictures, so he read 3 books.
Title: Birds in the garden. In the morning 4 birds came. At noon 2 birds came. In the evening 5 birds came.
Kenji has 3 toy cars and Ravi has 5 toy cars. We draw 3 pictures in Kenji’s row and 5 in Ravi’s row. Altogether 3 and 5 make 8 cars.
Class activity
Make a real pictogram. Ask 5 people at home which fruit they like best: apple, pear or banana. Make a table on paper with one row for each fruit. For each answer, draw a small picture in that fruit’s row. Which row is longest?
Practice
1
Title: Stars won in a game. Who won the most stars?
Zara (6 stars)
2
How many stars did Nodira and Tom win altogether?
8 (5 and 3 make 8)
3
Ravi has 4 fish. Ana has 2 fish. One picture is one fish. How many pictures go in each row?
Ravi 4 pictures, Ana 2 pictures
4
Why does a pictogram need a key?
It tells us what one picture means.