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Which has more? Which has fewest?
Learner’s Book 1: Unit 14, pp. 209–212
GoalUse the words more, fewer, most and fewest to talk about what a diagram or pictogram shows.
New words
more · a bigger number of thingsfewer · a smaller number of thingsmost / fewest · the biggest number / the smallest number
Explanation
Diagrams tell us stories about data. We look at them and use special words. ‘Most’ means the biggest number. ‘Fewest’ means the smallest number. ‘More’ and ‘fewer’ compare two things. To find how many more, count the extra pictures, or take away the smaller number from the bigger one. Always check the title and the key first.
Worked examples
Look at the apples sold. Monday has the most: 5. Tuesday has the fewest: 2. Monday has 3 more than Tuesday, because 5 take away 2 is 3.
Count in the circle: cow, cat, table and chair have four legs, so 4 are inside. Bird, fish and snake do not, so 3 are outside. More things are inside than outside.
There are fewer ladybirds than beetles. 3 ladybirds and 5 beetles. The difference is 2, because 5 take away 3 is 2.
Class activity
Interview game: make a pictogram of your family’s shoes (or hats or cups). Write 3 true sentences using more, fewer, most or fewest. Read them to a friend: can the friend find the mistake if you say one false sentence?
Practice
1
Which day had the most books? Which day had the fewest?
Most: Tue. Fewest: Mon.
2
How many more books were borrowed on Tuesday than on Monday?
4 more (6 take away 2)
3
Which column has fewer things?
| floats | sinks |
|---|---|
| boat | stone |
| leaf | coin |
| duck | key |
| spoon |
‘floats’ (3 things; ‘sinks’ has 4)
4
Lola has fewer stars than Amir. True or false?
False. Lola has 6 stars and Amir has 2, so Lola has more.