GoalRead a block graph and use it to answer questions, and sort animals by a feature such as number of legs.
New words
block graph · a picture that uses boxes or bars to show how many there aremost · the biggest numberfewest · the smallest number
Explanation
A block graph shows our results in a picture. Each box stands for one animal. We write the groups along the bottom, for example the number of legs. We count up the side to see how many are in each group. The tallest bar is the group with the most animals. The shortest bar is the group with the fewest animals. We can also add the bars together to find how many animals there are altogether. We can sort animals in other ways too, for example by colour or by where they live.
Worked examples
Lola looked in a flower bed. She found 4 animals with no legs, 1 bird, 3 insects and 1 spider. The tallest bar is for no legs, so she found most worms and snails.
No animals had four legs, so the bar for four legs is empty. A zero is a result too.
We can add: 4 + 1 + 0 + 3 + 1 = 9. Lola found 9 animals altogether.
Class activity
Make a block graph (with an adult): use the animals from your leg count, or draw ten animals on small squares of paper. Draw a grid on a big piece of paper. Write 0 legs, 2 legs, 4 legs, 6 legs and 8 legs along the bottom. Stick or colour one box for each animal. Then ask a grown-up three questions about your graph, such as “Which group has the most?”
Practice
1
Amir counted animals in a park. Which group is the biggest on his graph?
Butterflies, with 6.
2
How many animals did Amir count altogether?
3 + 2 + 6 + 1 = 12 animals.
3
How many more ducks than snails did Amir count?
duck
squirrel
butterfly
snail
3
2
6
1
2 more. 3 ducks and 1 snail: 3 − 1 = 2.
4
Another way to sort animals is by what covers their body. Which animals go with feathers?
