Read a picture graph

A picture stands for something

A class chooses fruit for a snack. Each dot below stands for one child.

The fruit names are the categories. The sentence “one dot stands for one child” is the key. Read both before you count.

Four children chose apple. Three chose banana. Five chose orange. Orange has the most choices; banana has the fewest.

Compare, then find a total

How many more children chose orange than banana? Match three orange dots with the three banana dots. Two orange dots have no partner. The difference is 5-3 = 2 children.

How many children chose fruit altogether? Count every dot once: 4 + 3 + 5 = 12. Do not add a category name as an extra child.

Check your understanding 1 Read two categories

How many children chose apple or banana altogether?

Children choosing apple or banana

Check answer

Show answer

Seven children: 4 + 3 = 7. Leave out the orange category because this question asks only about apple or banana.

What the graph can tell you

The graph tells you the choices recorded for this class. It does not tell you why someone chose a fruit, or what every child in another class would choose.

Check your understanding 2 Check a changed statement

One more child changes their choice from orange to banana. How many choose each now? Does the total number of children change?

Your answer or drawing on paper

Show answer

Apple stays at 4, banana becomes 4 and orange becomes 4. The total stays 12 because one child moved between categories; nobody joined or left the class.

Make and read your own

Ask five people to choose between two games. Draw one dot for each person in the right row. Write the key. Check that your two rows contain five dots altogether, then ask someone to read your graph.