Pictograms and bar charts — Data, 7–10 years
Show totals with pictures or bars so differences can be seen at a glance. Data, 7–10 years.
A picture for a number
A pictogram uses repeated pictures to show amounts, while a bar chart uses bars that reach different heights. Both need a key or scale, such as one star meaning two children. The picture or bar is not decoration: it carries the number.
Why draw a chart?
A table is good for exact totals, but a chart makes differences easier to notice. If one bar is much taller than another, you can see that its group is larger before reading every number. The scale solves the problem of fitting many objects onto the page.
Example: books read
A class records books read: Ana 2, Ben 4 and Chi 3. In a bar chart, label the names, mark the scale 0 to 4, and draw bars up to 2, 4 and 3. Ben’s bar is tallest, so Ben read the most; Chi read one more than Ana.
Trap: ignoring the key
A pictogram may show three stars, and it is tempting to say the total is three. But if the key says one star means four children, the total is twelve. The mistake is reasonable because each picture looks like one item until you read the key.
Use: showing a team’s results
A sports team can chart goals scored in four matches, or a garden group can chart how many plants survived. The bars make the pattern easy to spot and discuss. A chart is useful here because the groups are being compared with the same measure.
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