Examples
A class collects data on the number of students whose birthday is in each month of the year and represents it using tally marks.Clarifications
Clarification 1: Instruction includes connecting tally marks to counting by 5s.Clarification 2: Data sets include geometric figures that are categorized using their defining attributes and data from the classroom or school.
Clarification 3: Pictographs are limited to single-unit scales.
Benchmark Instructional Guide
Connecting Benchmarks/Horizontal Alignment
Terms from the K-12 Glossary
- NA
Vertical Alignment
Previous Benchmarks
Next Benchmarks
Purpose and Instructional Strategies
The purpose of this benchmark is to get students thinking about how they can organize information in a way that can be interpreted. In Kindergarten, students collected and sorted objects. Student results are recorded by students either verbally or with written numerals or drawings. The expectation is not for students to create a graph on their own (MTR.5.1).- Instruction includes providing opportunities for students to understand that bundling tally marks into groups of five allows for more efficient counting of larger data sets (MTR.5.1).
- Instruction includes guiding students to skip count by 5s when using tally marks that have been bundled into fives (MTR.3.1).
- Instruction includes real-world context for data representations (MTR.7.1).
- Instruction includes providing opportunities for students to choose a representation (pictograph or tally marks) for their data set and have discussions of the efficiency of the representation.
- Instruction includes the understanding that different types of graphs are useful in representing different contexts.
Common Misconceptions or Errors
- Students may not recognize that when using tally marks they make a slash through four tally marks to represent a bundle of five tally marks.
Strategies to Support Tiered Instruction
- Teacher models how to make groups of five using straws and gives students straws and have students practice placing straws in groups of five, including how to arrange the fifth straw in a group. The teacher has the students practice counting the straws in groups of five and then records the number of straws they counted using both tally marks and numerals. If the student isn’t sure how to draw a bundle of five tally marks correctly, the teacher shows them how to draw the fifth tally mark diagonally across four tally marks. The teacher has the student count each tally mark to verify that there are five tallies. Next the teacher models how to make groups of six and has the student show them where they would place a sixth tally mark as it should be near the bundle of five but not a part of the bundle. Next, the teacher has the students practice placing a sixth straw in their bundle. Once the students have successfully modeled how to create six with straws, the teacher asks the students to draw larger numbers, such as seven or nine with tally marks and record the numeral.
Instructional Tasks
Instructional Task 1 (MTR.3.1)
Josie was sorting figures for her teacher and made a tally chart for the figures she put in the bin. The bell rang before Josie had a chance to sort all the figures and finish her chart. Help Josie finish by adding tally marks for the figures she hasn’t sorted yet.
Instructional Items
Instructional Item 1
The students in Mrs. Frank’s class collected data on the color of shirts they would wear on the school field trip. Students could choose red, blue or green. Organize the data using a pictograph. Teacher Tip: Students may sketch circles to represent shirts.
Instructional Item 2
Julie wants to know the favorite flavor of milk for first grade students. Is it chocolate, vanilla or strawberry milk? Collect data from your classmates on their favorite flavor of milk. Then, represent the results using tally marks.*The strategies, tasks and items included in the B1G-M are examples and should not be considered comprehensive.
Related Courses
Related Access Points
Related Resources
Lesson Plans
Original Student Tutorials
Problem-Solving Task
STEM Lessons - Model Eliciting Activity
In this Model-Eliciting Activity (MEA), students will work collaboratively in guided groups to resolve conflicts while demonstrating respect and kindness with a focus on recognizing the characteristics of responsible citizenship. They will collect data into categories and represent the results using tally marks or pictographs.
Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought processes. MEAs follow a problem-based, student-centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEAs visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx
In this Model Eliciting Activity, MEA, students will work together to problem solve. The students are presented with a problem in which they have to decide on a procedure for choosing the activity that should be done at a Move-a-Thon fundraiser. Students will organize data in a tally chart as well as a pictograph. In the “twist” students will be given combinations of bills representing the value of each of the activities. Students will work together to reevaluate their original procedure and determine if it should change, along with the rankings.
Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem, while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought process. MEAs follow a problem-based, student centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEA’s visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx
In this MEA lesson plan, students will work on their map skills while they practice collecting data in categories, representing data using pictographs, and interpreting data in pictographs to solve a problem. Students will read and/or listen to the story Clifford Takes a Trip. After discussing the story, they will then plan a trip for Clifford to visit the great state of Florida.
Original Student Tutorials Mathematics - Grades K-5
Learn how to organize collected data about ice cream to create your own pictographs in this interactive student tutorial.
Learn how to organize data in three categories as well as represent and interpret the data in this interactive tutorial.
Student Resources
Original Student Tutorials
Learn how to organize collected data about ice cream to create your own pictographs in this interactive student tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to organize data in three categories as well as represent and interpret the data in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Parent Resources
Problem-Solving Task
This activity provides a connection between the counting sequence and an experience from students' daily lives. It helps to give the students a sense of how "many" each number is. This task also reinforces many skills related to understanding and representing numbers, such as using tally marks, the word form, expanded form, and place value.
Type: Problem-Solving Task