Find the favourite
The category with the greatest count is the favourite.
Key: each square stands for 1 vote
Look for the row with the most symbols.
Year 2
Ask and answer simple questions by counting the number of objects in each category and by comparing categories
Use simple charts and tables to answer questions about totals, favourites and differences.
Lesson overview
Statistics
Once data is organised in a chart or table, we can answer questions by counting totals and comparing categories. We can ask which category has the most, which has the least, and how many more or fewer one category has than another.
Compare two categories
Cats have 2 more votes than dogs.
Subtract to find how many more one category has than another.
Find the total
Add all the categories to find the whole total.
The total is all the votes together.
Worked example
How many more votes do cats have than fish?
Key: each square stands for 1 vote
| Pet | Votes |
|---|---|
| Cats | 5 |
| Dogs | 3 |
| Fish | 2 |
- Find the cats total and the fish total.
- Cats have 5 votes and fish have 2 votes.
- Subtract 2 from 5.
- Cats have 3 more votes than fish.
Try it
Use the chart to count totals and compare the categories carefully.
Question 1
Which pet got the most votes?
Key: each square stands for 1 vote
Question 2
Which pet got the fewest votes?
| Pet | Votes |
|---|---|
| Cats | 5 |
| Dogs | 3 |
| Fish | 2 |
Question 3
How many votes are there altogether?
Key: each square stands for 1 vote
Question 4
How many more votes do cats have than dogs?
Question 5
Which statement is correct?
| Pet | Votes |
|---|---|
| Cats | 5 |
| Dogs | 3 |
| Fish | 2 |
Common mistakes
Watch for these when working through the lesson.
- Adding when the question asks how many more or fewer.
- Comparing the wrong two categories.
- Forgetting to count every category when finding the total.
Related topics
These ideas fit closely with this lesson.
- Interpret and construct simple pictograms, tally charts, block diagrams and simple tables.
- Use place value and number facts to solve problems.