Draw a Scaled Picture Graph

Students will create their own scaled picture graphs to represent data sets with several categories. They will choose an appropriate scale, draw the correct number of symbols for each category, and include a title, labels, and key.

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Grade 3 · Graphs & Data Representation · question 1 of 3

0 of 12

12 rungs. A star at the top.

Cyrus counts the muffins baked so he can plan the next batch. How many more muffins did Plain bake than Corn?

Your answer:

How it is taught

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A picture graph uses symbols for amounts.

The key tells how many each symbol stands for.

Read it: Each picture is worth the key

This picture graph shows books read each day. The key says each picture stands for 2 books, so a row is worth more than its pictures.

Read the key first: each picture stands for 2 books.
Count a row by 2s: Tue has 6 pictures, so 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 books.
Compare two rows: Tue 12 and Wed 2 are 10 apart.

One picture for every 2 books keeps a big count short enough to draw.

Counting by the key turns pictures into books: 6 pictures of 2 is 12.

How many more is the gap between the rows' values: 12 take away 2 is 10.

Find the key, count each row by the key, then compare.

Reading Tue as 6 books because the row has 6 pictures, and forgetting the key.

Each picture is 2 books. Count by 2s: Tue shows 12 books.

In a picture graph, each picture stands for 5 books. One row has 7 pictures. How many books does that row show? — 35. 7 pictures, each 5: count by 5s to 35.

Favorite fruits: apples 6, bananas 4, grapes 10

Our class voted on favorite fruits. Six picked apples, four picked bananas, and ten picked grapes.

First, give the graph a title at the top so people know what it shows.

Next, list each category down the left side: apples, bananas, and grapes.

Now we pick a scale. Drawing ten symbols would take forever, so let's let each picture stand for two votes.

We write that in a key at the bottom so readers know what each symbol means.

Apples got six votes. Six divided by two is three, so we draw three symbols.

Bananas got four votes. Four divided by two is two, so we draw two symbols.

Grapes got ten votes. Ten divided by two is five, so we draw five symbols.

Let's check grapes: five symbols times two equals ten votes. It matches!

Grade 3 · Picking a scale and drawing symbols

Our scaled picture graph is done — title, labels, symbols, and a key. Great work!

What you see

While they climb, your page writes one true line to ask about tonight, and a short note each Sunday.

MayaGrade 3 · Mathematics

Did you know?

A chessboard has 64 squares — share them out between the 8 rows and each row holds exactly 8.

Today’s goal: 1 star — one skill mastered, every rung of its ladder climbed
Climbing now: Divide within 100

An example student.

MayaGrade 3 · Mathematics

Maya earned 2 stars this week — Interpret multiplication as equal groups, which took 6 answers over 3 days before its star landed 3 days ago and Multiply by 6, 7, 8 and 9. Next up: Divide within 100.

An example week.

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