Create Scaled Picture Graphs

10 min

Narrative

The purpose of this activity is for students to subitize or use grouping strategies to describe the number of dots they see. Although the dots have been deliberately grouped by 5 to elicit counting by 5 as a strategy, students may see 2 groups of 5 as 10. Grouping strategies and skip-counting by 2, 5, and 10 offer a review of grade 2 work and build toward multiplication in future lessons. 

Launch

  • Groups of 2
  • “How many do you see? How do you see them?”
  • Flash the first image.
  • 30 seconds: quiet think time
Teacher Instructions
  • Display the first image. 
  • “Discuss your thinking with your partner.”
  • 1 minute: partner discussion
  • Record responses.
  • Repeat for each image.

Student Task

How many do you see? How do you see them?

Groups of dots.

Equal groups of dots.

Solution Steps (5)
  1. 1
    Identify groups in Image 1
    →See 3 distinct groups of dots
  2. 2
    Count dots per group
    →Each group has 5 dots
  3. 3
    Skip count by 5 for Image 1
    →5, 10, 15 - total is 15 dots
  4. 4
    Identify groups in Image 2
    →See 5 distinct groups of dots
  5. 5
    Skip count by 5 for Image 2
    →5, 10, 15, 20, 25 - total is 25 dots

Sample Response

Sample response:

  • 15: I saw 3 groups of 5.
  • 25: I saw 5 groups of 5.
Activity Synthesis (Teacher Notes)
  • “What pattern did you see first, and how did this help you figure out the total?” (I saw that the dots were in groups of 5. This helped me because I know how to count by 5.)
  • Consider asking:
    • “Did anyone see the dots the same way but would explain it differently?”
    • “Does anyone want to add an observation to the way _____ saw the dots?”
Standards
Building Toward
  • 3.MD.3·Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step "how many more" and "how many less" problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs. <em>For example, draw a bar graph in which each square in the bar graph might represent 5 pets.</em>
  • 3.MD.B.3·Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step “how many more” and “how many less” problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs. <span>For example, draw a bar graph in which each square in the bar graph might represent 5 pets.</span>

15 min

20 min