Level 2 · Ages 8–11
Read it again any time, including while you work through the exercises.
Imagine your class votes for its favourite animal: 8 votes for cats, 12 for dogs, 5 for fish. A list of numbers can be read, but it cannot be SEEN. A bar chart turns these numbers into towers of different heights: the taller the bar, the bigger the quantity. At a glance, you can see who wins.
To read a bar chart, first spot what each bar stands for (cats, dogs...), then look at how high it rises on the scale. The height of the bar gives you the number. Watch the scale carefully: sometimes it goes up by 1, sometimes by 2 or by 5.
A pictogram tells the same story, but with pictures. One symbol (a star, an apple, a book) stands for a fixed quantity, given in the key. If one star is worth 2 books, then 3 stars are worth 6 books. And half a symbol? It is worth half: half a star is worth 1 book.
The classic trap: counting the symbols instead of computing the quantity. 4 apples in a row does not always mean 4 fruits! If the key says one apple is worth 5 fruits, that makes 4 × 5 = 20 fruits. ALWAYS read the key before answering.
A bar chart shows the class's favourite animals: the cats bar rises to 8, the dogs bar to 12. How many more votes do dogs get than cats?
chiens = 12, chats = 8
I read the height of each bar on the scale.
12 - 8 = 4
To compare, I work out the difference between the two heights.
Result: Dogs get 4 more votes than cats.
In a pictogram, one book symbol is worth 2 books read. Lea's row shows 3 symbols and half a symbol. How many books has Lea read?
3 × 2 = 6
I read the key: each symbol is worth 2 books. So three symbols are worth 6 books.
demi-symbole = 2 ÷ 2 = 1
Half a symbol is worth half of 2, that is 1 book.
6 + 1 = 7
I add everything: 6 books plus 1 book.
Result: Lea has read 7 books.