Year 1 Mathematics · AC9M1ST02

Representing and Comparing Data

Collected data can be represented with one-to-one displays where each mark or symbol stands for one response. Frequencies help compare categories

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Learning goalsSay it simply

Collected data can be represented with one-to-one displays where each mark or symbol stands for one response. Frequencies help compare categories.

Learning routine: Use collected data → Make display → Count frequencies → Compare → Discuss

Success looks like

  • Make one-to-one displays
  • Count frequencies
  • Compare categories
  • Discuss findings
  • Use evidence
Key conceptTeach from the board

One symbol means one response

apple: ●●●banana: ●●orange: ●●●●

Because each dot means one person, orange has the highest frequency.

Compare using frequencies, not guesses

mostleastsame asdifference

Use the display to support what you say about the data.

Explain your thinking: Say what each part of the model represents, then explain why the answer or conclusion follows.

Clean visual examplesOne-page board

Clean one-page examples

AC9M1ST02 - Representing and Comparing Data
Example 1

apple: ●●● banana: ●● orange: ●●●●

Example 2

most least same as difference

Example 3

Build a display Use counters to show data with one counter per response. Model: one counter = one vote

Example 4

Compare categories Find which category has the most, least or same number. Model: most / least / equal

Curriculum examplesCurriculum examples

These curriculum examples extend the central model into varied contexts. They are learning contexts, not extra definitions to memorise.

E1

creating a pictograph with objects or drawings; discussing the possible categories for the pictograph, arranging the objects or drawings into the categories, then reflecting on the chosen categories and deciding whether they were helpful

Try and explain: Make a one-picture-per-child display for four apples, two pears and one banana as favourite-fruit responses. How many pictures are needed?

Answer and teaching point

Seven pictures in three labelled categories. Keep symbols the same size and use one picture for each response.

E2

translating data from a list or pictorial display into a tally chart to make counting easier; describing what the tally chart is showing, by referring to the categories; using skip counting by fives to compare the numbers within each category and explaining how the tally chart answers the question

Try and explain: Convert dog, cat, dog, dog, cat, bird into a tally chart. Which category has the greatest frequency?

Answer and teaching point

Dog has 3, cat 2 and bird 1. Dog has the greatest frequency because it has the most recorded responses.

E3

recognising that when there is no data for a particular category you may choose whether or not to include it in your data display, and use a zero or blank for that category depending on the purpose of the data collection or presentation; for example, creating a birthday calendar for the class and discussing that there are no students born in May and therefore there are no names listed

Try and explain: No child in a class has a birthday in June. A birthday chart includes June. What should its count be?

Answer and teaching point

Zero. No names or marks in that labelled month can show zero, but a written 0 makes the meaning especially clear.

E4

representing data with objects and drawings where one object or drawing represents one data value; describing the displays and explaining patterns that have been created using counting strategies to determine the frequency of responses

Try and explain: One-to-one rows show six circles for walking and four for cycling. How many more children walk?

Answer and teaching point

Two more. Match four circles from each row; two walking circles remain unmatched.

E5

discussing what data frequency means in terms of the total count for a particular category and relating the highest frequency to being the most popular category in the collected data

Try and explain: A vote has art 7, music 5 and drama 7. Is there one most popular option?

Answer and teaching point

No. Art and drama tie for the highest frequency, with seven votes each.

E6

exploring First Nations Australian children’s instructive games; for example, Kolap from Mer Island in the Torres Strait region, recording the outcomes, representing and discussing the results

Cultural safety: Use a community-approved source, name the specific Nation or community where the source does, and avoid presenting diverse First Nations knowledges as one generic tradition. Follow local cultural and intellectual property protocols before inviting community participation.

Read a one-to-one display

Use one symbol for each response and compare category frequencies.

Worked example

A picture display shows four circles for walking to school and two circles for cycling. Each circle represents one child.

Travel to school: each circle represents one child
MethodChildren
Walking● ● ● ●
Cycling● ●
  1. Read the key: one circle means one child.
  2. Count four walkers and two cyclists. Line up the first two circles in each row to compare.
  3. There are two more walkers than cyclists, and six children altogether.

Watch for this mistake: Bigger pictures do not represent more children. In a one-to-one display, count the symbols and keep them the same size.

Try it, then explain

  1. A display shows 3 square symbols for cats and 5 for dogs. One square means one pet. How many more dogs than cats?

    Hint

    Match three symbols from each group.

    Answer and explanation

    2 more dogs.

  2. Two categories each have four symbols. What can you conclude?

    Hint

    Compare the counts, not the labels.

    Answer and explanation

    Both categories have the same frequency: four each.

Questions and answersWith answers

Key idea: Collected data can be represented with one-to-one displays where each mark or symbol stands for one response. Frequencies help compare categories.

Remember

  • Make one-to-one displays
  • Count frequencies
  • Compare categories
  • Discuss findings
  • Use evidence

Quick questions

  • What does one-to-one display mean?
  • Which category has the most dots?
  • How do you find the difference between two categories?
  • State one finding from a data display.

Return to the concept model if an answer is uncertain. Use the model to explain, not just to guess.

Practice and reviewReady for practice
  • Symbols worth different amounts — In a one-to-one display, every symbol must mean one response.
  • Comparing by picture size — Compare by frequency, not by how big a drawing looks.
  • Claim without evidence — Use the data display to support the finding.
Curriculum alignmentStart here

Collected data can be represented with one-to-one displays where each mark or symbol stands for one response. Frequencies help compare categories.

Learning routine: Use collected data → Make display → Count frequencies → Compare → Discuss

Success looks like

  • Make one-to-one displays
  • Count frequencies
  • Compare categories
  • Discuss findings
  • Use evidence

AC9M1ST02: represent collected data for a categorical variable using one-to-one displays and digital tools where appropriate; compare the data using frequencies and discuss the findings

Australian Curriculum Version 9.0

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