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40 mins
Teacher/Student led
+65 XP
Teacher-led from the board. Pupils do not need a device, but can follow on one.

Reading a Block Graph: the Tallest Tells the Most

This lesson teaches pupils to read block graphs by counting blocks in each tower. They compare towers to find the tallest and shortest and calculate how many more one has than another using school travel and fruit examples.

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    1 - Getting Started ~3 mins

    A finished block graph is on the board: How we travel to school. The towers are Walk, Car and Bus.

    Hands up: which tower is the tallest? Which way do most of us travel?

    2 - Watch and Notice ~8 mins

    Look at these two block graphs. Watch as we run a finger up each tower and count the blocks together.

    On the travel graph, Walk has six blocks and Bus has two. The four blocks that stick up above Bus are how many more walk than take the bus.

    Which tower is tallest? Which is shortest? How many more does the tallest have than the shortest?

    3 - Try It Together ~5 mins

    Today we read this block graph together: Favourite break-time fruit. The towers are Apple, Banana and Orange.

    Count the blocks in each tower with the class. Which tower is the tallest, and how many votes does it have? Which tower is the shortest, and how many votes does it have? How many more chose Banana than Apple?

    Favourite break-time fruit

    4 - Write the Tallest Tower ~3 mins

    COPYBOOK MOMENT

    In your maths copy, look at the fruit graph on the board. Write three things: the name of the tallest tower, how many blocks it has, and how many more Banana has than Apple.

    5 - Class Challenge ~6 mins

    Read this new block graph together: Favourite lunch. The towers are Sandwich, Pasta and Yoghurt.

    Count the Sandwich tower. Find the tallest tower and read its votes. Find the shortest tower and read its votes. How many more chose Pasta than Yoghurt?

    Read the block graph

    Pupil practice
    Module 11 · Data: Tallies, Pictograms and Block Graphs Data & Chance
    Lesson 118 · Reading a Block Graph: the Tallest Tells the Most
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