1st Grade · 1.MD.C.4

Tally charts in 1st grade

Tally charts are a quick way to count things by making one mark for each thing. In 1st grade, your child sorts things into up to three groups and records the counts in tally charts and picture graphs. Then your child answers questions such as how many there are in all.

What the standard says

The official Common Core wording, quoted exactly. The plain version follows.

1.MD.C.4 Organize, represent, and interpret data with up to three categories; ask and answer questions about the total number of data points, how many in each category, and how many more or less are in one category than in another.

What it means, in plain words

Data is information you collect, such as the color of each car that drives past your house. Organizing data means sorting it into groups called categories, then counting each group. In 1st grade there are at most three categories, such as red, blue and white cars.

A tally mark is one short line for each thing counted. The fifth mark crosses the first four, so the marks come in bundles of 5 that are fast to count. Tally charts have one row for each category. Picture graphs show the same counts with one small picture for each thing, such as a sun for each sunny day.

The questions are where the math happens. Your child says how many there are in all, how many are in one category and how many more or fewer one category has than another. "How many more" compares two groups. It is often the hardest question for a 1st grader.

Your child should be able to:

Sort things into two or three categories
Make tally marks, crossing every fifth mark
Read a tally chart or a picture graph and say how many are in each category
Find the total and say how many more or fewer one category has than another

Example

For two weeks, a class records the weather each school day: 5 sunny days, 3 cloudy days and 2 rainy days. How many days did the class record in all?

Make a tally chart with three rows: sunny, cloudy and rainy.
Sunny gets one bundle of 5 marks, cloudy gets 3 marks and rainy gets 2 marks.
Add the rows: $5 + 3 + 2 = 10$ .
The class recorded 10 days in all.

Example

A weather chart shows 5 sunny days and 2 rainy days. How many more sunny days than rainy days are there?

Match each rainy mark with a sunny mark. 2 sunny marks get a partner.
3 sunny marks have no partner.
$5 - 2 = 3$ , so there are 3 more sunny days than rainy days.

Where children usually get stuck

Your child makes 7 tally marks in one long row without crossing the fifth, then counts the row wrong.
A long row of single lines is hard to count, and the crossed bundle of 5 looks like decoration to the child.
What helps. Keep a tally at home, such as the forks you set on the table. Say "one, two, three, four, cross" as you draw the fifth mark.
Asked how many more sunny days than rainy days there are, your child answers with the number of sunny days.
The child hears "how many" and reads one row. The word "more" asks for the difference between two rows.
What helps. Lay out two rows of real objects, one row for each category, and ask how many objects in the longer row have no partner.
While sorting a pile of objects, your child counts some twice and skips others, so the totals do not match the pile.
Sorting and counting at once is a lot to keep track of. Nothing marks what has already been counted.
What helps. Move each object into its group as you count it, or cross it off a list, so every object is counted once.

Try four practice questions

Real 1st grade questions from our question bank, easiest first. Answer them right here, check each one, and see a worked solution for any question.

1Warm-up
Carlos made a tally chart to show the toys in the toy box.
Toys in the toy box:
Carlos's tally chart:
Teddy Bears
5
Dice
5
Beach Balls
4
Total: 14
Which row of Carlos's tally chart does not match the toys in the toy box?
A
The Teddy Bears row does not match.
B
The Dice row does not match.
C
The Beach Balls row does not match.
D
All rows match.
Show the answer and how to solve it
The Teddy Bears row does not match. There are 3 teddy bears in the toy box, but Carlos's chart shows 5 tally marks for Teddy Bears.
1. 1Look at the toys in the toy box. There are teddy bears, dice, and beach balls.
2. 2Now look at Carlos's tally chart. It shows a tally row for each kind of toy.
3. 3Check each row. Teddy Bears: 3 in the toy box and 5 tally marks — does not match. Dice: 5 in the toy box and 5 tally marks — match. Beach Balls: 4 in the toy box and 4 tally marks — match.
4. 4The Teddy Bears row shows 5 tally marks, but there are only 3 teddy bears in the toy box. The Teddy Bears row does not match.
Common mistake. A common mistake is to count a row's tally marks too quickly and miss one. Count each tally mark one by one to be sure.
The idea underneath. Each tally mark stands for one item — to check a chart, count the items in each category and make sure the count matches the tally marks.
2On level
The chart below shows the animals in Aisha's yard.
Dogs
Cats
How many more dogs than cats are there?
A
3
B
5
C
8
D
11
Show the answer and how to solve it
The answer is $5$ because there are $8$ dogs and $3$ cats, and $8 - 3 = 5$ .
1. 1Look at the chart and count each kind of animal.
2. 2There are 8 dogs and 3 cats.
3. 3To find how many more, subtract the smaller count from the larger count.
4. 4There are 5 more dogs than cats.
Common mistake. A common mistake is adding the two counts ( $8 + 3 = 11$ ) instead of subtracting. To find how many MORE or how many FEWER, always subtract the smaller count from the larger count.
The idea underneath. To find how many more or how many fewer, subtract the smaller count from the larger count.
3On level
Sam is sorting pictures into three groups: Fruits, Vegetables, and School supplies.
Picture:
Which group does this picture belong in?
A
Fruits
B
Vegetables
C
School supplies
Show the answer and how to solve it
The picture shows a pencil. A pencil is a school supply, so the picture belongs in the School supplies group.
1. 1Look at the picture. It shows a pencil.
2. 2A pencil is a school supply. We use it to write at school.
3. 3So the picture belongs in the School supplies group.
Common mistake. A common mistake is putting the pencil with the Fruits or Vegetables group. A pencil is not a food at all — it is a school supply we use to write.
The idea underneath. To sort a picture into a group, first say what the picture shows, then think about which group it fits in best.
4Stretch
Maya looked at the chart below and said there are 7 more frogs than turtles.
Frogs
Turtles
Which statement best describes Maya's answer?
A
Maya's 7 is one more than the correct difference.
B
Maya's 7 is the count of Turtles.
C
Maya's 7 is one fewer than the correct difference.
D
Maya's 7 is the total of Frogs and Turtles.
Show the answer and how to solve it
Maya's 7 is one more than the correct difference. The correct difference is $9 - 3 = 6$ , but Maya's answer is $6 + 1 = 7$ .
1. 1Look at the chart. There are 9 frogs and 3 turtles.
2. 2To find how many more frogs than turtles, you subtract. The correct difference is 6, not 7.
3. 3Maya said 7. The correct difference is 6. Maya was close but off by one — too high. So Maya's 7 is one more than the correct difference.
Common mistake. A common mistake is to subtract but miscount by one. The correct difference is $9 - 3 = 6$ , not 7. Maya's answer is off by one — too high.
The idea underneath. How many more means subtract — find the difference between the two counts. Adding gives the total, not the difference.