Sorting into categories (age 6+)
Interpret categorical data by asking and answering questions about totals, how many in each category, and how many more or less one category has than another
What a learner can do afterwards
- Answer 'how many?' for each category in a data set
- Calculate the total number of data points across all categories
- Compare two categories using 'how many more/fewer' language
The lesson
Once things are sorted into groups, you can ask questions about them. How many are in each group? How many are there all together? How many more are in one group than another?
Look at the chart. Chocolate: 5 kids. Vanilla: 7 kids. Strawberry: 3 kids. To find how many kids in all, add every group: 5 + 7 + 3 = 15.
To find how many more one group has than another, subtract the smaller number from the bigger one. Vanilla (7) minus strawberry (3) is 4, so 4 more kids chose vanilla.
Read each category's number, add them all for the total, and subtract to compare.
Watch it
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.