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CanadaON
Grade 4

Create and interpret column graphs

Lesson

Column graphs help to paint a picture of the data we are looking at, making it visually very simple to compare information. The way we create a column graph doesn't really change, but what we include in it may change, so once you learn how to create one, you can change it slightly for the next time.

Worked examples

Question 1

John had $7$7 blue marbles, $4$4 black marbles, $8$8 yellow marbles, $13$13 white marbles, and $6$6 red marbles. Use this information to complete the bar graph.

  1. MarblesColorNumber of Marbles51015blueblackyellowwhitered

 

Question 2

The table shows the number of people who visited Disneyland between 2008 and 2012.

Year Number of people (in hundred thousands)
2008 $158$158
2009 $155$155
2010 $155$155
2011 $157$157
2012 $160$160
  1. Use the table to complete the chart.

    Disneyland VisitorsYearNumber of People (in hundred thousand)15516016517020082009201020112012

 

Question 3

Miss Yen recorded her students' favourite pets in the bar graph below.

Student's favorite petsPetsNumber of students51015HamsterDogCatFishBird

A bar graph titled "Student's favorite pets" displays the preferences of an unspecified number of students for five types of pets: dogs, hamsters, birds, cats, and fish. The vertical axis is labeled "Number of students" and has a scale that goes from 0 to 15 in increments of 5. Each category of pet has a corresponding bar that indicates the number of students who favor that pet. The bar for Hamster shows a count of 6. The bar for Dog shows a count of 7. The bar for Cat shows a count of 4. The bar for Fish shows a count of 8. The bar for Bird shows a count of 11.  
  1. Which type of pet is most popular?

    Fish

    A

    Bird

    B

    Hamster

    C

    Cat

    D

    Dog

    E
  2. Which pet is least popular?

    Bird

    A

    Cat

    B

    Fish

    C

    Dog

    D

    Hamster

    E
  3. How many students picked a Fish as their favourite pet?

  4. How many students were surveyed in total?

Outcomes

4.DP1.02

Collect and organize discrete primary data and display the data in charts, tables, and graphs (including stem-and-leaf plots and double bar graphs) that have appropriate titles, and scales labels that suit the range and distribution of the data, using a variety of tools

4.DP2.01

Read, interpret, and draw conclusions from primary data and from secondary data, presented in charts, tables, and graphs (including stem-and-leaf plots and double bar graphs)

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