Grade 5 Mathematics Data Handling – Data Presentation Notes
Mathematics — Data Handling
Subtopic: Data Presentation (for age 10)
Data presentation means showing information in a clear way so people can understand it quickly. We use tallies, tables, pictograms and bar graphs. Below are simple, step-by-step notes and examples you can use in class or at home.
1. Collecting and recording data — Tally marks
Tally marks are quick marks we use to count. We group by five: four vertical lines and one diagonal across them to make 5.
- Mango: |||| / (write as ||||\u0336 or show as ||||/ ) = 6
- Orange: |||| / = 5
- Apple: |||| = 4
- Banana: |||| / = 5
2. Frequency table
A frequency table lists each item and how many times it appears.
| Fruit | Tally | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Mango | ||||/ | 6 |
| Orange | ||||/ | 5 |
| Apple | |||| | 4 |
| Banana | ||||/ | 5 |
| Total | 20 | |
3. Bar graph (easy to draw)
Bar graphs use bars to show how many. Steps:
- Draw two lines (horizontal and vertical) for axes.
- Write the names (fruits) along the bottom (x-axis).
- Use a scale on the side (y-axis): 0,1,2,... up to the highest number.
- Draw a bar for each fruit up to its frequency.
- Give a title and label the axes.
4. Pictogram (uses pictures)
A pictogram uses small pictures to show numbers. One picture can stand for 1 pupil, or 2 pupils, etc.
Orange: 🍊🍊🍊🍊🍊 (5)
Apple: 🍎🍎🍎🍎 (4)
Banana: 🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌 (5)
5. Reading and answering questions from data
After you present data you can ask questions like:
- Which fruit is most popular? (Answer: Mango, 6 pupils)
- Which fruit is least popular? (Answer: Apple, 4 pupils)
- How many pupils chose Mango or Banana? (6 + 5 = 11)
- How many pupils did not choose Apple? (20 − 4 = 16)
6. Useful tips
- Always give a title for your graph (e.g., "Favourite fruits of Class 5").
- Label the axes and write the scale (numbers on the side).
- Make bars equal width and leave equal space between them.
- Use colours or pictures to make the chart easy to read.
- Check that the total in the table matches the total number of pupils.
Practice (Try these)
- Data: Favourite sports of 15 pupils — Football: 7, Running: 3, Volleyball: 2, Swimming: 3. Make a tally and a frequency table.
- Draw a simple bar graph for the sports above on squared paper. Which sport is most popular?
- Collect data from five friends about how many books they read in a month and show it with a pictogram (1 symbol = 1 book).
- 1) Tally: Football |||||||, Running |||, Volleyball ||, Swimming |||. Table shows totals and total =15.
- 2) Bar graph — Football highest (7).
- 3) Your own data — check each symbol counts correctly.
Use these notes for class work or homework. Teachers: adapt the numbers to your class size. Pupils: practise drawing tallies and graphs — it gets easier with practice!