Statistics - Comparison, Sum and Difference - Planning

The Year 4 summer term lesson on statistics revolves around understanding and interpreting data through comparison, sum, and difference. The lesson commences with a recap of what a pictogram is, prompting students to vocalise their understanding. Throughout the session, children are tasked with solving various questions that require them to compare data points, calculate the total sum, and determine the difference between values. The teaching input includes activities where pupils must decipher what symbols represent in a pictogram, such as full and partial circles, and relate these to fractions. The use of multilink cubes is suggested to practically represent the pictogram, aiding visualisation of the data. This hands-on approach helps students to grasp the concept of discrete data representation and the importance of accurate interpretation when answering questions about the data.

The lesson progresses with activities that challenge students to fill in missing data in a table and formulate their own questions based on the provided statistics. They are encouraged to use sentence stems to explain their thought processes and calculations. In a collaborative effort, the class decides on a dataset to collect and record, such as favourite books or foods, and then chooses an appropriate method to represent this data visually, either through a pictogram or bar chart. The lesson concludes with a reflective 'Give me five' activity, where students evaluate what they've learned, the skills they've used, and any difficulties encountered. Differentiated worksheets cater to varying levels of understanding, from simple calculations to determining the value of a quarter of the key in the table. The lesson also highlights potential common misconceptions, such as misreading charts or miscalculating values, and emphasises the importance of times table knowledge for accurate scaling in data representation.