Surveys, lists and tables: a week of ready-to-teach maths
Five days of lessons for Year 2 Statistics. Print this pack and the week is prepared: each day has a one-page plan and a student worksheet, plus cut-out sort cards, blank tally and table frames, a mini-check and every answer.
Start here: five minutes to Monday
- Skim the week at a glance on the next page.
- Print the five days. Each day is two A4 sheets: a plan and a worksheet.
- Cut out the two card sheets once; they are reused all week.
- Open the free interactive unit on your board. Every plan tells you which picture to show and when.
- Teach straight from the plan. Timings, talk prompts, misconceptions and answers are all on the one page.
No maths background needed
This pack is written for the busy generalist teacher. Each plan explains the idea in plain words, lists the misconceptions children bring, and gives model answers, so you can walk in and teach it.
One day, one lesson
The five lessons fill a week of maths, one lesson of about 50 minutes a day. Run them in order: each day stands on the one before. Every lesson can also split into a short warm-up and a main session if your timetable runs small blocks.
The week at a glance
One lesson a day for a week. Each day stands on the day before, so run them in order.
| Day | Lesson | Children learn and do | On screen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ask a question, keep a list | Ask a survey question with a few clear categories and write every answer in a list, in order | The lunchbox survey |
| 2 | Watch and tally | When you cannot ask, observe and make one tally mark for each thing you see | Watch the gate |
| 3 | Make it and count it | Make data with a small experiment, then let a digital tool sort and count votes | Roll and record; The class clicker |
| 4 | Sort the list into a table | Sort each answer into a relevant category and count; a table is a sorted list | From list to table |
| 5 | Let the table talk | Read a finished table: the most, the total, and how many more | The table talks |
How the week builds
Day 1 asks a question and keeps a list; Day 2 watches and tallies what cannot be asked; Day 3 makes data by experiment and lets a digital tool count; Day 4 sorts the list into a table; and Day 5 reads the table for answers. It builds on tallies and picture graphs from Year 1, and it opens the way to the next unit, where the same table is dressed as different graphs.
Materials for the week (one trip)
- From the classroom: scissors, pencils, this pack printed.
- From home: a die or a coin for the experiment, and a window or gate you can watch for a few minutes.
- Cut out once, use all week: the sort cards, the blank tally chart and the blank table in this pack. No maths equipment to buy.
Dear families
This week in maths, Year 2 learns to collect data, sort it into groups, and show it in lists and tables. We get data four ways: by asking (a survey), by watching (observation), by doing (an experiment), and by letting a device count for us (a digital tool).
Try this at home
- Ask three people one question with a few choices (favourite dinner, best day out). Write each answer down, in order.
- Watch the street for a few minutes and tally how many cars, walkers and bikes go past.
- Sort the socks or the cutlery into groups and count each group. That is a table.
- Find a table at home (a sports ladder, a TV guide, a shopping receipt) and ask it one question.
My data this week
Fill one row a day. Tick the box for how you got the data.
| Day | What I collected | I asked | I watched | How many |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | □ | □ | ||
| Tuesday | □ | □ | ||
| Wednesday | □ | □ | ||
| Thursday | □ | □ | ||
| Friday | □ | □ |
Printed from the free seegongsik Surveys, Lists and Tables teaching pack · seegongsik.com/au/y2/statistics/AC9M2ST01/pack
Ask a question, keep a list
Data begins as a question someone wants answered. Today children ask a survey question with a few clear choices, then write every answer in a list, in the order it arrives — and feel for themselves that an honest list is still hard to read.
We are learning to
- ask a clear survey question with a small set of categories,
- write down every answer, in the order it arrives,
- notice that a plain list is honest but hard to read.
Success criteria
- I can ask a survey question and record every answer.
- I can keep my list in order and skip nobody.
You need
The worksheet, one per child, and a pencil. The board for the class survey question. The survey question strip (cut-out sheet 2) is handy but not needed on Day 1.
Lesson flow (about 50 minutes)
| 10 min | Pick the question Agree one survey question and three categories as a class, such as favourite fruit: apple, banana, grapes. Ask: “What question could everyone answer with one of just three choices?” |
| 30 min | Take the survey Children ask the classmates in their group and write each answer in a numbered list, in order, changing nothing and skipping nobody. Ask: “Someone says a fruit that is not on our list. Do we squeeze it in, or add a category?” |
| 10 min | Read the list back Try to say which fruit won straight from the raw list, and feel how slow that is. Ask: “Our list is honest and complete. So why is it still hard to read?” |
Two half-sessions instead? End Session A once each group has its list. Start Session B by reading a list back and asking which fruit seems to be winning.
Watch for these ideas
- Asking one or two friends and calling it the class answer: a survey asks everyone in scope.
- Tidying an answer while writing it, so the list stops being a faithful record.
- Thinking a long list in arrival order is the finished answer; it is honest but hard to read, which is why sorting comes next.
Answers
- On the class list: twelve children answered in all; the 4th answer is grapes.
- Sorted, the list is apple 4, banana 5, grapes 3. Banana is winning, but the list makes you count to see it.
- The own survey varies: check every answer is written in order and nobody was skipped or changed.
Ask it and keep a list
A survey is asking, written down. Read the list a class made, then run your own survey.
A list this class made
A Year 2 class asked, “Which fruit do you like best?” Here are the answers, in the order the children gave them:
banana, apple, banana, grapes, apple, banana, apple, grapes, banana, apple, banana, grapes
Read the list
How many children answered in all? ____
Write the 4th answer on the list: ____
Is it quick to see which fruit won? Yes □ No □
How do you know?
Now run your own survey
Ask 6 classmates your own question. Write each answer in order, and change nothing.
My question: ______________________________________________
| Ask | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| 6 |
Draw it
Draw the fruit, or the thing, that the most people chose in your survey.
Watch and tally
Some data cannot be asked for — a car will not fill in a survey. Today children learn to observe: to watch what happens and make one tally mark for each thing they see, as they see it, then read the tally by counting in fives.
We are learning to
- decide when to watch instead of ask,
- make one tally mark for each thing I observe,
- count a tally in groups of five.
Success criteria
- I can tally what I see, as I see it.
- I can read a tally by counting in fives.
You need
The worksheet, one per child, and a pencil. The blank tally chart (cut-out sheet 2) for pairs. A window or gate you can watch for a few minutes, or use the printed arrivals on the worksheet.
Lesson flow (about 50 minutes)
| 10 min | You cannot ask a car Talk about things you must watch, not ask: cars, birds, the weather. Show the tally mark, and how the fifth mark crosses the four like a gate. Ask: “How would you find out how many buses pass, if a bus will not answer you?” |
| 30 min | Tally the arrivals Using the printed arrivals, or a real window, make one mark per arrival in the right row: walk, car, bus, bike. Ask: “You looked down to write, and two children walked in. What happened to your count?” |
| 10 min | Count the fives Total each row by counting the groups of five, then the ones left over. Ask: “Which way of travelling was most common? How do the fives help you say it quickly?” |
Two half-sessions instead? End Session A once the tally is made. Start Session B by counting the fives and naming the most common way.
Watch for these ideas
- Trying to ask a car or a bus a question instead of simply watching it arrive.
- Missing an arrival while writing the last mark: an arrival missed is a number quietly wrong.
- Forgetting the fifth mark crosses the group of four, so the fives are hard to count later.
Answers
- On the printed arrivals: walk 6, car 4, bus 2, bike 2.
- Fourteen children arrived in all. The most common way was walking.
- Counting in fives: walk is one group of five and one more; nobody drove and walked at once, so the counts add to 14.
Watch the gate and tally
You cannot ask a car. You watch, and you make a mark for each arrival, as it happens.
Arrivals at the gate
Here are the first 14 children to arrive this morning, in the order they came:
car, walk, walk, bus, car, walk, bike, walk, car, bus, walk, bike, car, walk
Make one tally mark for each arrival in the right row. Then count each row.
| Way to school | Tally | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Walk | ||
| Car | ||
| Bus | ||
| Bike | ||
| Total | Add the counts |
Read your tally
Which way was most common? ____
How many children arrived in all? ____
Make it and count it
Two more doors to data. An experiment is data you make yourself: nobody can survey a die, so you roll it. A digital tool records, sorts and counts in the same instant. Under both, the table is the same as ever: one category, one count.
We are learning to
- make my own data with a small experiment,
- record every result, even the dull ones,
- see that a digital tool sorts and counts the same data for me.
Success criteria
- I can run an experiment and record each result.
- I can explain what a digital tool did for me.
You need
The worksheet, one per child, and a pencil. A die per pair, or a coin. The board runs the on-screen clicker; no other equipment is needed.
Lesson flow (about 50 minutes)
| 10 min | Make some data You cannot ask a die a question. Roll one a few times as a class and record each result on the board. Ask: “The data did not exist a moment ago. Where did it come from?” |
| 30 min | Roll and record, then vote Pairs roll a die twelve times and tally the faces. Then the class votes on a favourite using the on-screen clicker. Ask: “Should we write down the boring rolls too? What happens to our table if we skip them?” |
| 10 min | Same table, two tools Put the pencil tally beside the clicker. Both finish as one category with one count. Ask: “The clicker was faster. What did it still have to do that our pencil did?” |
Two half-sessions instead? End Session A after rolling and recording. Start Session B with the clicker vote and the compare.
Watch for these ideas
- Writing down only the exciting rolls and skipping the dull ones: then it is a story, not an experiment.
- Thinking the die remembers, so a six is somehow due next.
- Trusting the clicker total without seeing that it counted one category at a time, exactly as a pencil tally does.
Answers
- On the printed rolls: face 1 once, 2 twice, 3 once, 4 five times, 5 once, 6 twice. Twelve rolls in all; face 4 came up most, five times.
- Clicker lunch votes: 8 + 6 + 5 = 19 votes in all; the tool put pie in first place.
- The own experiment varies: check all ten rolls are recorded, including the repeats.
Roll, record, and let the tool count
Some data you make yourself. You cannot ask a die, so you roll it and record what lands.
Roll and record
Kim rolled a die 12 times. Here are the faces, in order:
4, 2, 6, 4, 1, 4, 5, 2, 4, 3, 6, 4
Make a tally for each roll, then count.
| Face | Tally | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||
| 2 | ||
| 3 | ||
| 4 | ||
| 5 | ||
| 6 |
Which face came up most? ____ How many times? ____
Let the tool count
A class clicker counted the votes for favourite lunch. It sorted and counted them for you: pie 8, wrap 6, sushi 5.
How many votes in all? ____
Which lunch did the tool put in first place? ____
Now make your own data
Roll a die 10 times. Make a tally mark for each roll in the right row.
| Face | Tally |
|---|---|
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| 6 |
Sort the list into a table
A table is a sorted list with the counting already done. Sorting means choosing the categories the question actually cares about, so every answer has exactly one home. When the last answer lands, the table reads itself: category beside count.
We are learning to
- choose categories the question cares about,
- sort each answer into exactly one category,
- turn a sorted list into a table with counts.
Success criteria
- I can sort a list into relevant categories.
- I can write the count beside each category.
You need
The worksheet, one per child, and a pencil. The sort cards and the blank table frame (cut-out sheets 1 and 2). Scissors, if the cards are not yet cut.
Lesson flow (about 50 minutes)
| 10 min | A messy pile Show an unsorted list, or tip out the pile of sort cards. It is complete, yet you cannot read it. Ask: “Everything is here. So why can we still not say which one was most?” |
| 30 min | Sort into a table Choose the categories the question cares about, sort each card or answer into exactly one, then count each category. Ask: “One answer fits no category. Did we sort it wrong, or did we choose the wrong categories?” |
| 10 min | The table reads itself Write the count beside each category and read the finished table aloud. Ask: “The pile is empty and the table is full. What did sorting give us that the list did not?” |
Two half-sessions instead? End Session A once the pile is sorted. Start Session B by counting each category and reading the table.
Watch for these ideas
- Choosing categories the question does not care about, such as shirt colour instead of pet, so answers fit nowhere.
- Losing an answer, or counting one answer twice, while sorting the pile.
- Writing the categories but forgetting to count them: a table needs both.
Answers
- Sorted: dog 6, cat 4, fish 2, bird 1.
- Thirteen children answered in all; dog was chosen most.
- The table is easier to read because it is sorted into categories with the counting done: category beside count.
Sort the list into a table
A list is honest but hard to read. Sort it into a table, and the counting is done for you.
A messy list
A class wrote their favourite pet in a list, in the order they answered:
dog, cat, dog, dog, fish, cat, dog, bird, cat, dog, fish, cat, dog
Sort the list into the table. Make a tally for each answer, then write the count.
| Pet | Tally | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Dog | ||
| Cat | ||
| Fish | ||
| Bird | ||
| Total | Add the counts |
Read your table
Which pet did the most children choose? ____
How many children answered in all? ____
Why is the table easier to read than the list?
Let the table talk
The table is where the week pays off. Which was most common, how many in all, how many more of one than another — each question is answered by numbers already sitting in plain sight, with no recount needed.
We are learning to
- read the most and the least from a table,
- add the counts to find how many in all,
- find how many more of one than another.
Success criteria
- I can answer questions straight from a table.
- I can find a difference without recounting.
You need
The worksheet, one per child, and a pencil. The board for the finished table and the class quiz.
Lesson flow (about 50 minutes)
| 10 min | Question a table Put a finished table on the board, such as the canteen juice table, and practise reading a single number from it. Ask: “The answer to which juice won is already written here. Where is it?” |
| 30 min | The three questions Children answer the most, how many in all, and how many more, reading straight from the table. Ask: “For how many more apple than orange, do we add the two rows, or take one from the other?” |
| 10 min | Class quiz Run the on-screen self-check as a class game to close the week. Ask: “Every answer was already in the table. What was the one move we never needed?” |
Two half-sessions instead? End Session A after the most and the total. Start Session B with the difference and the class quiz.
Watch for these ideas
- Recounting from scratch when the count is already written in the row.
- Reading the longest word instead of the biggest number to find the most.
- For how many more, adding the two rows instead of finding the difference between them.
Answers
- Apple is most popular; orange is least.
- 7 + 4 + 6 = 17 children chose a juice in all.
- 7 take away 4 is 3: three more chose apple than orange. In order, most first: apple, mango, orange.
Let the table talk
A finished table has every answer sitting in it. Read the table, then answer the questions.
The canteen juice table
Last week the canteen counted the juice orders and made this table:
| Juice | Number |
|---|---|
| Apple | 7 |
| Orange | 4 |
| Mango | 6 |
Ask the table
Which juice is most popular? ____
How many children chose a juice in all? ____
How many more chose apple than orange? ____
Which juice is least popular? ____
Put the juices in order, most first: ____, ____, ____
Sort cards
Cut out the cards. Lay the four heading cards along the top of a table. Shuffle the item cards into a pile, then sort each one under its heading and count each column. The blank heading cards let you run a survey of your own.
Heading cards
Item cards (shuffle and sort)
Teacher note: sorted, the deck makes walk 5, car 4, bus 3, bike 2, which is 14 cards in all. These are the same categories as the gate on screen, so the floor sort and the picture match.
Blank tally chart and table
Cut out a frame to run any survey. Write your categories down the left, make a tally mark for each answer in the middle, and write the count on the right. Use the data table for the finished counts.
| Category | Tally | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Total |
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Total |
Teacher note: the tally chart is for collecting; the data table is for the finished counts. Both are reused all week and at home.
What we know: surveys, lists and tables
Work on your own. Show your thinking if you can.
- To find the favourite sport in your class, the best way to collect the data is to ____ (survey the class / watch one game / guess).
- Counting how many red, blue and white cars drive past your window is an example of ____ (a survey / observation / an experiment).
- Dropping a coin 10 times and writing down heads or tails is an example of ____ (a survey / observation / an experiment).
- A class clicker is a digital tool. It is handy because it ____ (sorts and counts the votes for you / makes the data up / asks the question for you).
- A tally shows two full groups of five and four more marks. How many is that? ____
- A list of how children travelled, in order: walk, car, walk, walk, bus, car, walk. Sort it into the table: walk ____, car ____, bus ____. How many children in all? ____
- A table shows dogs 6, cats 4, fish 3. Which pet did the most children choose? ____ How many pets in all? ____
- Using that same table, how many more children chose dogs than fish? ____
Answers and marking guide
Answers
- survey the class (ask everyone and write each answer down).
- observation (you cannot ask a car; you watch and record).
- an experiment (the data did not exist until you dropped the coin).
- sorts and counts the votes for you.
- 14 (5 and 5 and 4 more).
- walk 4, car 2, bus 1; 7 children in all.
- dogs; 13 pets in all (6 + 4 + 3).
- 3 more (6 take away 3).
A quick three-level guide
| Idea | Working towards | At standard | Beyond |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collect the right way (Q1-Q4) | names one way to collect data | picks survey, observation, experiment or a digital tool to suit the situation | explains why a car or a coin cannot be surveyed |
| Tally and count (Q5) | counts the marks one at a time | reads the tally in fives to make 14 | skip-counts the fives, then adds the extra marks |
| Sort into categories (Q6) | sorts with the list in view | sorts the list into walk 4, car 2, bus 1 and totals 7 | checks the category counts add back to the total |
| Read a table (Q7, Q8) | reads one number from the table | finds the most, the total 13 and the difference 3 | answers how many more without recounting |
Eight questions, four ideas. A child at standard answers most questions and can say how they know, reading straight from the table.
Weekly class record
Jot a tick as you move around the room; the mini-check fills any gaps. A tick a day is plenty.
| Name | Asks and lists | Watches and tallies | Makes and records | Sorts into a table | Reads a table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The five columns are the five days: ask and list, watch and tally, make and record, sort, and read.