How to Collect Data and Make Pictographs

Scratch Garden

This engaging animated video introduces young learners to the fundamental concepts of data collection and representation. Hosted by a quirky red character from Scratch Garden, the lesson guides students through two distinct methods of gathering information: observation and surveying (asking questions). The video uses clear, humorous examples—counting the host's colorful siblings and polling them about their favorite bugs—to demonstrate how data is not just numbers, but a way to understand the world around us. The content covers essential early math skills including counting, using tally marks, and creating pictographs. It explicitly teaches the mechanics of drawing tally marks (grouping by fives) and shows how to translate raw data tables into visual graphs. The narrative progresses from simple counting to comparative analysis, asking students to interpret the data they have collected by identifying the "most popular" and "least popular" categories, as well as performing basic calculations like determining the difference between two values. For educators, this video serves as an excellent anchor for a unit on measurement and data. Its pacing allows for interactive pausing, where students can count along or predict answers. The dual focus on 'observing' versus 'asking' helps distinguish between objective data collection and opinion-based surveys, providing a solid foundation for scientific inquiry and mathematical reasoning in K-2 classrooms.