Pie charts: what children learn
Year 6 pupils interpret and construct pie charts and line graphs and use them to solve problems. A pie chart shows how a whole is shared, so each sector is a fraction of the whole.
In this game children match sectors to their angles, because a whole pie chart is 360°, and to amounts, because a fraction of the pie is the same fraction of the total. Linking fractions, angles and amounts is the skill being practised.
This topic covers the Year 6 statutory requirement in the National Curriculum in England (Statistics): pupils should be taught to “interpret and construct pie charts and line graphs and use these to solve problems”. Year 6 pupils are usually aged 10–11.
There is no direct equivalent in the US Common Core State Standards. Pie charts (circle graphs) are not a Common Core standard; the angle work links to 4.MD.C.5.
How to play
Pick a card on the left, then the card on the right that matches it. Each game has 6 pairs. Wrong matches are counted as mistakes, and you get three stars for a game with no mistakes.
Step by step
- The whole is 360°. A full circle is 360°, so a pie chart's sectors add up to 360°.
- Fraction of 360°. Half the pie is 180° and a quarter is 90°.
- Fraction of the total. If a quarter of 48 children chose red, divide 48 by 4: 12 children.
- Check the sectors add up. All the fractions together should make one whole.
Worked examples
Example 1: What angle is a third of a pie chart?
Working: 360 ÷ 3 = 120.
Answer: 120°
Example 2: What is a quarter of a pie chart of 48 children?
Working: 48 ÷ 4 = 12.
Answer: 12 children
Example 3: What angle is an eighth of a pie chart?
Working: 360 ÷ 8 = 45.
Answer: 45°
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Thinking a quarter of a pie chart is 25°. A quarter of 360° is 90°. 25 is a quarter of 100, not 360.
- Comparing sectors from two pie charts with different totals. A bigger sector only means more if both charts show the same total.
- Forgetting that the sectors must make the whole. Add the angles or fractions to check they make 360° or 1.
Activities to try at home
- Draw a pie chart of how you spend a day: sleeping, school, play and meals.
- Cut a paper circle into halves, quarters and eighths and label each angle.
- Look for pie charts in the news and work out the fractions shown.
Ideas for the classroom
- Pupils construct a pie chart from class data where the total divides neatly into 360.
- Compare a bar chart and a pie chart of the same data and discuss what each shows best.
- Give a pie chart and its total, and ask pupils to find each amount.
Free printable game and worksheet
The free printable starts with a game sheet, such as a colour-by-answer picture, an answer maze or a secret-code joke, followed by a worksheet. Both use the same checked questions as the online game, and the answers are on the last page. Print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print menu.
Open the free printable game and worksheet
Frequently asked questions
Do Year 6 pupils need a protractor for pie charts?
Yes, to construct them. Year 6 pupils draw angles and use them to build pie charts from data.
Why can pie charts be misleading?
They show proportions, not amounts. Two charts can look the same even if one shows ten times as many people.
Can it be played with a keyboard?
Yes. Tab to a card, press Enter to pick it, then pick its partner.