Charts and data
Grade 3 · Math
Explore numbers, spot patterns and explain how you worked it out.
Choose a game
Take your time, try a game and collect stars.
Reading bar charts with scales
Read bar charts with scales in 2s, 5s and 10s, even when a bar stops between two marks.
Play Reading bar charts with scalesHow many more? How many fewer?
Find the difference between two values in a chart to answer 'how many more?' and 'how many fewer?'.
Play How many more? How many fewer?
Learning about charts and data
These Grade 3 Math games practice Reading bar charts with scales, How many more? How many fewer?. Choose a game above for a short activity, or explore the examples below before you play. The full guide for each game explains its controls, gives more examples and includes a free printable for practice away from the screen.
Talk it through
Use counters, a drawing or a number line before moving to a mental method. Ask your child to explain a choice, then change one number and try the method again.
Ask: “How could you show the same answer another way?” Give your child time to explain. Return to an example after playing and ask whether they would approach it differently.
Reading bar charts with scales
In this game children read the value of a bar from its scale, including bars that stop halfway between two marked numbers. Working out what each gap on the scale stands for is the key skill.
Try an example: The scale goes up in 2s. The bar stops halfway between 6 and 8.
Halfway between 6 and 8 is 7.
Show the answer
7
What to look out for
Assuming every scale goes up in 1s. Read two marked numbers next to each other and find the difference before reading any bar.
How many more? How many fewer?
In this game each card gives two values from a chart, and children match it to the difference. Whether the question says 'more' or 'fewer', the answer is the gap between the two numbers.
Try an example: Cats 14, dogs 9: how many more cats than dogs?
14 − 9 = 5.
Show the answer
5
What to look out for
Adding the two numbers together. Ask: is the question asking for a total or for a gap? 'More' and 'fewer' mean a gap.
Practice away from the screen
- Look at bar charts in leaflets or on food packets and ask what the scale goes up in.
- Compare the number of red and blue candies in a packet and ask how many more.
Curriculum connections
Reading bar charts with scales
Supports part of Common Core 3.MD.B.3: scaled picture graphs and bar graphs (called bar charts in this game). This focused game does not cover the entire standard.
Common Core connection: 3.MD.B.3. This is focused practice for part of the standard.
How many more? How many fewer?
Supports part of Common Core 3.MD.B.3: solving "how many more" and "how many less" problems using scaled bar graphs. This focused game does not cover the entire standard.
Common Core connection: 3.MD.B.3. This is focused practice for part of the standard.
Questions families ask
Where should we start with charts and data?
Start with Reading bar charts with scales. Look at the worked example together, then try a round. If the task feels unfamiliar, use the full game guide or its free printable before trying again.
Does this cover everything taught at this level?
No. These games provide focused practice. Grade suggestions do not replace your school’s curriculum, and any Common Core connection applies only to the skill described.