Our Favourite Things

Active learning helps Senior Infants grasp 'Our Favourite Things' because concrete, hands-on experiences with real class data make abstract ideas like proportions and frequencies visible. When children physically sort, tally, and build charts with familiar materials, they connect abstract symbols to their own experiences, deepening understanding.

• Senior Infants
• Foundations of Mathematical Thinking
• 4 activities
• 30 min–50 min

Learning Objectives

1. Classify data collected from class surveys into distinct categories.
2. Construct a simple histogram using blocks or drawings to represent the frequency of responses.
3. Interpret a pie chart to identify the most and least popular choices within a dataset.
4. Compare the results shown in a histogram and a pie chart for the same data set.

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 30 min·Whole Class

Whole Class: Favorite Color Survey

Pose the question 'What is your favorite color?' and have children raise hands for each option. Record tallies on the board as a class. Draw a simple histogram with colored bars matching the tallest to shortest frequencies, then discuss the most popular choice.

Prepare & details

What is the most popular pet in our class?

Facilitation Tip: During the Favorite Color Survey, circulate with a clipboard to check tallies as children mark their votes, asking each child to explain their choice to reinforce categorization.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Small Groups: Pet Pie Charts

Each group surveys 5-6 classmates on favorite pets using picture cards. Tally results, then fold paper plates into pie sectors proportional to votes and color them. Groups present their charts to the class for comparison.

Prepare & details

Can you put your hand up if your favourite colour is red — how many is that?

Facilitation Tip: In Pet Pie Charts, provide paper plates pre-marked with equal segments to scaffold proportional thinking before children attempt freehand cuts.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 35 min·Pairs

Pairs: Toy Histograms

Pairs list 4-5 toy types and survey partners plus nearby children. Draw histograms on grid paper with bars scaled to votes. Pairs predict and verify the class's top toy through sharing.

Prepare & details

How did we find out what everyone's favourite is?

Facilitation Tip: For Toy Histograms, have pairs stack linking cubes vertically on a grid, ensuring they place each cube directly above the correct toy label to avoid misalignment.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Stations Rotation

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Data Makers

Set up stations for color, fruit, and game surveys with tally sheets and chart templates. Groups rotate, collect data, and build one pie chart or histogram per station. Debrief with whole-class gallery walk.

Prepare & details

What is the most popular pet in our class?

Setup: Tables/desks arranged in 4-6 distinct stations around room

Materials: Station instruction cards, Different materials per station, Rotation timer

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Teaching This Topic

Teachers should approach this topic by starting with familiar categories like colors or pets before introducing abstract graphs. Use guided questions to prompt reasoning, such as 'Why is this bar taller?' or 'How do the slices match our tallies?' Avoid rushing to formal terms—focus on the meaning behind the visuals. Research shows that manipulatives and real data increase engagement and retention for young learners.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like children confidently using tally marks to record votes, explaining why pie chart slices vary in size based on data, and describing histogram bar heights as frequencies. They should answer questions about class preferences using their charts with minimal prompting.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Pet Pie Charts, watch for children cutting slices of equal size regardless of tally counts.

What to Teach Instead

Have students fold paper plates into equal parts first, then label each sector with a pet name. As they place tally marks under each pet, ask them to predict which slice should be larger before cutting, testing their predictions with scissors.

Common Misconception

During Toy Histograms, watch for children counting the number of bars instead of comparing their heights.

What to Teach Instead

Provide a grid with labeled columns for each toy. Have pairs stack linking cubes one by one, saying 'This cube shows one vote for the red car' to reinforce that height equals frequency.

Common Misconception

During the Favorite Color Survey, watch for children treating stickers or names as separate from tally counts.

What to Teach Instead

Ask children to place a sticker on the board for their vote, then immediately mark a tally below it. Discuss how the tally and sticker represent the same choice to connect visuals and symbols.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

After Toy Histograms, give students 3 red blocks, 5 blue blocks, and 2 green blocks. Ask them to draw a histogram showing the blocks' colors, observing if they create bars with heights matching the counts.

Exit Ticket

After Favorite Color Survey, provide a small pie chart with 4 blue slices, 3 green slices, and 2 red slices. Ask students to write one sentence naming the most popular color and one naming the least popular.

Discussion Prompt

After Pet Pie Charts, present a histogram and pie chart showing the same class data on favorite pets. Ask: 'Which chart helps you see the most popular pet fastest? Why do you think that is?'

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask students to create a new survey question and collect data, then design a pie chart or histogram independently.
• Scaffolding: Provide pre-made categories with pictures so students focus on tallying and chart-building rather than generating labels.
• Deeper exploration: Compare two different surveys (e.g., favorite colors vs. favorite pets) and discuss why one might have more variety or patterns.

Key Vocabulary

Data	Information collected about people or things, such as favorite colors or pets.
Tally Marks	Short lines used to count items in groups of five, helping to organize data.
Histogram	A chart that uses bars of different heights to show how many times each answer or category appears.
Pie Chart	A circular chart divided into sections that represent the proportion of each category in a dataset.
Frequency	How often a particular answer or item appears in the data.