Reading a Picture Graph Where One Picture Stands for One Thing

This is not just for paper. Newspapers and reports use picture graphs because a row of images is understood at a glance. This is worth learning because misreading the key makes every number on the graph wrong. Watch for it today, and when you spot it, tell someone what you noticed and how you knew. Ask yourself where else the same idea might be hiding, then go and look.

You are going to like this one. A picture graph uses small pictures to show amounts. If each apple picture stands for one apple, then a row with six apple pictures means six apples.

Count the pictures in each row and read the label beside it. Always check what one picture stands for before you count, because sometimes one picture stands for two or five, and reading it wrong doubles your error.

Watch out for graphs where one picture stands for more than one thing. If each apple picture stands for two apples, a row of six pictures means twelve apples. The key is small and easy to skip, and skipping it doubles your error. Little by little, this becomes something you just know.