🧩 Practise Pictographs with Puzzles! 🧩

Reinforce students’ knowledge about pictographs using this sorting activity where students have to use logic and pictograph understanding to match the puzzle pieces together. When they match the pictograph to its corresponding bar graph, word problem and key/scale, they complete the picture!

This pictograph puzzles set contains 6 puzzles each with 4 pieces, and 1 set of instructions.

To prepare, simply print out and cut apart puzzle pieces, then shuffle them to mix them up. Turn the puzzle pieces face-down.

To play, students take turns drawing a card and decide which set to place the correct puzzle pieces with. Suggested to back on cardboard for extended use.

Through this activity, students will demonstrate their understanding that data can be represented with one symbol representing more than one piece of data, and that it is important to read all information about a representation before making judgements. They will also show their knowledge of different types of data displays showing the same information. 

Tips for Differentiation + Scaffolding 

A team of dedicated, experienced educators created this resource to support your graphs lessons. 

In addition to individual student work time, use this pictograph puzzle set to enhance learning through guided maths groups, whole class lessons or as an individual learning task. 

If you have a mixture of above and below-level learners, check out these suggestions for keeping students on track with the concepts: 

🆘 Support Struggling Students

Help students who need help understanding the concepts by providing physical manipulatives to count the many-to-one intervals by skip counting, or by looking at a hundreds chart.

➕ Challenge Fast Finishers

Provide blank paper and scissors, and have students create their own pictograph puzzle for a friend to solve.

🧑‍🏫 Group Lesson 

🏃 Category Sorting Relay Race

Split the class into two teams and have them line up in their groups on one side of the room. Lay the puzzle pieces in a central location between teams, and place six hula hoops around the space.  When you say, “Go!,” the first player in each line will grab a puzzle piece, and place the card face up with the matching puzzle pieces for that graph and fact. Then they’ll run back to their group and tag the next person in line. That player will grab a puzzle piece, run to a hoop, and place their card where it belongs. Play will continue until each group has played all of their cards. The team that has their cards played in the correct order first wins.

Easily Prepare This Resource for Your Students

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or Google Slides version of this resource.

Print on cardboard for added durability and longevity. Place all pieces in a folder or large envelope for easy access. 

Sustainability Tip: Print a few recording sheets on cardboard and slip them into write-and-wipe sleeves. Students can record their answers with a whiteboard marker, then erase and reuse them.

This resource was created by Cassandra Friesen, a Teach Starter Collaborator.

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