Minds On

Sorting

Explore the fish tank and answer the following questions:

  1. How many blue tang fish are in the tank?
  2. How many clown fish are in the tank?
  3. How many yellow tang fish are there?
  4. How many angel fish are there?

Throughout the learning activity, record your ideas digitally, orally, or in print.

There is a fish tank with fish. There are 10 clownfish, 7 blue tang fish, 5 angel fish, and 5 yellow tang fish.

Press ‘Answer’ to reveal the number of each type of fish.

There are :

  • ten clownfish
  • seven blue tang fish
  • five angel fish
  • five yellow tang fish

Action

Frequency tables

There is a fish tank with fish. There are 10 clownfish, 7 blue tang fish, 5 angel fish, and 5 yellow tang fish.

A frequency table lists the options in the first column and then has a column to place the tally that is recorded when the question is asked. The third column is for the frequency- the number of tally marks for each option.

Tally marks are organized into groups of five. To make it easier to count the tally marks, the fifth mark in a tally count crosses through the other four marks, as explored in the following image:

A group of four vertical tally marks with one horizontal tally mark across them, and another four tally marks for a total of nine.

Complete the Frequency Table in your notebook or use the following fillable and printable document.

Frequency Table
Fish Tally Frequency
Clown fish
Blue tang
Angel fish
Yellow tang fish

Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Frequency Table. 

Activity(Open PDF in a new window)

Press ‘Answer’ to reveal the filled in frequency table.

There is a frequency table with three columns: fish, tally, frequency.

There are four rows:

  • clown fish, two groups of four tallies with diagonal lines through them and frequency is ten
  • blue tang, one group of four tallies with a diagonal line through them and two more tallies and frequency is sevem
  • angel fish, one group of four tallies with a diagonal line through them and frequency is five
  • yellow tang fish, one group of four tallies with a diagonal line through them and frequency is five
Frequency Table
Fish Tally Frequency
Clown fish 10
Blue tang 7
Angel fish 5
Yellow tang fish 5

Brainstorm

Exploring frequency

Let’s practice creating frequency tables with different objects!

Examine the shapes.

Which shape is the most frequent?

There are 4 cubes, 5 triangular prisms, 2 cylinders, 4 triangles, 7 rectangles, and 1 circle.

Construct a frequency table for the collection of shapes.

To build your frequency table, create a row for each of the different objects. Tally how many of each object there are and then count the tally marks and place those numbers in the third column.

The first object has been completed for you.

Complete the Shapes and Objects Frequency Chart in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document.

Shapes and Objects Frequency Chart
2D shapes or 3D objects Tallies of types of shapes or objects Frequency
cube 4

Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Shapes and Objects Frequency Chart. 

Activity(Open PDF in a new window)

When your frequency table is completed, what can we say about the collection of shapes?

How many shapes are there all together?

How would the frequency table change if we were to sort the collection by pattern?

Which shape is the most frequent? How do you know?

Press ‘Answer’ to reveal the filled in Shapes and Objects and Frequency Chart.

Shapes and Objects Frequency Chart
2D shapes or 3D objects Tallies of types of shapes or objects Frequency
cube 4
Triangular-based prism 5
Cylinder 2
Triangle 4
Circle 1
Rectangle 7
  • There are almost the same number of three-dimensional objects as there are two-dimensional shapes (11 and 12).
  • There are 23 shapes all together. I can count the shapes and I can also count the tallies.
  • If we were to sort the collection by pattern, there would only be two rows: solid and diagonal stripes.
  • All the three-dimensional objects would be solid.
  • The two-dimensional shapes would be diagonal stripes.
  • The most frequent shape is the rectangle.

Consolidation

Independent task

There is a fish tank with fish. There are 10 clownfish, 7 blue tang fish, 5 angel fish, and 5 yellow tang fish.

Create a question of interest about the fish in the fish tank. For example, how many fish have stripes compared to how many don’t have stripes?

  1. How can you sort and organize your data in a frequency table?
  2. What conclusions can you draw from the data you have collected?
  3. What is the answer to your question?

You can use a method of your choice to create a frequency table or you can complete the Frequency Chart in your notebook or use the following fillable and printable document.

Question of Interest:

My conclusions:

The answer to my question of interest:

Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Frequency Chart. 

Activity(Open PDF in a new window)

Reflection

How do you feel about what you have learned in this activity?  Which of the next four sentences best matches how you are feeling about your learning? Press the button that is beside this sentence.

I feel…

Now, record your ideas about your feelings using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.