Math lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 30 minutes
Read two-way tables
Statistics and probability
CCSS 4.MD.A.2England: Y5 Statistics
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Read two-way tables.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Tally charts and frequency tables
Leads to: the next skill in this area.
Materials: Squared paper for charts, Class survey data, Sticky notes for a live chart, Mini whiteboards and pens, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 4 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Tally charts and frequency tables). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- A tally shows 2 complete five-bar gates and 1 more single mark. What number does it show? → 11Prompt: Each gate is 5 (four marks crossed by a fifth).
- A tally shows 5 complete five-bar gates and 2 more single marks. What number does it show? → 27Prompt: Each gate is 5 (four marks crossed by a fifth).
- A tally shows 4 complete five-bar gates and 0 more single marks. What number does it show? → 20Prompt: Each gate is 5 (four marks crossed by a fifth).
Hook · 3 min
- Take a quick class survey (favorite fruit, travel to school) and ask what the results tell us.
- Share the objective: Read two-way tables. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 7 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Lunch survey — Year 4: school lunch 33, packed lunch 30. Year 5: school lunch 32, packed lunch 15. How many pupils are in Year 5?
- Step 1: 32 + 15 = 47
- Answer: 47
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 6 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Lunch survey — Year 4: school lunch 38, packed lunch 10. Year 5: school lunch 29, packed lunch 25. How many pupils are there in the whole table? → 102Prompt: Find the right row or column.
- A table shows 45 children chose a club: 15 chose art, 16 chose chess and the rest chose coding. How many chose coding? → 14Prompt: The parts add up to the total.
You do: independent practice · 7 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 3 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- Lunch survey — Year 4: school lunch 28, packed lunch 40. Year 5: school lunch 37, packed lunch 20. How many pupils are there in the whole table? → 125Prompt: Find the right row or column.
- A table shows 93 children chose a club: 34 chose art, 29 chose chess and the rest chose coding. How many chose coding? → 30Prompt: The parts add up to the total.
Watch out for
- Forgetting to put data in order before finding the median.
- Reading a bar's height wrongly when the scale goes up in 2s or 5s.
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Tally charts and frequency tables.
- Use concrete materials: squared paper for charts.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/math/grade-4.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder