Data Collection and Tabulation
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P6 Mathematics - Term II

Topic 6: Data Handling

Lesson 1: Data Collection and Tabulation

Duration: 45 minutes

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

  • Identify different sources of data in your environment
  • Collect data systematically using tally marks
  • Organize collected data in frequency tables
  • Read and interpret simple frequency tables

What is Data?

Data = Information or facts we collect about something

Think about these examples:

  • Teacher recording attendance each day
  • Shopkeeper counting items in stock
  • Farmer tracking crop yields
  • Counting votes in class elections

Why Do We Collect Data?

Data helps us:

  • Understand patterns and trends
  • Make informed decisions
  • Answer important questions
  • Compare different groups or situations

Example: If we know which days have the most absent learners, the school can investigate why!

Introducing Tally Marks

Tally marks help us count quickly and accurately

How tally marks work:

|     = 1
||    = 2
|||   = 3
||||  = 4
/|||| = 5 (we cross the fifth one)

Why Group by Fives?

Grouping by fives makes counting easier!

Example: Count these marks

/|||| /|||| /|||| |||

Instead of counting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7... up to 18,
We count: 5, 10, 15... plus 3 = 18

Much faster!

Practice: Reading Tally Marks

What numbers do these represent?

  1. ||||
  2. /|||| ||
  3. /|||| /||||
  4. /|||| /|||| |||

Answers: Reading Tally Marks

  1. |||| = 4
  2. /|||| || = 7 (5 + 2)
  3. /|||| /|||| = 10 (5 + 5)
  4. /|||| /|||| ||| = 13 (5 + 5 + 3)

Well done!

Class Survey: Travel to School

Question: How do you travel to school?

Categories:

  • Walking
  • Bicycle
  • Boda-boda (motorcycle)
  • Car/taxi
  • Other

Let's collect data from our class!

Recording with Tally Marks

As each learner responds, we make one tally mark:

Walking:    |||| ||
Bicycle:    |||
Boda-boda:  |||| ||||
Car/taxi:   ||
Other:      |

Everyone must be counted once!

What is a Frequency Table?

A frequency table shows how many times each item appears

Three columns:

  1. Category - What we're counting
  2. Tally Marks - Visual count
  3. Frequency - Total number

A table makes data easy to read and understand!

Creating Our Frequency Table

Travel Method Tally Marks Frequency
Walking /
Bicycle
Boda-boda /
Car/taxi
Other
TOTAL 22

Reading the Table: Questions

Look at our table and answer:

  1. How many learners walk to school?
  2. Which travel method is most common?
  3. Which travel method is least common?
  4. How many more learners walk than use bicycles?

Think about your answers!

Answers: Reading the Table

  1. 7 learners walk to school
  2. Boda-boda is most common (9 learners)
  3. Other is least common (1 learner)
  4. 4 more learners walk than use bicycles (7 - 3 = 4)

Tables make comparisons easy!

Steps for Data Collection

Remember these four steps:

  1. Decide what question to answer
  2. Collect data using tally marks
  3. Organize data in a frequency table
  4. Read and interpret the table

Follow these steps every time!

Why Use Tables?

Tables are better than random notes because:

  • Information is organized and easy to find
  • We can compare categories quickly
  • We can see patterns clearly
  • Data is presented professionally
  • Others can understand our work easily

Practice: Create Your Own Table

Given data about favorite fruits:

  • Mangoes: 8 learners
  • Oranges: 12 learners
  • Pineapples: 5 learners
  • Bananas: 10 learners

In your exercise book, create a frequency table with tally marks!

Sample Answer: Fruit Table

Fruit Tally Marks Frequency
Mangoes /
Oranges /
Pineapples /
Bananas /
TOTAL 35

Which fruit is most popular? Oranges!

Real-Life Uses of Tables

Where do we see frequency tables?

  • School attendance records
  • Shop inventory lists
  • Market price comparisons
  • Weather data (rainfall, temperature)
  • Election vote counting
  • Hospital patient records

Data tables are everywhere!

Summary: Key Points

Today we learned:

  • Data is information we collect
  • Tally marks help us count (group by 5s)
  • Frequency tables organize data clearly
  • Tables have three columns: category, tally marks, frequency
  • Tables make it easy to compare and analyze data

Looking Ahead

Tomorrow's lesson:
We will learn to show our data in pie charts

What to remember:

  • Keep today's frequency table - we'll use it!
  • Practice tally marks at home
  • Complete your homework assignment

Homework

Assignment:

  1. At home, collect data on one of these topics:

    • Favorite foods in your family (posho, rice, matoke, potatoes)
    • Types of items you have (books, pens, plates, cups)
    • Weather last week (sunny days, rainy days, cloudy days)
  2. Use tally marks to record your data

  3. Create a neat frequency table with all three columns

  4. Write two sentences about what your data shows

Expected time: 20 minutes