Concrete and Pictorial Graphs
A graph is a tool for answering a question. This is the most important thing students should learn about data in Kindergarten. Before making a graph, there must be a real question: 'How did you get to school today?' 'What is your favourite fruit?' 'Which colour of linking cube do we have the most of?' The graph exists to answer that question — and mathematical discussion of what it shows is as important as making it.
Concrete graphs first
The most powerful first graph is one where students ARE the data. 'If you walked to school, stand here. If you came by bus, stand here.' Now students can see the graph — they are the bars. This concreteness makes abstract graph concepts (category, comparison, total) fully visible and discussible.
Pictorial graphs
From concrete graphs, students move to pictorial graphs: each student draws or stamps a picture in a square on a grid. The grid structure ensures columns are aligned so comparisons are easy. Reading a pictorial graph requires students to count, compare (more/fewer), and combine (altogether) — connecting data to number skills.
Mathematical discussion is the point
The BC curriculum emphasises that creating graphs provides 'opportunities for mathematical discussions.' A graph without discussion is just decoration. The discussion is where the mathematics lives: 'More people walked than took the bus. The difference is 3. What does that tell us about our school?' These are the conversations of statistical thinking.