Teacher guide · Curious Lab · Medium · about 32 min

📊 Bar Chart Detectives

Pupils practise problem solving and curiosity through "Bar Chart Detectives": Read tallies and bar charts.

Lesson guide

1. 1. Hook · 5 min

   Show the 📊 mission title and read the opening: "A tally shows |||| |||. How many?". Take three quick guesses.

2. 2. Model · 5 min

   Think aloud through the first step together. Use Sniff the Beagle's line as your prompt: "Great question! Ready to dig one layer deeper? Pick your next mission below."

3. 3. Do · 10 min

   Pairs work through the 4 steps on screen or on the printed sheet. Circulate and ask "why?"

4. 4. Discuss · 10 min

   Use two or three of the discussion questions. Ask pairs to share different answers, not just correct ones.

5. 5. Reflect · 5 min

   Exit ticket: one sentence on how they used problem solving today.

Discussion questions

• What was the hardest choice in "Bar Chart Detectives", and why?
• A tally shows |||| |||. How many — explain your reasoning to a partner.
• Bar for cats reaches 12, dogs 9. How many more cats — explain your reasoning to a partner.
• The tallest bar shows the… — explain your reasoning to a partner.
• Where could you use problem solving outside school this week?
• If you did this again, what would you change?

Adapting it

Support: Read prompts aloud, pair with a confident partner, and accept spoken or drawn answers for writing steps.

Stretch: Ask pupils to create their own extra step for a partner and explain the correct answer.

Curriculum links

• National Curriculum: Maths: number, calculation, fractions and reasoning (KS1/KS2)
• National Curriculum: Science: working scientifically — asking questions and observing
• National Curriculum: Geography/History: enquiry and using sources
• PSHE: Living in the wider world: media literacy and checking information