5 kids with technology on grassy lawn

Tally Time

Empowered Learner, Computational Thinker

Overview

In this lesson, students will use a tally mark tool to learn how to count and represent numbers with tally marks. They will also practice representing and interpreting data in a tally chart through a variety of online activities.

Students will:

  • Be able to represent numbers using tally marks.

  • Be able to identify numbers that are represented by tally marks.

  • Be able to represent and interpret data that is shown in a tally chart.

Vocabulary Words:

  1. Tally Mark: A tally mark is a short vertical line used to count items one at a time, with every fifth line drawn diagonally across the previous four to form groups (bundles) of five that are easy to count. (from www.mathwords.com)
  2. Bundle: A bundle is a group of a specified number of items. When working with tally marks, we make bundles (or groups) of five by drawing the fifth line diagonally across the previous four lines.
  3. Data: Data is information. It is a collection of facts, numbers, or measurements gathered by observing, counting, or measuring things. (from www.mathwords.com)
  4. Tally Chart: A tally chart is a simple, visual method for recording data. It is used to record and count occurrences of items or events. A tally mark is used in the chart to represent each time a piece of information is observed. (from www.learningstreet.co.uk/articles/what-is-a-tally-chart/ and www.splashlearn.com/math-vocabulary/algebra/tally-table)

To prepare for this lesson:

See Accommodations Page and Charts on the 21things4student website in the Teacher Resources. 

Directions for this activity:

  1. Introduce tally marks to students by explaining how to make them and how to bundle them into groups of five. Model how to make numbers 1-10 (or higher depending on age of students).

  2. Explain to students how to represent data with tally marks in a tally chart. Provide examples of tally charts to review and interpret (ask questions about the tally charts).

  3. You could share the following videos:

  4. Guide students through tally mark practice. Have students represent numbers 1-10 (or higher, depending on the students' ages) with tally marks.

  5. Have students make tally marks on a whiteboard or with one of these tally mark tools:

  6. Students will participate in independent practice with any or all of the following games:

  7. You could upload a digital resource to Google Classroom or Seesaw, as well. Such as this freebie: FREE Rainbow Tally Marks Digital Learning Game 

    1. If IXL is used in the classroom, students could be assigned:

  8. 1st Grade Data and Graphs

    • Tally marks up to 10

    • 2nd Grade Data and Graphs

      • Which tally chart is correct?

      • Interpret tally charts

  9. Students complete an exit ticket. There are many different worksheets available here: Tally Marks - Superstar Worksheets

  10. Use this video as a Brain Break at the end of the lesson. 

Different options for assessing the students:

  • Observations
  • Check for understanding

  • Have students complete an exit ticket in Google Classroom/Seesaw or a hard copy. 
    On the exit ticket, students should create a tally chart from the given data and interpret it.

MITECS (Michigan Integrated Technology Competencies for Students): Michigan adopted a state-wide version of the "ISTE Standards for Students" and named them MITECS (Michigan Integrated Technology Competencies for Students) in 2018.

To learn more about MITECS, visit the State of Michigan's TechPlan.org website for definitions and support documents to assist you in the classroom. 

Empowered Learner
1a. Articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them, and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes. 

1b. Build networks and customize their learning environments in ways that support the learning process. 

1c. Use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways. 

Computational Thinker
5b. Collect data or identify relevant data sets, use digital tools to analyze them, and represent data in various ways to facilitate problem-solving and decision-making. 

5c. Break problems into component parts, extract key information, and develop descriptive models to understand complex systems or facilitate problem-solving. 


Device: PC, Chromebook, Mac, iPad 

Browser: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, ALL

App, Extension, or Add-on:

Websites:

eSpark https://www.esparklearning.com/activities/math/animal-counting-tally-marks/

IXL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l09V_1o6YXU

IXL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va_slzMjcgg&t=8s 

Kidmons https://kidmons.com/game/paint-online

Kindergarten Connection https://thekindergartenconnection.com/rainbow-tally-marks-digital-learning-game/

Move and Groove Math https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho83vtTQqyk&t=7s

Softschools.com https://www.softschools.com/math/data_analysis/tally_chart/

SplashLearn https://www.splashlearn.com/tools/tally-marks 

Superstar Worksheets https://superstarworksheets.com/math-worksheets/tally-marks/

Turtle Diary https://www.turtlediary.com/game/tally-marks.html

Workybooks https://www.workybooks.com/resources/virtual-manipulatives/tally-marks 



CONTENT AREA RESOURCES

Read the book Tally O'Malley and create tally charts for the different scenarios represented in the book. Students could also write another scenario for the tally game described in the book.


Draw a picture or insert images into a Google Doc that match a given tally chart.

Gather data through a survey (possibly a Google Form) and represent the data in a tally chart. Extend the learning by using tally charts to create picture graphs, bar graphs, and line plot graphs.


Gather data and create a tally chart for a science-related topic. For example, create a tally chart to represent weather conditions over the past month (sunny, rainy, partly cloudy, etc.). This would align with the Michigan K-12 Science Standards for Kindergarten (K-ESS2-1).


Gather data and create a tally chart for a social studies-related topic. For example, students could create a tally chart to represent different individual responsibilities they have at home (taking care of a pet, cleaning up toys, unloading the dishwasher, etc.). This would align with the Michigan K-12 Social Studies Standards for Kindergarten (K – C5.0.1).

Report a bad link, inappropriate content or out-of-date content. 

CREDITS
This task card was created by Stacy DeBoer, DeWitt, MI, May 2026. 


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