How to Create a Bar Graph From a Table With a Tally Marks Worksheet

A tally marks worksheet is a worksheet that has a list of categories in a table, along with a number of tally marks indicating how many items are in each category. The tally marks are usually placed in one column, with the name of the categories in a second column. A bar graph is a visual representation of a tally marks worksheet: the heights of each bar in the chart correspond with the number of tally marks for that category on the worksheet.

Instructions

1

Draw a horizontal line on your paper, toward the bottom of the paper. The line should stretch almost all the way across the paper, leaving a 1-inch margin on either side.

2

Draw a vertical line on your paper, toward the left of the paper. The vertical line should start at the far left edge of the horizontal line and extend upward. Leave a 1-inch margin at the top of the paper.

3

Divide the horizontal line into equal sections, according to how many categories you have in your tally marks table. For example, if you have four categories, divide the horizontal line into quarters.

4

Label each section of the horizontal line with one category from the tally marks table.

5

Draw a scale on your vertical axis, according to the frequency of your tally marks table. For example, if you have tally marks ranging from 0 to 10, draw a scale of 0 to 10 on your vertical axis. The "0" is traditionally placed at the bottom of the scale and the highest number at the top.

6

Use the tally marks in the table to draw a bar for each category. For example, if category 1 has 10 tally marks, draw a bar in the category 1 area, extending from the base of the category area on the horizontal line to a height that corresponds with 10 tally marks on the vertical axis.

7

Color in each category with a different color.