Understand the idea.
Collect carefully
When a question asks for one choice, make one record for each person's answer. Write or draw it straight away, then check that nobody has been missed or recorded twice.
The table records six cards. Each row tells us one card's colour. Read a row only once when collecting the answers, even when several cards have the same colour.
| Card | Colour |
|---|---|
| 1 | Blue |
| 2 | Red |
| 3 | Blue |
| 4 | Green |
| 5 | Red |
| 6 | Blue |
Sort by one feature
Choose one sorting rule and use it for every card. To sort by colour, put all blue cards together, all red cards together and all green cards together.
Count each group, then check the total. Here, . Sorting moves the same six cards into groups; it does not add or remove cards.
| Colour | Cards |
|---|---|
| Blue | 3 |
| Red | 2 |
| Green | 1 |
See the method in action.
Sort the blue cards
How many of the six cards are blue?
| Card | Colour |
|---|---|
| 1 | Blue |
| 2 | Red |
| 3 | Blue |
| 4 | Green |
| 5 | Red |
| 6 | Blue |
Worked solution
- 1
Find every blue card in the table.
Cards 1, 3 and 6 are blue; the other cards belong to different colour groups.
- 2
Count the three matching cards once each.
Each matching card adds one to the blue count, so there are 3 blue cards.
3.
Check a collection
Six children give one answer each. Your page has only five answers. What should you check?
Worked solution
- 1
Work out how many records there should be.
Six children giving one answer each should make six records.
- 2
Compare the expected and recorded counts.
The page has one fewer answer than expected.
- 3
Check whether a child's answer was missed.
Checking who has been recorded lets us find the real answer instead of making one up.
Check whether one child's answer was missed.
Try it yourself.
Check your understanding
The groups have 3 blue, 2 red and 1 green card. How many cards are there altogether?
Show answer & reasoning
6.
Add the separate colour groups: . All six cards are included once, so the sorted total matches the original collection.
Keep practising
6 worksheet questions
Read the questions online
- Use the card list. How many red cards are there?
Six colour cards, recorded once each. Card Colour 1 Blue 2 Red 3 Blue 4 Green 5 Red 6 Blue - Which cards belong in the green group?
Six colour cards, recorded once each. Card Colour 1 Blue 2 Red 3 Blue 4 Green 5 Red 6 Blue - Each of four children gives one answer. Should the list have four responses or eight responses?
- After sorting 6 counters, a child counts only 5. What should the child do?
- Sort these choices into groups: apple, pear, apple, banana, pear.
- Why should you record an answer as soon as it is given?
Read the worked solutions
- Use the card list. How many red cards are there?
Six colour cards, recorded once each. Card Colour 1 Blue 2 Red 3 Blue 4 Green 5 Red 6 Blue Cards 2 and 5 are red.
2. - Which cards belong in the green group?
Six colour cards, recorded once each. Card Colour 1 Blue 2 Red 3 Blue 4 Green 5 Red 6 Blue It is the only green card in the list.
Card 4. - Each of four children gives one answer. Should the list have four responses or eight responses?
Each child gives one response.
Four responses. - After sorting 6 counters, a child counts only 5. What should the child do?
The total should not change when sorting.
Check for a missed or misplaced counter. - Sort these choices into groups: apple, pear, apple, banana, pear.
Count each of the five choices once.
Apple: 2; pear: 2; banana: 1. - Why should you record an answer as soon as it is given?
Careful recording preserves the actual responses.
It helps avoid forgetting an answer or counting it twice.
Curriculum reference & lesson scope
Australian Curriculum v9 / SA Curriculum 2026
Year 1 categorical questions, response collection, lists, one-to-one displays and comparison of frequencies.
Official curriculum source ↗