2.MD.10: Draw and Read Picture and Bar Graphs
Also written as 2.MD.D.10 and CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.D.10 · Cluster: Represent and interpret data.
The Official Wording
Draw a picture graph and a bar graph (with single-unit scale) to represent a data set with up to four categories. Solve simple put-together, take-apart, and compare problems using information presented in a bar graph.
Common Core State Standards, Grade 2, Measurement & Data · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026
What 2.MD.10 Means in Plain English
Second graders graph a survey of up to four categories: 9 dogs, 7 cats, 4 fish, 3 hamsters become four bars on a scale counting by ones, or four rows of pictures. Then they answer “how many more” and “how many in all” from the graph.
First grade handled three categories with tallies and no scale (1.MD.4). The questions are 2.OA.1 situations read off bars instead of a story, and the single-unit scale is the key limit. In 3rd grade the scale jumps to 2s or 5s and one picture stands for several (3.MD.3).
2.MD.10 I Can Statements
- I can draw a bar graph with up to four categories.
- I can draw a picture graph with one picture for each item.
- I can use a bar graph to find totals and how many more.
2.MD.10 Worked Example
A favorite-pet survey drawn as bars, then as pictures, with the two questions a bar graph is built to answer.
The class voted for a favorite pet. Draw a bar graph and a picture graph, then find how many more chose dog than fish, and how many chose cat or hamster.
- Tally the votes into four categories.Dog 9, Cat 7, Fish 4, Hamster 3
- Draw the bar graph: one bar per category, a scale counting by ones up the side, each bar as tall as its count.Bars to 9, 7, 4 and 3, scale 0 to 10 by ones
- How many more chose dog than fish? Compare the two bars: the dog bar reaches 9 and the fish bar reaches 4.9 − 4 = 5 more
- How many chose cat or hamster? Put the two bars together.7 + 3 = 10
- The picture graph uses one symbol per student instead of a bar, so the dog row gets 9 paw prints.Dog: 9 symbols, Cat: 7, Fish: 4, Hamster: 3
Check it: Add all four bars: 9 + 7 + 4 + 3 = 23, which is the number of students who voted.
Common Mistakes with 2.MD.10
Bars that start above zero
A bar for 4 drawn from the 1 line to the 4 line, so it looks like 3
Try this: Have students draw the baseline first and color every bar up from it, then check each bar’s top against its count.
Answering “how many more” with the bigger bar
“5 more chose dog than fish” replaced by “9”, the height of the dog bar
Try this: Cover the fish bar’s height on the dog bar with a finger and count only the squares that stick out above it.
Pictures of different sizes
A picture graph where the fish row uses big fish and the cat row tiny cats, so 4 fish look like more than 7 cats
Try this: Use stickers or a stamp so every symbol is the same size, and line the symbols up in a grid.
Where 2.MD.10 Fits
Practice 2.MD.10
Quick Check
- A bar graph shows 8 students chose pizza, 6 chose tacos, 5 chose pasta and 3 chose salad. How many more chose pizza than salad?
- Using the same graph, how many students chose tacos or pasta?
- In a picture graph with one smiley face for each student, the soccer row has 7 faces and the swimming row has 4. How many students are in those two rows together?