3.MD.3: Draw and Read Scaled Picture and Bar Graphs
Also written as 3.MD.B.3 and CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.MD.B.3 · Cluster: Represent and interpret data.
The Official Wording
Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step "how many more" and "how many less" problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs. For example, draw a bar graph in which each square in the bar graph might represent 5 pets.
Common Core State Standards, Grade 3, Measurement & Data · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026
What 3.MD.3 Means in Plain English
Third graders build graphs where one picture or one square stands for several things. If each square is 5 pets, 35 dogs is a bar 7 squares tall, and a picture graph with 1 star for 2 books shows 7 books as three and a half stars.
Second grade graphs counted by ones (2.MD.10). Picking a scale of 2, 5 or 10 is skip counting and multiplication in disguise, and the questions take one or two steps: add two bars, then compare. The next data standard is the 4th grade line plot in eighths (4.MD.4).
3.MD.3 I Can Statements
- I can choose a scale, like 1 square for 5 pets.
- I can draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph.
- I can find how many more or how many fewer from a bar graph.
3.MD.3 Worked Example
A class pet survey, graphed with a key of 5 pets per square and then asked a two-step “how many more” question.
A pet survey found 35 dogs, 25 cats, 10 fish and 15 birds. Draw a bar graph where each square stands for 5 pets. How many more dogs are there than fish and birds together?
- Choose the scale. Every count is a multiple of 5, so one square can stand for 5 pets. Write the key on the graph.Key: 1 square = 5 pets
- Divide each count by 5 to get the height of each bar.Dogs 7, cats 5, fish 2, birds 3 squares
- Draw the bars and number the side 0, 5, 10, 15 up to 35, one number per grid line, so nobody has to count squares to read it.4 bars on a scale counted by 5s
- Step one of the question: fish and birds together.10 + 15 = 25 pets
- Step two: compare that total with the dogs.35 − 25 = 10
Check it: Compare in squares instead: dogs are 7 squares, fish and birds are 2 + 3 = 5 squares. That is 2 squares more, and 2 × 5 = 10.
Common Mistakes with 3.MD.3
Counting squares instead of reading the scale
The dogs bar, 7 squares tall with 1 square for 5 pets, read as 7 dogs
Try this: Make students write the key in words beside every graph and multiply the squares by the key before answering anything.
An uneven scale
The side of the graph numbered 0, 5, 10, 20, 30, so equal squares stand for different amounts
Try this: Have students skip count aloud while numbering, one number per grid line, and check that every jump between labels is the same.
Dropping the odd one
With 1 star for 2 books, 7 books drawn as 3 stars
Try this: Show half a picture as half the key, so 7 books is three and a half stars, and choose scales that suit the data.
Where 3.MD.3 Fits
Practice 3.MD.3
Quick Check
- On a picture graph, each star stands for 4 books. Maya’s row has 6 stars. How many books did she read?
- Each square on a bar graph is 2 students. The soccer bar is 9 squares and the basketball bar is 6 squares. How many more students chose soccer?
- A bar graph shows Room 12 collected 40 cans and Room 14 collected 25. Their goal together is 100. How many more cans do they need?