The purpose of this activity is for students to determine whether comparison statements about data are true or false and to explain how they know. Students build on their work with asking and answering ”how many in all?” questions about data and on their work with solving Compare story problems. The statements in the activity are intentionally sequenced from those that invite students to show what they know about determining the bigger or smaller quantity to those that show what students know about determining the difference.

Students are asked to explain how they know whether the statements are true or false. They may use matching techniques to compare the data using the discrete diagrams on the chart provided or they may use objects or self-created drawings.

• Invite 1–2 previously identified students to share.
• Consider asking:
  • “Are there more votes for markers than crayons? How can you tell?”
  • “Are there three more votes for markers than crayons? How can you tell?”
• Display 5 + 3 = 8.
• “Is this equation true? How do you know?”
• “How does the equation match the statement ‘Three more students voted for markers than crayons’?”
• Consider asking:
  • “How does the equation show the bigger amount?”
  • “How does it show the smaller amount?”
  • “How does it show the difference, or ‘how many more?’”

The purpose of this activity is for students to solve Compare, Difference Unknown problems about data that include the language, “more” and “fewer.” Many students may continue to use matching techniques to compare the data using objects and drawings, while others may try counting on from the smaller quantity to the bigger quantity. During the Synthesis, continue to highlight the ways students see the difference in a drawing and relate it to solving an unknown addend problem (MP2). 

• Invite previously selected students to share how they found how many more crayons than makers.
• If no students use letters to represent each object, consider recording:

  • 

  • “How does this represent the markers and crayons? How can we see how many more crayons?”
• “How does represent the problem?”
• Consider asking:
  • “How does the equation show the bigger amount?”
  • “How does it show the smaller amount?”
  • “How does it show the difference, or 'how many more?‘”