Tally Marks

Tally marks are an easy way to count things. You make one line for each item you count. After four lines, you draw a fifth line across them. This makes a group of five. Tally marks help you see totals fast.

How to Use Tally Marks

To use tally marks, draw a straight line for each thing you count. The first four lines go up and down. The fifth line crosses the four to make a bundle of five. Then you start a new group. At the end, you count the groups by fives and add any extras.

Tally Marks and Data

Tally marks are perfect for collecting data. You might use them to count how many kids like dogs or cats. They are simple and work without writing numbers. Scientists and game players still use them today. After counting, you can turn your tallies into a bar graph or chart.

Fun Facts

• Tally marks are one of the oldest ways of counting in the world.
• Some ancient tally marks were scratched into bones thousands of years ago.
• In France, tally marks are drawn as a square with a line through it instead of four lines and a slash.

Did You Know?

Prisoners in old stories are often shown making tally marks on the wall to count the days they have been locked up.