- Definition
A "bar" in music is like a small section of a song, marked off by two vertical lines, and it contains a few notes and silences.
On a graph of favorite pets, a bar for 'dogs' that goes up to the number 5 means 5 kids chose dogs.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: A bar in a graph is like a Lego tower you build — the taller the bar, the bigger the number it represents.
Ask your child: Which bar on this graph is the tallest?
Common mix-up: Kids may think the bars are just colourful rectangles. The important idea is that the length or height of each bar represents a specific amount.
Examples
- Using a long bar to show a total amount, with smaller bars inside it to show the parts.
- In a graph about weather, a short bar for 'snowy days' shows there were not very many.
bar is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
+10 more mentions across the curriculum
The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗
