- Definition
This is when one picture or symbol stands for more than one item. For example, one drawing of a car might actually mean five cars.
On a pictograph where one apple symbol stands for 10 apples picked, three symbols means 30 apples were picked.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: Many-to-one correspondence is like when one sticker on a chore chart stands for five times you made your bed.
Ask your child: On this chart, what does one little picture of a book mean?
Common mix-up: Kids might assume one picture always means one thing. The key is to check the legend to see what group size each symbol represents.
Examples
- Using one dime to represent the value of 10 pennies.
- Making a tally mark group (four lines with a slash) to stand for the number 5.
many-to-one correspondence is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
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 ↗
