Chores vocabulary and polite questions
A chore is a small job at home. Common chores: wash the dishes, sweep the floor, cook dinner, water the plants, take out the rubbish, fold clothes.
Ask politely: Excuse me, can I ask you a question? How many chores do you do every day? Which chores do you do? Say thank you at the end.
Doing the survey
- Write one clear question: "How many chores do you do each week?"
- Make a table with names in the first column and tally marks in the second.
- Ask the same question to every person, in the same words.
- Draw one mark for each answer. Draw four lines and a fifth line across them for every group of five.
- Count the marks and write the total.
Reporting results
Use full sentences with numbers and comparing words:
- Mum does the most chores: five a day.
- Dad does more chores than I do.
- I do the fewest chores: only two.
- Out of 14 chores, Mum does 5. That is about one third.
Say what you found first, then give the numbers, then say what you think about it. For example: "I think we should share chores more fairly."
Try it
Ask five people in your family or class: "How many chores do you do each day?" Write the numbers. Draw a bar or stack of blocks for each person. Then say one sentence: "___ does the most chores."
Key formulas and definitions
- Survey = same question + many people
- Tally: |||| with a line across = 5
- Total = add all the marks
- the most / the fewest = biggest / smallest number
- more ... than = compare two people
Worked examples
1. Mum 5, Dad 3, Me 2, Sister 4. Who does the most chores?
Mum, because 5 is the biggest number. Report: "Mum does the most chores: five."
2. Using the same numbers, who does the fewest chores?
I do (Me), with 2 chores. Report: "I do the fewest chores."
3. Write a comparing sentence for Dad (3) and Sister (4).
"My sister does more chores than Dad." or "Dad does fewer chores than my sister."
Common mistakes
- Asking each person a different question, so the answers cannot be compared.
- Forgetting to cross the fifth tally mark, which makes counting slow.
- Writing only numbers in the report and not a full sentence.
- Saying "the most" for a tie without checking the numbers again.