written by: AJFA
• edited by: Elizabeth Stannard Gromisch
• updated: 1/6/2012
Have your students practice math concepts by estimating how many M&Ms of each color there are in a bag. Students will create a double bar graph and a pictograph as well as practice skills of estimation.
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Need a fun and interactive way to teach graphs? Try graphing candy! Have each student estimate how many M&Ms of each color there are in a single serve size bag. No snacking until the end of the lesson!
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1 bag of M&Ms for each student (Be sure to use non-peanut M&Ms if any students are allergic to peanuts.)
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Before Opening the Bags of M&Ms
Ask students to write down the answers to the following questions before opening their bag of M&Ms:
Estimate how many M&Ms are in the package.
How many different colors are in the package and what are they?
Which color do you think occurs most often?
Which color do you think occurs least often?
Look at your package and one other package near you. Do you think that all of the packages weigh the same? What would be the easiest way to find out?
Estimate how many M&Ms there are of each color in your package.
Create a chart of each color and your estimate of how many there are of each color.
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Open the Bag, but Don't Eat the M&Ms Yet
Sort the M&Ms by color and count how many there are of each color. Chart the actual numbers by your estimates.
Compare your estimates to the actual amounts in the bag.
Compare the amount of M&Ms and colors in your bag to the amounts that other people have.
Why do you think that everyone does not have the same amounts of each color?
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Make a double bar graph comparing the amounts of estimated and actual M&Ms by color. Title it. Use a key to tell what the colors mean (one color for actual and one color for estimated). Label the x-axis with "Color" and the y-axis with "Number of M&Ms."
Make a pictograph for the actual amount of each color of M&Ms. Title the graph. Use the key: one picture of an M&M = 2 actual M&Ms.
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Students can explain the charts and graphs orally and in writing.
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This activity can be completed in a variety of ways:
Each student can use his/her own small bag of M&Ms to create the charts and graphs.
The class can create a chart and graph using a large bag of M&Ms.
Each student can make estimates and a chart using his/her own small bag of M&Ms, and the class can then find the average amount of each color to create one graph.