Robin Huebner
Erin Taylor
K-8 Math
Lesson Plan: Probability & Statistics (ch 13, 14)
Title: M&M Graphing
Content Areas: Probability & Statistics
Grade Level: 3rd Grade
Materials Needed:
- giant bag(s) of M&M candies (# of bags dependent on # of participating students)
- art supplies
rulers
markers/crayons/colored pencils
pencils
construction paper
- prepared blank bar graphs/pie charts/pieces for a picture graph
- prepared examples of the above graphs
Key Concepts:
- sorting/classifying
- graphing
- interpreting data
- making inferences
- counting
- rounding/estimating
EALR & WASL Connections:
EALR’S:
Communication
1.2 (B2) = identify visual information
Math
- Statistics
1.4 (B2) = organize and display data in appropriate forms (tables/graphs)
(B1) = collect data in an organized way
(B1) = use different measures of central tendency (use “most often” and “middle” when describing a set of data)
- Draw conclusions and verify results
3.3 (B1) = reflect on and evaluate procedures and results in familiar situtions
- Gather information
4.1 (B1) = follow a plan for collecting information
WASL:
Strand 4: Probability & Statistics (PS)
- PS02 (data collection) = identify or describe methods for the effective collection of data
- PS02 (data organization) = organize and display data in numerical and graphical forms
- PS05 (predictions and experiments) = predict outcomes of simple activities and compare predictions with experimental results
- PS06 (collecting data) = collect data in an organized way with classroom based evidence
Goals: Students will be able to successfully sort, classify and graph the colors of their M&M’s. They will learn how to graph the colors in a variety of ways and discuss their individual results compared with the whole group’s results. At the end of the lesson, students will understand how to use probability to help improve decision making skills.
Outcomes:
- create 3 graphs (picture, bar & circle)
- discuss results of data (compare, make inferences)
Procedures:
Introduction/Preassessment:
- Ask students about their favorite candies.
- Introduce M&M’s as a favorite.
“Did you ever wonder how many different colors are in a bag of M&M’s? Or do you wonder how many of each color in a bag?”
- Give them a need to know!
- Introduce graphing as a useful tool to figure out the answers to many questions.
- Tell them about the activity and also that they may not eat the candy until the end of the lesson!
- Hand out personal bags of M&M’s.
- Take one bag and sort in front of the class...after you gather the data ask the students to predict what the class’s numbers may be according to the one example.
- Set the prediction aside for later reference.
Activity:
- students sort their individual bags of candy by color
- record colors on a chart when they’re done
- hand out picture graph materials (M&M colored circles in squares w/ base paper to display them on)
- they create a picture graph of their individual data collected
- form small groups and compare picture graphs
- introduce bar graphs and have the groups make a bar graph including every members’ individual data
- compare group bar graph w/ individual picture graphs
- ask students to round their group data to the nearest tens
- make a class bar graph
- discuss probability
“Given this information, how many red M&M’s would you expect to find in a handful of 20 total?”
- actually grab handful of 20 multicolored candies and find out how many reds
Closure:
- discuss how graphs and data can help with making inferences and decisions
- ask what they learned, or for clarifying questions
- what type of graph did they like the most/ was easiest to use?
- M&M’s are now allowed to be eaten
Post-Assessment:
- Maybe the students can repeat a similar process and graph certain objects at home or outside using a bar graph. Perhaps they could bring the data to class and the T can help with the process of making the graph.
Example: The various colors of flowers they can find
Different types of shoes in the house
Various foods in the house