In this lesson, students learn the benefits of using different kinds of graphs to communicate information, answer questions, and solve problems as they investigate color distribution in bags of M&M's.
Students will be introduced to the concept of graphing as a way to communicate information.
Not all information is the same. To communicate different kinds of information effectively you need to graph the information in different kinds of charts. Some data collections are better represented by bar charts, for example, while others may be easier to interpret as line charts or pie charts. It is important to select a chart type that gets the message across in the most effective way. There are no sure-fire rules that determine which chart type to select for a particular data set, but there are helpful guidelines. For example, bar charts allow for a comparison of values within a category, line charts emphasize a progression of change, and pie charts show the relationship of a part to the whole.
In this lesson, you will learn how to use charts to communicate information effectively by conducting market research about M&M's. First, you will sort and classify the contents of several bags of M&M's by color, using bags with different weights. What makes this especially challenging is the temptation to eat your inventory of candy. Next, you will record the number of candies for each color and summarize your findings on a worksheet created in a Office Excel. Then you will convert the numbers into several kinds of charts and make predictions about color distribution in other bags of candy. You will analyze your data and present your process and results in a written report.
Follow the steps below to guide your students through this lesson plan. See student guide links at right.
After the lesson, encourage students to use Internet Explorer to visit the M&M's website and take a virtual tour of the factory. They can send email to the company, indicating which colors they like best, which colors they would like to see more of, and which new colors they would like to see in future bags of candy.
Encourage older students to summarize their research findings in a letter to the Consumer Affairs Department, M&M/Mars, 800 High Street, Hackettstown, NJ 07840-1503. Students can use the Microsoft Word Letter Wizard to get started.
Assess students on the following:
Do your students know the population of their town or city? Ask them to guess the population of their country. Now, explore what they know about a national census. Why is it important? Does the law require it? How do they imagine the counting is done?