Beacon Lesson Plan Library
Lucky Charms Pictograph
Cheryl Carasick
Marion County Schools
Description
Students create pictographs using a breakfast cereal.
Standards
Florida Sunshine State Standards
MA.E.1.2.1.3.3
The student generates questions, collects responses, and displays data in a table, pictograph or bar graph.
Florida Process Standards
Information Managers
01 Florida students locate, comprehend, interpret, evaluate, maintain, and apply information, concepts, and ideas found in literature, the arts, symbols, recordings, video and other graphic displays, and computer files in order to perform tasks and/or for enjoyment.
Materials
-Lucky Charms
-Paper
-Pencil
-Colored pencils, crayons, or markers
-Small, closable plastic bags
Preparations
1. Be sure that all students who are participating can safely eat the marshmallows.
2. Separate the marshmallows from the cereal.
3. Place a small handful of marshmallows into closable bags.
4. Make enough bags so each student has one bag of marshmallows.
5. Make sure the students are equipped with crayons and paper.
Procedures
1. Explain to students that a pictograph is a graph that uses pictures or shapes to represent the data. Discuss the word data and what it means. Discuss ways of collecting data: questions, counting, etc.
2. Tell the students that before we create a graph we have to collect and organize our data. Ask students to think about the cereal Lucky Charms. Ask them what shapes are in the box. Ask them what colors.
3. Tell students that you have taken a box of Lucky Charms and divided it into plastic bags. Ask students what would be one way to determine how many of each shape of marshmallows is in the box. Elicit that if each student counts what they have, we could combine the "data" to get the answer. Instruct the students to organize their lucky charms marshmallows according to the shapes. For instance put all the blue diamonds in one pile and green clovers in another pile, etc.
4. Demonstrate on the overhead or on a chart paper how to set up a pictograph. Show the students that the name of the shape is placed on the bottom of the paper. Write a key for the students so they know that each picture of a marshmallow stands for one marshmallow in their pile. Have each student create the pictograph and circulate to make sure they are correct.
5. Tell students to count the shapes from each pile. Have the students draw their picto graphs according to the numbers of each shape of marshmallows they received in their bags. You will need to demonstrate this for students, then circulate to make sure they have done it correctly.
6. Discuss the results with the class. Allow students to share their graphs and then eat their marshmallows.
7. Ask students what the original purpose of creating the pictographs was. (to see how many of each shape of marshmallow was in the box) Add the pictograph information for students to give them a total for each shape. Ask students if they know of other "data" that could be displayed on a pictograph.
Assessments
Assess students based on the rubric located in the Attached Files.
Web Links
This Website provides educational games based on Lucky Charms cereal. You Rule School
Attached Files
Lucky Charms Rubric File Extension: pdf
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