Beacon Lesson Plan Library
Gummy Bear Sorting
Lore Davis
Alachua County Schools
Description
Students demonstrate knowledge of sorting and classifying by color as they sort gummy bear candies.
Standards
Florida Sunshine State Standards
MA.D.1.1.1.0.1
The student identifies simple patterns of sounds, physical movements, and concrete objects.
SC.A.1.1.1.0.1
The student knows that objects have many different observable properties:-color-shapes (circle, triangle, square)-forms (flexible, stiff, straight, and curved)-textures (rough, smooth, hard, soft)-sizes and weights (big, little, large, small, heavy, light, wide, thin, long, short)-positions and speeds (over, under, in, out, above, below, left, right, fast, slow)
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
-Hutchings, Amy and Richard. The Gummy Candy Counting Book. New York: Cartwheel, Scholastic, 1997.
-A large bag of gummy bear candies (14 oz. or 16 oz.)
-6 Snack-size ziplocks filled with 15 gummy bear candies
-4 Sorting trays (slotted cafeteria trays work great)
-1 Piece of 8 1/2 by 11 inch white paper for each child and one for use in modeling the activity
-A pencil for each child
-Colored pencils or crayons for each group of children to use
Preparations
1. Secure a copy of The Gummy Candy Counting Book.
2. Purchase a large bag of gummy bear candies (14 oz. or 16 oz.).
3. Obtain 6 snack-size ziplock bags.
4. Fill 6 snack-size ziplocks with 15 gummy bear candies.
5. Obtain 4 sorting trays (slotted cafeteria trays work great).
6. Obtain 1 piece of 8 1/2 by 11 inch white paper for each child and one for use in modeling the activity.
7. Locate a pencil for each child.
8. Locate colored pencils or crayons for each group of children to use.
Procedures
SMALL-GROUP INSTRUCTION:
1. Ask children how many of them like to eat gummy bear candies. Tell them that they are going to read a fun book about counting gummy candies.
2. Read The Gummy Candy Counting Book. This book is used as an attention grabber.
3. Have the children count along as you read. Have them tell you what colors and kinds of candies are on each page.
4. Tell students that today they will be sorting gummy bear candies. Pour a bag of 15 gummy bear candies out on the table. Ask the children how they can be sorted (color). Next, have one child at a time choose a color gummy bear and sort them into the sorting tray. Example: The first child might choose red. She would then place all of the red gummy bears into one slot of the tray. The second child might choose green and then sort all of the green bears into another slot. Continue in this manner until all gummy bear candies are sorted.
5. Next, draw a sorting tray on a piece of paper with the same number of slots as the sorting tray used. Have each child draw and color the number of bears they sorted into each slot. Either the child or teacher can write the number of bears in each slot.
6. After sorting all of the gummy bears, ask the following questions:
a. How many red gummy bears are there?
b. How many green gummy bears are there, etc.?
c. Which group has the most in it?
d. Which group has the least in it?
e. How many more or less are there in compared groups? (ex. How many more green than red do you have?)
7. Tell the students that now they will work in cooperative groups of two or three to sort their own bags of gummy bear candies.
GROUP WORK:
1. Have students work in cooperative groups of two to three students to sort a bag of gummy bear candies. They should take turns sorting them out by color just as they did during the lesson. As students work, the teacher should encourage them to answer the same questions as they did during the lesson (What color do you have the most of, least of ...).
2. Each student should then make a record of the sort as modeled during the lesson.
WRAP-UP:
1. Have students return to group.
2. Have each group share their record sheets. The groups could compare their record sheets to show which group had the most/least/same number of various colors of gummy bear candies.
3. After students have finished the activity, collect the record sheets for formative assessment purposes.
Assessments
Students demonstrate knowledge of sorting and classifying by color while using gummy bears and explaining how they classified the gummy bear candies. Students' record sheets are used as evidence that the students mastered the skill.
Extensions
1. After making the record of how each group sorted, students could also write to tell how many of each color they sorted.
2. Students could read a fact book about bears and then write or tell about what they learned.
3. Students could sort pictures of different types of real bears.
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