Description

Use M & M Math to entice your students into working on math. Rarely are students not motivated by getting to eat chocolate. This lesson is designed to help teach students how to discover relationships among fractions, decimals, and percent.

Materials

-M & M Math Chart for each student (See attached file)
-M & M Math Rubric for each student (See attached file)
-A fun-sized M & M package for each student
-A paper towel for each student

Procedures

1. Ask students what is their favorite color of M & M.

2. Tell students that they will get to eat M & M's after they use them to work on fractions, decimals, and percent.

3. Open one package of M & M's. Count the number of M & M's and count each individual color. (How many red? How many blue?, etc.)

4. Model for the students how to decide what fraction of the bag was red. (If you have 20 M & M's and 4 are red, the fraction is 4/20 or 1/5.)

5. Model for the students how to decide what decimal part of the bag is red. (To change from a fraction to a decimal, divide the denominator into the numerator. 5 divided into 1 is .2) Remind students that the denominator is the number on the bottom of the fraction, and the numerator is the number on the top.

6. Model for the students how to decide what percent of the bag is red. (To change from a decimal to a percent, move the decimal two places to the right. For the example above, .2 will change to 20%.)

7. Have students work in groups of approximately four students at each table so that they can work together. Each student should do his/her own work and hand in separate worksheets, but it is also nice to work with peers, asking one another questions and receiving formative assessment from each other.

8. Hand each student a package of M & M's. Remind students that they must do the math before eating the M & M's. Distribute the M & M chart and rubric to each student.

9. Instruct the students to open their M & M's, pour them onto a clean paper towel, count them, and then calculate the fraction, decimal part, and percent of each color.

10. Walk around the room helping students as necessary. Encourage students to help their neighbors.

11. Have students complete their charts.

12. Allow students to share their information with their peers at their table.

13. Instruct students to hand in their completed chart to be assessed.

14. Assess the charts. (See Assessment.)

Extensions

Extend this lesson by using the M & M information as data for a graphing lesson.
Make provisions for students who are diabetic or can't eat candy for some other reason.