This is my lesson plan I created and taught in a first grade classroom.

1. CI 301 Lesson Plan: Graphing KaitlynM. Ellis
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Subject/Concept: Graphing Data
Lesson Title: Graphing with M&Ms
Grade/Age Level: 1st grade/6-7 yrs. old
Standards:
a. WV Next Generation Standards and Objectives/Common Core
M.1.MD.4 Organize, represent, interpret data with up to three categories, ask and
answer questions about the total number of data points, how many in each category
and how many more or less are in one category than in another. (CCSS
Math.1.MD.4)
b. 21st Century Skills
Information and Communication Skills: 21C.O.PK-2.1.LS.2 Student can accurately
interpret and create simple visuals (e.g. charts, maps, graphs and models) and use
this information to solve problems and communicate information.
Thinking and Reasoning Skills: 21C.O.PK-2.2.LS.2 Student identifies parts of a system
and explains how those parts interact with one another.
Personal and Workplace Skills: 21C.O.PK-2.3.LS.1 Student manages negative
emotions, aligns his/her goals to the goals of others, and works cooperatively and
productively with others in small groups.
c. ACEI Standards:
2.3
 Teacher candidate knows, understands, and uses the major concepts
and procedures that define number and operations, algebra,
geometry, measurement, and data analysis and probability.

2. CI 301 Lesson Plan: Graphing KaitlynM. Ellis
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 Teacher candidate engage students in problem solving, reasoning and
proof, communication, connections, and representation during
mathematics instruction.
3.3- Teacher candidate understands and uses a variety of teaching strategies that
encourage elementary students’ development and use of critical thinking and
problem solving.
3.4 - Teacher candidate uses their knowledge and understanding of individual and
group motivation and behavior among students at the K-6 level to foster active
engagement in learning, self-motivation, and positive social interaction.
4.0 - Teacher candidate knows, understand, and uses formal and informal
assessment strategies to plan, evaluate, and strengthen instruction that will
promote continuous intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development.
Big Idea: Data can be organized and represented in graphs or charts to communicate
information.
Learning Objectives (Students Will be Able to):
1. Interpret data from a graph.
2. Communicate and cooperate with their peers.
Essential Questions:
1. How can we organize data?
2. What can a graph tell us?
Rationale: People interpret information through the use of graphs on a regular basis, whether it
is research or input and output results to predict future outcomes. We base decisions upon
information communicated through graphs and charts. For these reasons, this lesson is
important to teach.

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Discussion Questions:
1. What is a graph?
2. How did you sort your shapes? Why?
3. What does the graph tell us?
4. How can we organize the number of M&Ms we have in our packages?
5. What goes on the bottom of the graph? Side of the graph?
6. What color did you have the most of? Least?
7. Who had the most M&Ms in their package?
8. What did we do with the shapes?
9. How did we sort them?
10. How did we sort the M&Ms.
11. What can we interpret or learn from a graph?
Activating Strategy: I will explain to the students that we will be graphing M&Ms. I’ll ask the
first discussion question to activate prior knowledge and introduce the concept.
Lesson Development:
Exploration:
1. In their groups, students will be given a bag of shapes, which will consist of
two red trapezoids, three orange squares, one green square, and four green
triangles.
2. Students will work together with the peers in their flexible groups to find a
way to sort the shapes.
3. We will discuss as a class how the groups organized their shapes (by different
types of shapes, colors, or sizes of shapes).

4. CI 301 Lesson Plan: Graphing KaitlynM. Ellis
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Explanation:
1. I will introduce how to use a graph to organize the information by drawing a
graph on the marker board.
2. We will discuss the labels of the graph and their importance.
3. I will ask the students what the graph tells us (most of, least of, how many
more of, etc.).
Application:
1. I will ask the students, “How can we graph M&Ms?”
2. As a class, the students will decide where the numbers and colors are
supposed to be written and labeled on the graph.
3. Next, I will pass out the M&M Sorting sheet to each student.
4. I will pass out an individual package of M&Ms to each student.
5. I will permit students to open up the packages of M&Ms and sort them, but
students will be instructed NOT to eat the M&Ms yet. The classroomteacher
and I will assist Gabe and Ethan in organizing the colors and counting the
M&Ms.
6. Each student will be provided the M&M Graphing Activity sheet.
7. Students will graph their M&Ms by placing them on the graphing activity
sheet. I will help Gabe place the M&Ms on the graph in the correct places IF
he is struggling.
8. After students have graphed the M&Ms physically, I will ask the students to
move the M&Ms to the side and color in the number of each color they have
on the graphing sheet with crayons.
9. Students will be asked to write the colors and amount they have the most of
and least of on the back of their graphing sheet with either a pencil or
crayons. Ty, Gabe, and Ethan may need help counting the M&Ms. Ty stuggles
with basic addition. If they do, we will assist by counting along with them.

5. CI 301 Lesson Plan: Graphing KaitlynM. Ellis
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10. I will ask students to find the difference between the most and least and
record it on the back. Many students may struggle with this. For this reason,
we will ask the following questions, “What does difference mean? Do we add
or subtract? What do we subtract?”.
11. Students will also be asked to write the total number of M&Ms they had in
their individual package. Ty will need assistance with counting, so I will help
him add his M&Ms by adding each color group.
Lesson Summary:
1. I will ask students again, “What is a graph?”
2. I will ask the class to remind me what we did with the shapes (how we sorted
them and graphed them).
3. I will ask the students to talk to one another about the process of graphing
the M&Ms (first, we sorted the M&Ms…).
4. I will ask students what graphs tell us.
5. Affirming the students’ hard work, I will allow them to eat their M&Ms.
6. We will clean up the classroomby putting the shapes back in the container,
throwing the M&M packages in the trash, and handing in the graphing
sheets.
Lesson Contingency:
If we have extra time, I will allow students to vote on their favorite animals or
sports and we will create a graph in the classroom. We may do both if necessary.
If we are cut short on time, we will focus on the M&M graphing portion of the
lesson and discuss the labels on the graph. Students will at least need to graph the
M&Ms by placement and counting.

6. CI 301 Lesson Plan: Graphing KaitlynM. Ellis
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Formative Assessment:
The classroomteacher and I will be walking around as the students place the
M&Ms on the graphing sheet. I will also take up the M&M graphing sheets upon
completion to check students’ ability to read the information on their graphs
(information on the back of the sheet).
* I chose notto use technology forthislesson.Isearchedonlinefor Smartboard interactive
graphs,but I wasunable to findanywell puttogether,effectivelessons. Iactuallydownloadedacouple
differentonesandtriedthemona Smartboardin JenkinsHall. If Ihadmore time,I wouldhave createda
Smartboardgraph for studentstoactuallyplace theirvotes,suchas theirfavorite animals.
Resources:
 http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/lessons/KarenWalker5232002614/mms.jpgfor SortingSheet
 http://sweetpeasandbb.blogspot.com/2011/06/m-fun.htmlforM&MGraphingActivitySheet

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8. CI 301 Lesson Plan: Graphing KaitlynM. Ellis
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M&M Graphing
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Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Brown
M M M M M M