Kool-Aid and Skittles

Sure, kids of all ages would live on Kool-Aid and Skittles if we let them, but I am not here to argue the merits of either side. I’ll leave that to the experts – the dietitians, the General Surgeon, and the FDA. However, I did find that Kool-Aid and Skittles are an excellent way to kick-start my proportional reasoning unit. My goal was to create an activity that would allow my algebra students to experience ratios. What better way to capture their attention than with food?

Many times, students are simply taught a textbook definition of ratios, and then are given examples that really only exist in the world of mathematical word problems. I’m as guilty as the next person for keeping this math concept so distant and unfamiliar. I tried something different this year. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it before now!

Tapping on their prior knowledge, I had students list all that they knew or remembered about ratios. We then as a class compared ratios and fractions, mainly to dust away cobwebs and to rectify any misunderstandings. After the students gave their informal definitions of ‘ratios’ we looked at a textbook’s formal definition.

Here’s when the fun began. I had prepared two batches of Kool-Aid: one with the normal amount of sugar, and one with noticeably less.

“I’m going to place cups of Kool-Aid and a bowl of Skittles on your table,” I announced to the class, setting one cup of each Kool-Aid types in front of the student and a bowl of Skittles on each table. The response I received was one of happiness and joy.

“Here are your instructions. Take a drink from each of your two cups. Talk to your group about what you notice. As a table, write down five observations. You must use the word ratio in each of your observations.”

As I walked around and eavesdropped on conversations, I was delighted to witness all the math discourse that was going on. There were some tough negotiations about what exactly constituted as a legitimate observation, however for the most part, the chatting was light-hearted. At one point, Mrs. Scott, the science teacher across the hallway, came over to borrow something and was “upset” that she hadn’t been invited to the party!

“OK, for the second part, look at your bowl of Skittles. Your table will write down five other observations and again use the word ratio in each of your sentences.”

As the students got to work, some wanted to dump all the Skittles out onto their tables to count them so that they give precise ratios, which I didn’t allow them to do. I clarified my instructions by saying, “Make general observations without using numbers or trying to be exact.”

“Are we allowed to eat the candy once we’re done?” they all wanted to know.

“Sorry! The minimally-nutritious-food police would be after me,” I joked, wink-wink.

“Ahhhh”, my students caught on, playing along.

After everyone was done, we came back together as a class to share some of the observations. Students grappled to pick just the right words to describe their experiences. The observation we all got the most laughs out of was “Jerry’s” use of the words tangy-ness and more tangy to describe the Kool-Aid that had half the amount of sugar.

I was pleased to see that one table grouped colors together while keeping all the candies in the bowl. This made their job of making observations clearer and easier.

Keep in mind that this was only the intro to the day’s lesson. And it took less than seven minutes!

The way to a teenager’s brain is through his/her stomach. An old Chinese proverb – if it’s not, it should be.