A post-Halloween math activity that uses sorting, classification, and a Venn Diagram.

Materials:

• a large piece of butcher paper
• candy wrappers

Plan:

1. Have students bring in a variety of candy wrappers after Halloween.
2. As a class, sort the candy wrappers into groups (tootsie rolls, chocolate candy, chewy candy, hard candy, candy bars, etc.)
3. As a class you can create ways to sort and classify the candy.
4. Create a Venn diagram that sorts and classifies the different characteristics of the candy.
5. Students can glue the candy wrappers directly to the Venn Diagram.

Editor's Note: Another important skill can be introduced into this activity by analyzing the results shown in the graph. After graphing activities with my class, I prefer to ask what the graph tells us about the information we gathered. I then write their quotes and display them along with the graph.