What Does It Mean to Be Fair?
 
Aim: What does it mean to be fair?

Standards: Reasoning and Proof Strand
2.RP.6 Develop and explain an argument verbally or with objects.
2RP.7 Listen to and discuss claims other students make.
Communications Strand
2.CM.4 Listen to solutions shared by other students.

Mini-Lesson: I began by telling my class that we were doing a special math project today with M&M's. I told them you need to sit quietly and I will give directions after everyone has received their M&M's.

Activity: Give some students one M&M and other students
five M&M's. Wait to see if any students speak up and question why certain children got more than others. Listen to those students who verbalize the injustice and then ask students to talk about how they feel. Chart their responses and when a student brings up fairness, discuss what it means. At this time the class can read the aim. Students write in their math journals\learning logs how they felt about this activity and how they would make it fair if they were handing out the M&M's. All students get the same number of M&M's and can eat them!

Share: Students can read their responses from their journal.

Extension Activity: M&M Game

There are two players. Place the cards on the large M&M's face down. One player places their game piece on the x on one side of the game board and the other player places their game piece on the X on the other side of the board. The object of the game is that the players get their game piece on the other players’ X and the M&M's they both collect at the end of the game are evenly divided between the two players at the end. A spinner is used or a die is rolled to determine how many spaces the player moves their piece. Each colored M&M that makes up the game board has a saying: Pick a card, take 5 M&M's, eat 3 M&M's, move back 3 spaces. The player moves their game piece accordingly. When they land on “pick-up 4 M&M's” they take four M&M's from the pile of paper M&M's to keep. If the space says to “eat two M&M's” the player puts back two paper M&M's. There is no winner or loser at the end, they are both are winners with the same amount of M&M's. If there ends up being an uneven amount of M&M's at the end of the game both players determine how to make it fair! My kids made this game up and they love playing it.

Subject Areas:
Math

Grade Levels:  K-2

About the teacher:

Trudy Kane is a second grade teacher at PS 88 in the Bronx. She has taught in New York City for nine years, her experience ranges from pre-kindergarten to second grade. She is currently a lead teacher in her school teaching mathematics in the morning to her own class and coaching teachers in the afternoon. She received her undergraduate degree from Wheaton College in Massachusetts, her master's from Iona College in New Rochelle, New York and graduate credits in administration from the College of St.Rose in Albany. She is looking forward to being a MetLife fellow this coming year.

trdteachertrudy@cs.com