Numeracy the Smarties® Way

A tube of Smarties is a convenient way to find out about lots of numeracy.
Pages 5 and 6 show how basic concepts can be understood by dividing up a tube that contains around 45 sweets.
Enough for all the family to play with and enjoy at the end, but remember to wash your hands first!
If you buy more than one tube you can also work out the average contents for each colour,see page 6.
Note This is written by a chocoholic who eats all the left-over Smarties after giving out ten to each of his pupils.
Data Collection and Handling
Data can be collected using a Tally Chart, shown below left; and from this data,
a Frequency table can be drawn
   
Frequency of colour
RED
11111
5
BLUE
11111
5
GREEN
1111
4
PINK
111
3
BROWN
11111 1111
9
YELLOW
 1111
4
ORANGE
 11111 11111
10 (Mode colour, see pg. .6)
PURPLE
 11111
5
TOTAL SMARTIES IN TUBE
  
45

From this table a suitable chart can be made. This one is a bar (column) chart.

This is a pie chart, also showing percentages.
Charts and Graphs must have the following:
A title to say what it shows
An X axis--the horizontal one (Colours)
A Y axis--the vertical one (Number)
Each must have a scale with regular intervals.
They must be labelled to show the units or information.
These charts have been produced on computer using a spreadsheet programme.
It is really important that students use this type of programme as soon as possible.
If possible,try to experiment with a programme such as Excel,to find the correct chart for the information
you are trying to show.