M & M Marketing & More

Make math and marketing concepts a little sweeter with a hands-on M&M activity!

Using a bag of M&M candies to represent a crop, students will learn about futures markets and commodity prices.

The lesson incorporates basic economic concepts and math calculations adaptable for 4th to 8th grades.

Before they open the bag, students predict how many candies of each color.

Once the bag is opened and the candies are counted, students choose how to market their “crop” and maximize profits.

Lesson extensions can also include calculating averages and making bar graphs.

Upper level grades can gain more experience with futures markets using free simulations at www.commoditychallenge.com.

Find the lesson plan from Illinois Ag in the Classroom here.

Resource Request
Apples, Pumpkins, Pollinators, Soil, Genetics, STEM, etc