Activity 2.2: M&M Codes
Directions
Participants will work in groups to create a code for the alphabet from M&Ms.
- The code for each letter will be only made of
three M&Ms but the colors for each alphabetic letter have to be unique.
- Participants in each group will work together to make their alphabet using construction paper and double-sided tape to hold the M&Ms on the paper.
- Once each group has a code, they choose a fruit or vegetable, find its characteristics from the Lesson 1 handout.
- Each group spells out in M&M code the first characteristic of their fruit or vegetable.
- Groups then trade codes and clues and see if the group with which they trade can decode the message and guess the fruit or vegetable.
- If the first clue does not lead to the right answer, the original group must describe a new trait with M&Ms and let the other group guess again.
- Continue trading clues until each group gets the right answer.
Challenge participants with these questions:
- Explain the challenges you might encounter when trying to determine genome characteristics without a decoder?
- Describe how you think keeping the decoder to yourself would affect the other group.
- Explain what would happen if your code did not use unique colors for each letter.
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