Project-Based Learning

Kid in a Candy Store

High-Interest Project For Grade 5
Decimal
Operations
Graphing on a
1/2 ft. scale
Graphing
ordered
pairs
Common Core
Aligned
5.G.1 5.G.2
5.NF.4 5.NF.5b
5.NBT.7

Fractions,
decimals, and
percentages
Real-life
Math Skills

Project Summary
Individual Choice: Choose
candy for your store.
Graph each candy
display onto your
store layout.

Choose prices and

calculate profit.

2014 April Smith

Teacher Hints
Introduce the project using this video about creating a candy store:
Its Sugar Candy Store.
When building the candy store, talk about what to scale means.
This scale works best with this project:
1 square = ft.2
total area is 195 ft.2
30 x 26
If you are using a different scale, make sure you complete task
1 before giving it to your students to ensure that it graphs well
with the dimensions of the candy displays (too large of a scale
may make the displays really small too small of a scale may
make the displays too large.)
When students are working on the first part of task 1, have them (in
groups) measure the classroom door and how much space it takes
as it opens and closes. Record this information and go over it as a
class, then model how to draw the door using the scale. The
students can choose where their door goes on their own project,
but the measuring & scale drawing for this part needs to be shown
to them.
The checkout counter graphing should also be done as a class as
well. Modeling these graphing exercises (with student involvement
and input) will help students learn how to use the scale that they
will use themselves during Part 2.
Use the Teacher Appendixes to guide your instruction for each part
of the project.
2014 April Smith

Part 1: Build Your Candy Store

Driving Question: What mathematical skills are needed to plan
and run a candy store?

Materials needed: Graph Paper, rulers, pencils, scissors, glue,

yard sticks or measuring tape

Name your candy store:

_____________________________________

Graph the following points. Connect them to create the

walls of your candy store.
X

26

30

26

30

2014 April Smith

Part 1: Build Your Candy Store

1. Cut and paste your candy store onto
construction paper under your candy
stores name.
2. Label the scale 1 square =
graph paper.

on your

3. Label the measurement of the length

and width of your floor plan.

4. Find the total area of your store using the

formula A= L x W. Write it under your
graph paper.

2014 April Smith

Part 1: Build Your Candy Store

Label the door to enter your store. This is the symbol that
architects use to show a door.
Ask Yourself: How much space does an open door
take up? What tools do I need to measure this in my
classroom?

Place a checkout counter in your store. (Appendix A)

Ask Yourself: How much space does a checkout
counter take? Are they all the same size? What tools
do I need to measure this in my classroom?

Brainstorm the other items you will need to put in your

store.
__________________________________________
__________________________________________

__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
2014 April Smith

Part 2: Stock Your Candy

Choose one type of candy at a time. Use the display dimensions
to graph the display in your store. Add as many different types of
candy displays as you can fit in your store, but dont forget to
leave room for customers to walk! (Appendix B)
display (verb): To show or exhibit

Source:
Regal-plastics.com

Source: Turbosquid.com

Source:
thefabulousfarmhouse.typepad.com

Candy Type

Display
Dimensions

Cost for 1
Display

Amount in Each
Display

Cookies &
Cream
Chocolate
Bar

width: 1 ft.
length: 3 ft.

$300

200 candy bars

2014 April Smith

Part 2: Stock Your Candy

Candy Type

Display
Dimensions

Cost for 1
Display

Amount in Each
Display

Chocolate
Candy Bar

width: 1 ft.
length: 4 ft.

$120

300 candy bars

Hard Candy

width: 1 ft.
length: 2 ft.

$25

500 pieces

Ring Pop

width: 1 ft.
length: 2 ft.

$30

50 pieces

Soft Candy

width: 6 ft.
length: 4 ft.

$100

100 bags

2014 April Smith

Part 2: Stock Your Candy

Candy Type

Display
Dimensions

Cost for 1
Display

Amount in Each
Display

Gummy Bears

width: 1 ft.
length: 3 ft.

$100

50 small bags

Rock Candy

width: 2 ft.
length: 4 ft.

$90

30 large rock
candy

Jelly Beans

width: 2 ft.
length: 3 ft.

$75

60 medium
bags

Cotton Candy

width: 6 ft.
length: 1 ft.

$200

100 bags

2014 April Smith

Part 3: Candy Statistics

Count how many displays you have in your candy store.
I have __________ displays.

Create a fraction for how many of your displays fit into each
category:
Type of
Candy

Number of
Candy
Displays

Fraction

Percent

Chocolate
Hard Candy
Chewy
Candy

Other
Candy
List the type of candy from least to greatest amount in your
store.
_________________________________________________

2014 April Smith

Part 4: Make Money!

Stores buy items like candy, then sell them for more money to their customers.
This is how the make profit.
1. Calculate the cost of each item on your display to decide how much you are
paying for each.
2. Decide how much you are going to sell it for, and how much profit you will
make.
3. Be careful not to overcharge, or people wont buy your candy.
Candy Type

Cost for
1
Display

Amount in
Each
Display

Cookies &
Cream

$300

200 bars

Chocolate
Candy Bar

$120

300 bars

Hard Candy

$25

500
pieces

Ring Pop

$30

50 pieces

Soft Candy

$100

100 bags

Gummy Bears

$100

50 bags

Rock Candy

$90

30

Jelly Beans

$75

60 bags

Cotton Candy

$200

100 bags

Cost for
each piece
or bag

2014 April Smith

Price at my
store
(Your choice!)

Profit for
each piece
or bag

End of Project Checklist

Check off each item as you compete it.
Cut and paste your candy store onto construction paper under your candy stores name.
Label the scale 1 square = sq. ft. on your graph paper.
Label the measurement of the length and width of your floorplan.
Find the total area of your store using the formula A= L x W. Write it under your graph paper.

Label the door to enter your store.

Place a checkout counter in your store.
Brainstorm the other items you will need to put in your store.
Use the display dimensions to graph the displays in your store. Add as many different types of
candy displays as you can fit in your store.
Count how many displays you have in your candy store.
Create a fraction for how many of your displays fit into each category.
Cut & paste this data onto your construction paper.
Calculate the cost of each item on your display to decide how much you are paying for each.
Decide how much you are going to sell it for, and how much profit you will make.
Advertise your prices for each item on your display. The prices can go in your actual store, or on
your construction paper if you want them to be larger.

2014 April Smith

Enrichment: Grab Bags

Kids love buying candy grab bags because its a surprise what candy
they will find inside. The best thing about grab bags is that there is a
mix of different candy inside. Grab bags can make you a lot of money
in your candy store.
Choose 3 types of candy from your candy store. Fill out the following
table to show what candy you will include in your grab bag. You will
need 20 pieces total.
Type of Candy

Fraction

Ratio

2014 April Smith

Decimal

Percent

Appendix A
Ask students to choose one of these checkout counters (Show on projector, or you can have them do their own
research if they have student computers). Have them brainstorm how they can estimate what their checkout
counter will measure. They may want to measure a large table in class, or put several tables together to figure this
out.

2014 April Smith

Appendix B
Although many students may be comfortable with the scale at this point in the project, most students
will need a little extra practice. Before you allow students to begin choosing their candy and graphing
the different size displays, practice on scraps of Graph Paper.
Here is an example of how to show 1 square = sq. ft. and group into whole pieces. Students who
understand this concept can move on to graphing the displays onto their candy store grid, while you
walk through all of the display measurements with the students who are struggling. They can use their
scraps of graph paper to help them graph the same displays onto their candy store grid. Instruction is
very easy to differentiate with Project-Based Learning!

2014 April Smith

Appendix C
Student Example

2014 April Smith

More Project-Based Learning

Purchase a years
worth of PBL and
save $12!

Check out my Blog!

PerforminginEducation.com

Downloading this product entitles the purchaser the right to reproduce the
pages for one classroom use only. Copying any part of this product or placing it
on the internet in any form, is strictly forbidden and is a violation of the Digital
Millennium Copyright Act (DCMA).
If youd like to share with another teacher, please return to your purchases
page and buy an additional license for a discounted price. The earnings from my
resource downloads go directly into my classroom.
April Smith, 2014.
All rights reserved.
Fonts & clipart included in this
product is provided by:
Candy graphics by Mary

2014 April Smith