Oreo Turns 100....so let's celebrate!

Did you know that the Oreo cookie is turning 100 years old on March 6?  Yeah, I didn't either...until I received a link to Nabisco in my email box (that is what happens when you have toddlers in the house...you sign up for all sorts of random websites ;) )   I guess I never really thought about when they were invented....just knew they were yummy.  :)

In honor of this delicious centennial, I wanted to share with you the OREO Project that my class participated in earlier this year.  I found this AWESOME site online called Projects by Jen.   Jen Wagner was a teacher who began creating online projects to connect teachers and classrooms all over the country (and world!)  She has many different on-going projects, but the one that caught my eye this year was the O.R.E.O. Project....Our Really Exciting Online Project!


This project was a data gathering mission for my students.  Our day started with the students posing an inquiry question:  How many Oreos can we stack before the tower falls?

They hypothesized that we would be able to stack somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 cookies.

The student then began slowly stacking Oreos, one by one, until the tower they were building could no longer stand.  Once the stack fell, the students told our wonderful parent volunteers their cookie total, and gave it a second try.  

Each student in the class had two chances to create the tallest tower they could.  Our largest tower was 21 cookies high!  My students had a BLAST doing this.  (they STILL talk about it.....5 months later!)







Once the stacking was done, we all went back to our classroom and started to look at the data that was collected.  The students helped me to find the mean (average) of the entire class stacks so we could turn our data into the main OREO 2011 Project. 

Our mean was 17!



They then found the mean, median, mode, range, and outliers for the data set of the students sitting at their table groups.  The kids worked together to get this info...helping each other to look at the data and figure it all out!













Here is the worksheet I created for our class to use.  It is just a simple chart for them to record their information, as well as space to do the math work.  Easy Peesy!

They then created triple bar graphs, showing the two stacks, as well as the mean, for each member of their table. 





The end of the day found us creating sculptures with the Oreos we had used in the earlier parts of the day. The students were so creative!  They made snowmen, elephants, bats, whales, people, Mickey Mouse, a table with people eating...the list goes on and on!











To accompany these sculptures (and bring even MORE standards in) the students created Bubble Maps describing the creations.  They then wrote descriptive paragraphs using the adjectives from the Bubble Maps.

Here is the final draft paper the students used.  To display on the wall, they cut the circle out, as well as a black piece of construction paper and created the "sandwich" style of the Oreo!  It came out cute :)

So there you have it!  The O.R.E.O. Project was a HIT in my class!  I highly recommend it for everyone.  Even if you didn't participate in it this year, you can always follow the guidelines and do it yourself in your room.  Then head on over to Projects by Jen and sign up for next year!

19 comments

  1. Hmmmmm....this is very valuable information. How can I connect this? Thanks for giving me the heads-up on this very important holiday! And those sculptures are hilarious!

    Buzzing with Ms. B

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    1. I am surprised it isn't on your calendar, Chrissy ;)

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  2. I love your bubble map...I have done how to writing with How do you eat your Oreo? Bubble maps also could be used to write a poem Ode to the Oreo...Humm.....maybe this will be all day plans for Tuesday. This date cannot go overlooked!

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  3. To add to above there is a phases of the moon lesson plan that works out well with Oreos :)

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    1. I actually have done that....my kids LOVED it! (though that took a month of planning on my part. The kids had to note the moon each night, then we graphed it and figured out the fractional portion each phase of the moon took up. As well as made the Oreo cookie rendition of them!)

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  4. Second graders have to make line plots. We could find our mode and range with this. Thanks for the idea about a new holiday!

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  5. Thanks for the great ideas! I have an award for you, so come by to pick it up when you get a chance. Have a most lovely weekend!

    Chatterbox Blessings,
    Rebecca
    http://theteacherschatterbox.blogspot.com/2012/03/lovely-blog-award.html

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    1. Thank you Rebecca! I will head over later (when I am off my phone ;) )

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  6. Hi Stephanie -
    Great idea! How motivating for your students...I just love it. Good work..it's making me hungry. LOL
    Vicky
    Traditions Laughter and Happily Ever After

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  7. This looks like a blast! Great idea!


    Laurie
    Chickadee Jubilee
    jubileerae@gmail.com

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  8. We did the OREO project earlier this year, too. SO.MUCH.FUN!!! It's definitely a keeper project. Thanks for sharing your pics (your sculptures came out so much better than mine!)

    Jen
    Runde's Room

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    1. The kids LOVED doing the sculptures. They were a lot harder to do then I initially thought though!

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  9. What a great resource!!! I am going to have to do this with my fourth graders!!! Thanks!

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  10. Hi Stephanie:
    I am soooooo excited for Tuesday!
    We are definitely doing this on Tuesday! Great review for STAR testing.
    And when the kids leave... with a fresh cup of coffee... that just may turn out to be the best afternoon of grading papers I've had in a long while...
    THANKS for the ideas and the motivation!

    Kim
    Finding JOY in 6th Grade

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    1. It was a whole day affair for me when we did it too....and the end of the day was fantastic, with 8 packages of cookies left over ;)

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  11. Looks like sooooooooooo much fun! I'm jealous!!!

    I gave your blog an award!!!
    Come grab it http://www.ateacherstreasure.com/2012/03/one-lovely-blog-award.html

    ❤ Mor Zrihen from...
    A Teacher's Treasure
    Teaching Treasures Shop

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  12. Thank you for the shout out for the O.R.E.O. project.
    This year -- in September -- we will be celebrating the 100th birthday of the oreo cookie -- as well as the 14th year of the O.R.E.O. project!!
    I hope you will join us again!
    Smiles
    Jennifer
    http://www.projectsbyjen.com

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    1. Thank you for stopping by Jen! We most definitely will be in next year. As I said above, my kids LOVED it! We had so much fun :)

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  13. What a great idea!! We celebrated by counting 100 oreos on Az's 100th bday and then talked about things that are 100 years old and what we would be like when we are 100. Your project sounds so much more fun.

    Mrs Poland
    Think, Wonder, & Teach

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