is for Alpha-Bits! An Internet Project Jennifer Wagner, host of Internet projects such as the Oreo Project and Frootloops, has ventured into the world of Alpha-Bits. To learn about this fun project click here. Our Work Step 1 - We began the project with a quick discussion of our work in the Oreo Project, reviewing the term hypothesis. We discussed this project's hypothesis and voted as to whether each of us thought there would be more vowels, consonants, or indistinguishables, or "indisquishables", as my students would say :-) in a box of Alpha-Bits cereal. I was amazed, and extremely pleased, with the excellent thinking the children displayed as they gave the reasons for their votes! Step 2 - Then it was time to begin the work of sorting and tallying. Using the sheets by Jerelyn Hurley (thanks, Jerelyn!) that Jennifer had posted, we began grouping the letters. As we sorted, some interesting questions arose, such as "Why aren't all the letters the same size?" or, "Are they made near Corn Pops?" Some people had fun finding their names... Step 3 - Now it was time to count! Counting the vowels was easy, but the consonants and indistinguishables posed a challenge. To be sure our counts were accurate for these two groups, we used 100 grids. Step 4 - Once we had our individual totals, it was time to get our Table Counts. We gathered table data onto a page, making number strings. Number strings for vowels were easy to solve, but the equations for consonants and indistinguishables required the use of calculators! Step 5 - Our final step was to get a class count. To do this, I taught the class how to make a table. Using the overhead, one inch graph paper, and a matching one inch graph paper transparency, I showed them how to set up a table. Each table then shared their data, which we entered into our tables. Counting some of the vowels was easy, but, again, we needed calculators for some groups. Here are our final results: A=229 E=21 I=14 O=187 U=13 Consonants=1187 Indist.=2227 Using Create a Graph, we made a pie (circle) graph of our totals. Ms. Macdonald's class, the other second grade in our school, also participated in this great project. We made a graph of her class' results, and we were very surprised to find how similar they both looked! Our Conclusions - First of all E was NOT found most often and that there were DEFINITELY more indistinguishables than any letters in a box of Alpha-bits! Oh, yes, and one more thing... is for AWESOME! Thank you, Jennifer - you are AWESOME, and so was this project! Resources Alpha-Bit Worksheets for the Project Classroom Activities for the Project Project Results AlphaBits for Kids (easy) Think Smart, Think Alpha-Bits (challenging) Create a Graph An awesome resource for creating graphs! You and your kids will love it! Back to Window to Our World Alpha-Bit image courtesy of Post Cereal