Po-Hi students conduct candy study at Pre-K Center

Zach Murray (Pre-AP Biology teacher), Tristyn Hickman (Pre-AP Biology student), Joey Cannella (PreK student), Bella Johnson (PreK student)

Ponca City Senior High School Pre-AP Biology teacher Zach Murray recently took his students to the Washington Prekindergarten Center to do a Skittles candy taste-testing experiment, to give the students experience using statistics to analyze models. Skittles is a brand of fruit-flavored candy produced and marketed by the Wrigley Company, a division of Mars, Inc.

Prekindergarten students had to taste two Skittles with their eyes closed and noses pinched shut. The Skittles were either the same color or different colors (randomly assigned). Students were then asked if they thought the Skittles tasted the same or different.

All of the students and teachers involved really enjoyed the activity! The teachers at the Pre-K Center had students create charts in which they had to hypothesize the outcome of the activity in advance, and then chart the actual result and explain why they thought the Skittles tasted the same or different.

Murray explains, “A few months ago I saw a story from the company that makes Skittles. They stated that all Skittles taste the same. The only difference is the color and smell of the candy shell. We had the prekindergarten students blind taste-test two Skittles, then tell us if they thought the Skittles tasted the same or different. The students seemed to enjoy doing the experiment. So far, the claim appears to be true.”

Murray is the 2020 Ponca City Public School District Teacher of the Year.

Pre-AP Biology student Emma Valgora is working with PreK students Zakary Draper, Staria Cooper, Reed Runnels, and Aliana Thrasher