4MA3

LO3

Drop the Counter

Formative Assessment:

1. What is the likelihood that you will drink something sometime in the next 24 hours?

2. What is the likelihood that the temperature will drop below freezing in Florida in May?

3. What is the likelihood that you will be outside sometime during the next 15 hours?

4. What is the likelihood that a plant will grow tall in a dark closet?

Instructional Strategies or Activities:

1. Explain to the students that probability is the likelihood that an event will occur. Explain that they will play a game to help them understand about probability.

2. Divide the class into groups of three students. Give each group a counting block or tile and the attached game board on the black line master.

3. Each student in the group should choose one of the letters on the game board. They will be responsible for tallying the number of times that a dropped counter lands in the section of the board containing that letter.

4. Give each student a piece of paper and a pencil to predict which letter will get the most, the second-most, the third-most, and the least points. Explain that they should write an explanation for why they are making their predictions.

5. Let the students take turns dropping the counter. Tell them that they should aim for the middle of the game board where the lines meet. After each student has dropped the counter ten times (a total of thirty drops), have them add up the points the letter they were responsible for earned.

6. When all groups have finished, discuss the results of each group’s game and what determined the chance of each letter winning the game.

Summative Assessment:

Teacher observation of activity:

Let each student design a different game board with four sections. Then have him or her predict which letter will have the highest and lowest scores.