Probability

Focus Question: In what ways can I represent and interpret information?

Objectives:

Formulate all possible outcomes of an experiment (e.g., tossing a fair coin, rolling a fair die).
Perform and report on a variety of probability experiments.

Content:

MATHEMATICS LESSON PLAN (Grade 6)

Strand: Statistics & Probability
Topic: Collecting and Representing Data
Duration: 1 hour
Focus Question: In what ways can I represent and interpret information?
Objectives:

Formulate all possible outcomes of an experiment (e.g., tossing a fair coin, rolling a fair die).
Perform and report on a variety of probability experiments.

📊 Materials Needed

Coins and dice
Tally/frequency table templates
Graph paper
Markers or colored pencils
Rulers
STEM challenge worksheet
Projector/whiteboard
Cromebooks, teacher's blogsite

🌟 5E Model Lesson Plan

🔍 ENGAGE (5 minutes)

Activity: Show a quick video clip or perform a live demo of a coin toss and dice roll.
Ask students:
- What are all the possible outcomes when you toss a coin?
- What are the outcomes of rolling a die?
STEM Link: Highlight how scientists and engineers use experiments and data collection to predict results or test probabilities.

🧠 EXPLORE (15 minutes)

Hands-on Group Activity:
- In pairs/groups, students conduct two mini experiments:
  1. Toss a coin 20 times and record the number of heads and tails.
  2. Roll a six-sided die 30 times and record the frequency of each number (1–6).
- Use tally charts or frequency tables to collect data.
Materials: Coins, dice, tally chart worksheets, colored pencils.

📘 EXPLAIN (10 minutes)

Teacher leads discussion:
- Define outcomes, frequency, and probability.
- Model how to convert tallies into bar graphs or pictographs.
- Guide students to understand the experimental probability = number of times an event occurs / total trials.
Visual Aid: Use projector/board to show sample bar graph of dice results.

⚙️ ELABORATE (20 minutes)

STEM Challenge (Differentiated):
- Tier 1 (Basic): Students draw bar graphs of their results from coin toss or dice roll.
- Tier 2 (Intermediate): Students compare their experimental results to theoretical probability (e.g., Heads = ½).
- Tier 3 (Advanced): Students create and interpret double bar graphs comparing two different sets of outcomes (e.g., student A vs B or coin vs dice).
Extension (STEM link): Discuss how data representation is used in weather forecasting, sports statistics, and quality control in manufacturing.

✅ EVALUATE (10 minutes)

Three-Tier Differentiated Evaluation Task

Tier	Task	Criteria
Tier 1	Identify all possible outcomes for a coin and a die. Represent your data from the experiment using a tally chart.	Accurately list outcomes and correctly use tally marks.
Tier 2	Record experiment outcomes and represent results using a bar graph. Compare actual results with expected outcomes (theoretical probability).	Correct bar graph with reasonable comparisons.
Tier 3	Create a double bar graph from two different data sets and explain the similarities and differences between them.	Double bar graph is clear, labeled, and includes thoughtful interpretation.

🧠 Differentiated Learning Strategies

Visual Learners: Use color-coded charts and pictographs.
Auditory Learners: Partner discussions and group interpretation.
Kinesthetic Learners: Physical dice/coin tossing and chart drawing.
Support for Struggling Students: Provide sentence starters, graph templates, and peer support.
Challenge for Advanced Learners: Extend into predicting outcomes for two-dice sums (e.g., probability of getting a 7).