Overview
This 30-minute lesson is designed for fourth-grade students who are learning the basics of probability. The lesson will cover the definition of probability, what it means to calculate the probability of an event, and how to express probability as a fraction.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
- Define probability
- Calculate the probability of an event
- Express probability as a fraction
Materials
- Whiteboard and markers
- Chart paper and markers
- Coins (at least 2 per student)
- Dice (at least 1 per student)
Procedure
- Introduction (5 minutes)
- Begin by asking the students if they have ever heard of the word "probability."
- Explain that probability is the likelihood or chance of something happening.
- Give an example of probability, such as the chance of rolling a six on a dice.
- Coin Toss Activity (10 minutes)
- Give each student two coins.
- Ask them to flip both coins at the same time and record the outcomes (ex. heads-tails, heads-heads).
- Have the students tally the number of times they got each outcome.
- Lead a discussion about the probability of getting each outcome and how they can express it as a fraction.
- Dice Rolling Activity (10 minutes)
- Give each student one dice.
- Ask them to roll the dice and record the outcome (ex. 4).
- Have the students tally the number of times they got each outcome.
- Lead a discussion about the probability of rolling each number and how they can express it as a fraction.
- Conclusion and Homework (5 minutes)
- Summarize the main points of the lesson
- Assign homework such as flipping coins or rolling dice and having the students calculate the probability of getting specific outcomes.
Homework
- Using the knowledge gained in this lesson, the students are to flip a coin or roll a dice 20 times and create a chart to show the outcomes and probability of each event. They can present their charts in class the following day.