Practicum Lesson Number
VEL Strand Discipline Based Learning
2
Date
Topic and Focus Mathematics – Chance/Probability
Year Level Grade 5/6
Time of Lesson
Duration of Lesson 45 Minutes
Class Size 25
Student Learning Objectives and relevant Aus Curric/AusVELS/NSW Syllabus
outcomes:
In this lesson students will continue with their exploration of chance. They will continue
to practice the use of vocabulary associated with chance and will be encouraged to used
these key words in their explanations. Students will need to demonstrate that
probability and chance are on a continuum from 0 to 1. They will be expected to
participate in experiments and record data; they will use the data to make judgements
about chance and probability.
AUSVELS:
Grade five students (by the end of the unit) will be able to pose questions to gather data and construct various displays
appropriate for the data, with and without the use of digital technology. They compare and interpret different data sets.
Students list outcomes of chance experiments with equally likely outcomes and assign probabilities as a number from 0 to 1.
Grade six students (by the end of the unit) will be able to interpret and compare a variety of data displays, including
displays for two categorical variables. They analyse and evaluate data from secondary sources. Students compare observed
and expected frequencies of events, including those where outcomes of trials are generated with the use of digital
technology. They specify, list and communicate probabilities of events using simple ratios, fractions, decimals and
percentages.
Recognise that probabilities range from 0 to 1 (ACMSP117)
Compare observed frequencies across experiments with expected frequencies (ACMSP146)
Describe probabilities using fractions, decimals, percentages (ACMSP144)
Assessment/Means of Evaluation and Method Used
Student learning will be identified through the experiments and activities explored in the classroom.
Students will also need to show they are able to use the correct terms in conversation about their
work. Student work will be collected and analysed for student understanding of and confidence with
chance and probability. Students will also need to show a progression towards understanding
probability as a fraction, decimal and percentage.
Student Teacher Focus
1
Classroom Management: Ensuring students are not disrupting each other while the explanation and
‘on task’ learning is occurring. Giving assistance to those who require it. Keeping classroom noise at
moderate to low levels.
Lesson Flow: Being able to get the class’ attention and focus them on the new aspect of the lesson.
Moving from introduction to activity to explanation to activity and then packing them up as well.
Making all the parts make sense to the students – using the right terminology to let them connect
their experiments with the explanation. Getting the students to listen and follow direction – smarties will be
distracting and the activity may lose importance.
(connecting ‘recognise that probabilities range from 0 to 1 (ACMSP117)’ with ‘compare
observed frequencies across experiments with expected frequencies (ACMSP146)’)
Students Background Knowledge
Students are able to solve number problems using mental and technological methods.
Students have an understanding of how to graph data and how to read graphs.
Students have learned about percentage, decimals and fractions. They understand how to interchange
fractions into decimals and percentages. Students are able to compare, order and represent decimals.
Students have been introduced to chance and to the terminology required as part of their exploration.
They have also been introduced to the number line and the ideas of fairness and likelihood.
Resources and Materials
Maths project books.
Smarties.
Number line worksheet.
Students will be given a selection of smarties. They need to predict how likely it would be to get a red
one. Then taking all of the red ones out, how likely would it be to get a red one? How likely would it be
to get an orange one, if you had an orange and a blue? (Use different combinations to create different
fractions).
Students will need to then count all of the smarties they have, and tally up each colour as a number of
the total amount of smarties. They would then need to mark on a number line how likely it would be to
pick out each colour.
Discuss the findings of the smarties activity. Vocabulary line, number of coloured smarties out of the
total number and then linking the findings and the line. What did they find out? (Assess their ability to
answer with the correct use of concepts – understand that chance occurs between zero and one as
well as how - but also their ability to compare their estimate and counted amounts also their
understanding of the link between the number line and the fraction – if any has been made).
Classroom Organisation
Students will work in pairs for the smarties activity and the recording of the number of smarties (they will fill out
their own sheets to glue into their maths project book).
Students will work individually on the cutting and gluing activity.
Students will then also work individually on the second number line – where they will decide where each
number of smarties belongs.
Lesson Plan
2
5 Mins
Stage
1)
Introduction
Recap the language and number line information from last lesson.
Hand out smarties and worksheets. (Calm the group down)
Explain students need to work in pairs and record the data
individually.
Students will need to get out their project math’s books.
3/5 Mins
2) Explanation of Task
Students are not to eat the smarties until the end of the lesson.
They need to use the worksheets and fill in the information. First
you need to estimate how many of each colour is in the box. Then
you need to open the box and count how many of each number
there was in the box. Record these numbers in the table on the
worksheet. In the final column the numerator needs to be the
number of each colour, the denominator needs to be the total of
smarties all together – that is the total adding up all the colours.
You need to work with your partner and count the smarties, then
how much of the total number of smarties were in each colour.
25/30 Mins
Afterwards the information on the table needs to be placed along
the number line – depending on how many of each colour you had
in the box, you will have different answers. If there was more red
than blue, then the red smarties are higher up on the number line.
(More of the whole box was red than blue).
3) Students on Task
Roaming the room. Ensuring student questions are answered.
Ensuring they are co-operating with their partner. Ensuring they
aren’t eating the smarties until they have collected their data.
3
5/10 Mins
4) Closure
Ask for student attention. Refocus them on the vocabulary, and ask
for the results of their experiments.
Pack up any mess.
Reflection on Student Learning
What did you observe about student learning?
Comments on Future Lesson Directions
Are there areas you need to go over or move beyond?
Reflection on Lesson
How was the timing or the flow of the lesson? What other observations did you make?
Reflection on Student Teacher Outcomes
Did you meet your own focus objectives? Could you still improve in that area? Were there other areas
you feel you could concentrate on in the future? What were the positive points of your lesson?
4
Supervisor Evaluation
5