Blended Learning Lesson Plan
Lesson Title: The Probability of Success!
Objectives:
Students will be able to use concrete objects or pictures in order to solve problems.
Students will be able to identify possible outcomes of events, such as rolling a die or
drawing a card.
Students will be able to calculate the probability of these events occurring.
State Standards:
MPS.PS.1 Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them strategically.
3.DPSR.2.1 Identify the possible outcomes of a simple event.
Context:
This is a third-grade math lesson outlining the basics of probability. Gaging possible
outcomes in a numerical situation is something most adults use every day, something as fun as
game strategies, or as simple as what kinds of socks are in your drawer. Grasping the concept of
a chance of something happening based on different variables helps us make informed decisions
about our lives, whether number-oriented or not. Before this lesson, fractions will need to be
introduced and taught, since predicting something occurring is often in percents, and fractions
are the easiest way to convey the situations to students this age. Students will also bring
knowledge of events that have probabilities tied to them, such as dice rolling, flipping a coin, or
drawing from a deck of standard playing cards. Using these events in correlation to introducing
probability helps give students prior experiences to set their new knowledge on, while also
explaining the numbers behind these events they may not have seen otherwise. After this lesson,
students will be taught more in-depth about compound events, or combining multiple simple
events together in one number, ex. rolling 2 or 3 dice at the same time. By teaching students how
to calculate one event happening, they can easily repeat the process for multiple events
happening at once.
Data:
Students will be divided into 3 groups based on seating around the classroom, preferably
in even-numbered groups to coincide with lesson material, but this is not required. Data will be
collected for future lessons by the Study Jams activity and the Gimkit played at the end of class.
Materials:
Part of Lesson Materials Used Links
Introduction Smart Board and pen, https://exchange.smarttech.com/preview
whiteboard, and multiple /9fd92ebc-fdd5-423c-bfcf-986ab40ddbe5
Expo markers
Teacher- Mini whiteboards and N/A
Directed markers, dice, playing cards
Collaborative Worksheets, Pencils, Coins https://www.pinterest.com/pin/75041235
(or similar object resembling 6673807924/ (printed)
a coin)
Independent Computer / Tablet https://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyja
Digital ms/jams/math/probability/find-
probability.htm
Closure Smart Board, Tablets / https://www.gimkit.com/practice/6422fa
Computers for Gimkit c7c3bbad0032467af1
Procedures:
Introduction (15 min): After welcoming students into the classroom, I will start the lesson
by asking students if they have ever played Monopoly, Yahtzee, or any board game that uses dice
to determine some sort out outcome in the game. If they say yes, I will then say that all of the
outcomes of rolling said dice had a chance of occurring and introduce probability. I’ll write on
the board the basic equation to find the probability of an event occurring: (# of successes / total
number of outcomes). I will then write some examples on the board, such as colored marbles in a
bag, and demonstrate how to calculate the probability of pulling different colored marbles out of
the “bag”. After this, I will then use the PowerPoint to demonstrate that this doesn’t just apply
to numbers, but everyday events. I will go through the PowerPoint and ask students on the
different slides examining the chances of different scenarios. After going through the
PowerPoint, I will break the students into 3 groups, based on seating location. After assigning
them to groups, I will take an extra minute and quickly go through the instructions for each
group to make sure every student knows what to do.
Teacher Directed (10 min): In this section I will quickly recap what we discussed at the
beginning of class with chances of events occurring. I will then pull out a die for each student
and let them hold it, look at it, etc. After they have a moment with the dice, I will then quiz them
on different questions about the dice, such as the chance you roll a 1, or an even number, or an
8. For each question, they’ll write their answer on the white board and spin their boards at the
same time so I can check their answers. If a student got an answer wrong, I’ll make sure to
reexplain the process / give them the answer in order for them to understand the question. I’ll
then do the same with the playing cards, showing them the deck of cards before quizzing them on
questions relating to the deck. The same process for the dice will occur, asking questions and
making sure everyone understands the correct answer.
Collaborative (10 min): Each student in this section will pair up with a partner (a group
of 3 can be made if there are an odd number of students in the group). They will each take one
worksheet and one coin (or similar object) and follow the instructions on the worksheet. This
exercise is less on calculating probabilities of scenarios, and more so testing why exactly
flipping a coin is a 50-50 chance, so information other than what was explained in the
introduction should not be needed.
Independent Digital (10 min): Students will access their computers and go through the
website by Study Jams on probability. They will go through the Step-by-Step section, which will
reinforce their knowledge of probability, with a couple questions at the end to test their
knowledge. They will then go through the Test Yourself section, which will give them more in-
depth questions on what they just reviewed. If they get questions incorrect, they can go back to
them and see why they got each question wrong to understand for the future.
Closure (15 min): After every student goes through all 3 groups, I will call them back to
their seats, where we will discuss what we did in each group as a class. Then, we will play a
Gimkit game on the Smart Board with their tablets. (Assignment note: I don’t have a Gimkit
account, and am not paying for one for this assignment, so I just linked the practice page instead
of the main page.) This will be a fun way to make sure we remember what we learned in class
today, and a great way to wind down from learning before students go to the next class. I can
take a note of each student’s scores, which helps determine if they understand the material or not
from today’s lesson. I can use this information going forward with new material. If some
students seem to really struggle with this, I can ask them if they need some extra help
understanding the lesson and work with them either before they leave, or during the next day’s
class time.
Rationale
Smart Board Lesson: This PowerPoint, while not on its own a great tool to teach the
lesson, is a great way to help introduce probability in a less mathematical sense, such as using
words like certain, impossible, likely, and unlikely. It provides fun visuals in order for the
students to not easily get distracted by something else in the room, keeping students focused and
engaged without boring them. I would not use every slide. In a more realistic setting, I would
probably add on to the slides and grow the images in order to enhance the PowerPoint for
student viewing. The tool is easily reusable, due to being able to save it on the teacher’s
computer, and easily helps the teacher gather who understands the lesson when first introduced
to the concept. Using the board in this manner also helps students who might have difficulty
seeing to easily view the lesson without feeling singled out by teaching them in a different
manner.
Study Jam Activity: This website is a great tool for helping students grasp many
different topics, probability included. There is a fully fleshed out example section, where students
who might still need a little help understanding the material have a great resource in
formulating the problem and figuring out the answer. It provides a nice quiz section for students
of all levels to test their knowledge, and if students are struggling, I can use the information
gathered from the quiz to help them if they don’t understand the review answers section after
taking the quiz. Since this is an independent assignment, students who need space and/or silence
to work do not need to worry about missing anything when moving somewhere else.
Gimkit: This activity, in a lot of ways, is like Kahoot. Rather than answering questions in
a group within a time limit, however, students can answer questions at their own pace, while still
being in a group setting. With different game options, students can have fun with different game
modes, with their score dependent on how well they know the material. This is all for fun, of
course, so students who might not do as well don’t face any negative consequences for not
understanding the material as well, and I can help them at another time if they’re struggling with
grasping the lesson. Students also only use their own computers to play many of the modes, so it
is easy for students to see the game or be in their own space if needed.
