Notes & FAQs

 The design team felt by focusing on probabilities of compound events students would be forced to "get" understanding likelihood, probabilities of simple events, and predicting relative frequencies (embedded supporting standards).  Understanding of simple & compound events could be reinforced through comparing theoretical & experimental probabilities through different hands-on activities throughout the unit.

While some direct instruction is expected, students should be doing many hands-on activities like testing and comparing probabilities.  Playing games, testing them for fairness and suggesting adjustments to make them fair.  Time permitting, students can even design, describe, construct, and evaluate their own probability experiments explaining what might account for differences between theoretical and experimental results (see Question 3).

The depth is achieved in this unit by taking probabilities of compound events and comparing experimental & theoretical probabilities to a level 4, beyond grade level, understanding.  In the main focus of the unit students perhaps found probabilites by participating in experiments or games, here they create their own.  In the main focus of the unit, students compared experimental & theoretical probabilities, here they explain what might have accounted for those differences and evaluate the associated probability model.