Intro
to	
 Probability	
 Lesson	
 Plan	
 
	
  Title:	
 Intro	
 to	
 Probability	
  	
  Description:	
 Given	
 scenarios,	
 describe	
 the	
 probability	
 of	
 a	
 certain	
 event	
 or	
 set	
 of	
 events	
 will	
 happen.	
  	
  Subject:	
 Probability	
  	
  Instruction	
 time:	
 45	
 minutes	
  	
  Students	
 level	
 by	
 grade:	
 Freshman	
  	
  Standard(s)	
 to	
 be	
 addressed:	
  	
  	
  	
  Iowa	
 Core	
 Standards	
 for	
 high	
 school	
 probability.	
  	
  Conditional	
 Probability	
 and	
 the	
 Rules	
 of	
 Probability:	
  	
 	
  1)	
 Describe	
 events	
 as	
 subsets	
 of	
 a	
 sample	
 space	
 (the	
 set	
 of	
 outcomes)	
 using	
 characteristics	
  (or	
 categories)	
 of	
 the	
 outcomes,	
 or	
 as	
 unions,	
 intersections,	
 or	
 complements	
 of	
 other	
 events	
 ("or,"	
  "and,"	
 "not").	
  	
  	
  Using	
 probability	
 to	
 make	
 decisions:	
  	
  	
  1.)	
 Define	
 a	
 random	
 variable	
 for	
 a	
 quantity	
 of	
 interest	
 by	
 assigning	
 a	
 numerical	
 value	
 to	
 each	
  event	
 in	
 a	
 sample	
 space.	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  Resources	
 used	
 in	
 this	
 lesson	
 (use	
 correct	
 citation):	
  	
  	
  Internet	
 access	
  Class	
 Notes	
  Computer	
 and	
 Projector	
  	
  Learning	
 Objectives	
 that	
 meet	
 the	
 standard(s)	
 above	
 (no	
 more	
 than	
 three	
 objective	
 objectives):	
  	
  1. Understand	
 the	
 principles	
 of	
 probability	
 and	
 how	
 or	
 and	
 and	
 effect	
 the	
 formulas.	
  2. Create	
 graphs	
 representing	
 the	
 change	
 a	
 given	
 event	
 will	
 happen.	
  3. Describe	
 numerically	
 the	
 probability	
 of	
 events	
 occurring.	
  	
  Essential	
 questions	
 for	
 this	
 lesson:	
  	
  What	
 is	
 the	
 difference	
 between	
 or	
 and	
 and?	
  How	
 is	
 and	
 applied	
 algebraically?	
  How	
 is	
 or	
 applied	
 algebraically?	
  What	
 is	
 the	
 sample	
 space?	
  	
  Motivational	
 strategies	
 that	
 you	
 will	
 use:	
  	
  Due	
 to	
 the	
 high	
 level	
 of	
 application	
 of	
 probability	
 to	
 the	
 real	
 world,	
 I	
 will	
 create	
 scenarios	
 based	
 upon	
  events	
 that	
 happen	
 in	
 students	
 every	
 day	
 lives.	
 This	
 will	
 encourage	
 them	
 to	
 become	
 more	
 interested.	
  	
  Type	
 of	
 instructional	
 method(s)	
 used	
 in	
 this	
 lesson:	
  	
  I	
 will	
 lecture	
 followed	
 by	
 questions	
 presented	
 to	
 the	
 students.	
 Afterwards	
 I	
 will	
 help	
 students	
 in	
  groups	
 and	
 individually.	
  	
  Lesson	
 ProceduresList	
 carefully	
 and	
 completely	
 (What	
 will	
 the	
 students	
 do?):	
  	
  1.) Introduction	
 to	
 probability	
 (5	
 minutes)	
 	
 	
 
a.
b. c. 	
 
Show	
 examples	
 of	
 probabilities	
 in	
 dice.	
  i. What	
 is	
 the	
 probability	
 that	
 a	
 4	
 is	
 rolled?	
 	
  1. One	
 four	
 on	
 the	
 dice	
 out	
 of	
 six	
 sides	
 =	
 (1/6)	
  ii. What	
 is	
 the	
 probability	
 that	
 I	
 roll	
 a	
 3	
 or	
 a	
 6?	
 	
  1. One	
 event	
 or	
 the	
 other	
 means	
 you	
 add,	
 so	
 (2/6)	
  iii. What	
 is	
 the	
 probability	
 that	
 I	
 roll	
 a	
 2	
 and	
 then	
 a	
 5?	
  1. One	
 event	
 and	
 another	
 event	
 means	
 you	
 multiply,	
 so	
 (1/36)	
  Review	
 how	
 we	
 assigned	
 a	
 numerical	
 value	
 to	
 each	
 event	
 of	
 a	
 sample	
 space.	
  Describe	
 how	
 or	
 and	
 and	
 affect	
 the	
 probability	
 of	
 rolls.	
 
2.) Allow	
 students	
 to	
 describe	
 scenarios	
 that	
 they	
 want	
 to	
 talk	
 about	
 and	
 that	
 interest	
 them	
 (5	
 minutes).	
  a. Relate	
 probability	
 to	
 their	
 given	
 scenarios.	
  b. Describe	
 the	
 step-by-step	
 process	
 of	
 assigning	
 variables	
 to	
 events	
 and	
 identifying	
 the	
 sample	
  space.	
  c. Write	
 on	
 the	
 tablet	
 the	
 step-by-step	
 process	
 for	
 finding	
 the	
 accurate	
 probabilities.	
  3.) Give	
 examples	
 of	
 different	
 problems	
 for	
 the	
 class	
 to	
 work	
 on	
 individually	
 or	
 as	
 a	
 group.	
 (5	
 minutes)	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  Give	
 the	
 following	
 problems	
 to	
 the	
 class	
  i. What	
 is	
 the	
 probability	
 that	
 the	
 spinner	
 stop	
 on	
 an	
 odd	
 number?	
  ii. What	
 is	
 the	
 probability	
 of	
 stopping	
 on	
 a	
 multiple	
 of	
 3?	
  iii. What	
 is	
 the	
 probability	
 of	
 spinning	
 the	
 same	
 number	
 twice	
 in	
 a	
 row?	
  Walk	
 around	
 the	
 room	
 to	
 interact	
 with	
 students.	
  i. Help	
 students	
 who	
 ask	
 for	
 it.	
  ii. Have	
 some	
 students	
 explain	
 to	
 you	
 the	
 process	
 they	
 took	
 in	
 solving	
 the	
 problem.	
  iii. Informally	
 assess	
 the	
 work	
 of	
 students	
 
a.
b.
	
  4.) Review	
 	
 the	
 answers	
 for	
 the	
 whole	
 class	
 (5	
 minutes).	
  a. Assess	
 student	
 progress	
 by	
 having	
 them	
 raise	
 their	
 hand	
 if	
 they	
 got	
 the	
 questions	
 correct.	
  b. Assign	
 students	
 in	
 to	
 one	
 of	
 three	
 groups.	
 Group	
 A	
 for	
 the	
 students	
 who	
 showed	
 proficiency	
  in	
 the	
 questions.	
 Group	
 B	
 for	
 the	
 students	
 who	
 showed	
 potential,	
 but	
 needed	
 some	
 extra	
  help.	
 Group	
 C	
 for	
 the	
 students	
 who	
 struggled	
 with	
 the	
 problems.	
  5.) Work	
 Time	
 (20	
 minutes)	
  a. Group	
 A	
 will	
 be	
 working	
 by	
 themselves	
 or	
 with	
 a	
 group	
 on	
 advanced	
 level	
 problems.	
 	
 They	
  will	
 also	
 be	
 asked	
 to	
 create	
 a	
 probability	
 problem	
 on	
 their	
 own.	
  i. What	
 are	
 the	
 odds	
 in	
 favor	
 that	
 a	
 randomly	
 selected	
 student	
 who	
 participated	
 in	
 this	
  survey	
 chose	
 math	
 as	
 his	
 or	
 her	
 favorite	
 subject?	
  ii. Out	
 of	
 the	
 students	
 who	
 chose	
 no	
 preference	
 for	
 the	
 survey,	
 based	
 on	
 the	
 answers	
  given	
 by	
 the	
 other	
 students	
 what	
 is	
 the	
 probability	
 that	
 they	
 prefer	
 science?	
  iii. What	
 is	
 the	
 probability	
 that	
 three	
 randomly	
 chosen	
 people	
 would	
 all	
 prefer	
 the	
  same	
 subject?	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  	
  b. Group	
 B	
 will	
 be	
 working	
 as	
 a	
 group	
 to	
 finish	
 up	
 problems	
 similar	
 in	
 difficulty	
 to	
 those	
 during	
  the	
 lesson.	
  i. Students	
 can	
 teach	
 one	
 another	
 what	
 they	
 thought	
 was	
 the	
 best	
 way	
 to	
 approach	
 the	
  problem.	
 
c.
d.
e.
f. 	
 
ii. These	
 problems	
 will	
 have	
 an	
 answer	
 bank	
 that	
 goes	
 along	
 with	
 the	
 worksheet.	
 If	
  students	
 are	
 doing	
 the	
 problems	
 incorrectly,	
 the	
 answer	
 they	
 get	
 probably	
 will	
 not	
  be	
 in	
 the	
 answer	
 bank,	
 and	
 so	
 the	
 student	
 gets	
 immediate	
 feedback	
 that	
 they	
 have	
  incorrectly	
 done	
 the	
 problem.	
  iii. Students	
 will	
 also	
 be	
 asked	
 to	
 share	
 with	
 me	
 what	
 they	
 learned	
 during	
 group	
 time	
  that	
 helped	
 them	
 improve	
 their	
 skills.	
  Group	
 C	
 will	
 get	
 individual	
 attention	
 from	
 me	
 to	
 help	
 them	
 learn	
 the	
 material	
 again.	
  i. I	
 will	
 re-teach	
 the	
 main	
 points	
 of	
 the	
 lesson	
 while	
 asking	
 for	
 questions	
 from	
 the	
  students.	
  ii. I	
 will	
 give	
 an	
 example	
 of	
 probability	
 using	
 a	
 coin.	
  1. What	
 is	
 the	
 probability	
 of	
 flipping	
 a	
 heads	
 on	
 one	
 flip?	
  2. What	
 is	
 the	
 probability	
 of	
 flipping	
 two	
 heads	
 in	
 a	
 row?	
  3. What	
 is	
 the	
 probability	
 of	
 flipping	
 at	
 least	
 one	
 heads	
 out	
 of	
 three	
 flips?	
  iii. Students	
 will	
 be	
 asked	
 to	
 complete	
 some	
 problems	
 with	
 my	
 help	
 first	
 and	
 then	
 on	
  their	
 own	
 after	
 that.	
  I	
 will	
 start	
 with	
 group	
 C	
 first	
 and	
 then	
 make	
 my	
 way	
 to	
 Group	
 B.	
  i. I	
 will	
 check	
 the	
 work	
 completed	
 by	
 the	
 individuals	
 from	
 Group	
 B	
 to	
 make	
 sure	
 they	
  are	
 on	
 the	
 right	
 track	
  ii. If	
 there	
 are	
 critical	
 errors	
 being	
 made,	
 I	
 will	
 address	
 the	
 problems	
 and	
 teach	
 to	
 the	
  group	
 members	
 that	
 are	
 struggling.	
  iii. I	
 will	
 address	
 any	
 individual	
 questions	
 Group	
 B	
 might	
 have	
 so	
 I	
 can	
 make	
 sure	
 that	
  they	
 are	
 on	
 the	
 right	
 track.	
  iv. For	
 the	
 students	
 that	
 are	
 doing	
 well	
 and	
 have	
 several	
 problems	
 done,	
 I	
 will	
 then	
  encourage	
 them	
 to	
 come	
 up	
 with	
 a	
 problem	
 on	
 their	
 own,	
 just	
 as	
 Group	
 A	
 had	
 been	
  doing	
 already.	
  After	
 I	
 am	
 done	
 working	
 with	
 Group	
 C	
 I	
 will	
 make	
 my	
 way	
 to	
 Group	
 A	
 to	
 check	
 up	
 on	
 how	
  they	
 are	
 doing.	
  i. I	
 will	
 check	
 to	
 see	
 how	
 they	
 progressed	
 on	
 their	
 set	
 of	
 questions.	
  ii. If	
 there	
 are	
 any	
 errors	
 being	
 made,	
 I	
 will	
 be	
 sure	
 to	
 address	
 these	
 issues	
 with	
 these	
  group	
 members.	
  iii. I	
 will	
 check	
 on	
 the	
 probability	
 problems	
 that	
 the	
 group	
 came	
 up	
 with	
 and	
 encourage	
  some	
 students	
 to	
 present	
 to	
 the	
 class.	
  During	
 this	
 whole	
 work	
 period,	
 students	
 are	
 able	
 to	
 come	
 to	
 me	
 with	
 individual	
 questions	
  even	
 if	
 I	
 am	
 not	
 stationed	
 at	
 their	
 group.	
 
6.) Presentation.	
 (5	
 minutes)	
  a. I	
 will	
 ask	
 for	
 volunteers	
 to	
 present	
 a	
 probability	
 problem	
 that	
 they	
 came	
 up	
 with	
 to	
 the	
 class.	
  b. Students	
 will	
 be	
 asked	
 to	
 solve	
 the	
 problem	
 before	
 the	
 answer	
 is	
 then	
 presented	
 to	
 the	
 class.	
  	
  Technology	
 needed	
 for	
 this	
 lesson	
 to	
 be	
 successful:	
  	
  Tablet	
 computer	
  Projector	
  Internet	
 Connection	
  	
  Adaptations	
 needed	
 to	
 meet	
 student	
 needs:	
  	
  	
  Notes	
 are	
 available	
 online	
 and	
 in	
 print	
 to	
 students	
 who	
 want	
 them.	
 Individual	
 instruction	
 is	
 provided	
  for	
 those	
 students	
 who	
 need	
 it	
 after	
 the	
 lecture	
 is	
 over.	
  	
  	
  	
  Thinking	
 strategies	
 used	
 in	
 this	
 lesson:	
  	
  	
  Students	
 will	
 apply	
 math	
 to	
 real	
 world	
 scenarios	
 that	
 they	
 are	
 familiar	
 with.	
 Students	
 will	
 create	
  probability	
 scenarios	
 on	
 their	
 own.	
  	
  Assignment:	
  	
  Students	
 are	
 given	
 homework	
 problems	
 to	
 accomplish	
 if	
 they	
 wish	
 to.	
 It	
 is	
 completely	
 optional.	
  	
  Assessment	
 of	
 objective:	
  	
 
Students	
 are	
 informally	
 assessed	
 during	
 work	
 time.	
 They	
 are	
 also	
 informally	
 assessed	
 by	
 show	
 of	
  hands	
 if	
 they	
 successfully	
 answered	
 questions	
 presented	
 to	
 the	
 class.	
  At	
 the	
 end	
 of	
 the	
 week,	
 students	
 are	
 formally	
 assessed	
 with	
 a	
 quiz.	
 This	
 quiz	
 is	
 not	
 graded,	
 but	
 is	
  representative	
 of	
 the	
 questions	
 that	
 will	
 be	
 on	
 the	
 test.	
 I	
 will	
 grade	
 the	
 quizzes	
 individually,	
 give	
  feedback,	
 and	
 hand	
 them	
 back	
 to	
 the	
 students	
 to	
 use	
 as	
 a	
 reference	
 to	
 prepare	
 for	
 the	
 unit	
 test.