LESSON PLAN

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

LESSON ORGANISATION
Year Level: 9 Time: 50 mins Date: dd/mm/yyyy
Learning Area: Mathematics
Strand/Topic from the Australian Curriculum
Statistics & Probability: List all outcomes for two-step
chance experiments, both with and without replacement
using tree diagrams or arrays. Assign probabilities to
outcomes and determine probabilities for events
(ACMSP225) Elaboration: Conducting two-step chance
experiments and using systematic methods to list outcomes
of experiments and to list outcomes favourable to an event.

Students Prior Knowledge:

Definition of key terms experiment, event,
outcome, probability, sample spaces e.g. tree
diagram and two way table.
Examples of equally likely two-step experiments
e.g. rolling a dice twice, flipping a coin twice
Example of an unequally likely two step event e.g.
the sum of two dice
How to construct a tree diagram and write the list
of outcomes on the right hand side with associated
probabilities
Difference between theoretical and experimental
probability

General Capabilities (that may potentially be covered in the lesson)

Literacy
Numeracy
ICT competence
Critical and
creative thinking

Ethical
behaviour

Personal and
Social
competence

Intercultural
understanding

Cross-curriculum priorities (may be addressed in the lesson)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Asia and Australias engagement with Asia
histories and cultures
Proficiencies:(Mathematics only) Understanding, Fluency, Problem Solving

Sustainability

Lesson Objectives
As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:
Conduct a statistical experiment in groups of four and identify the possible events and outcomes of the
experiment.
Describe and justify with reasoning as to whether their assigned statistical experiment has equally or unequally
likely outcomes.
Create an appropriate sample space, e.g. tree diagram, list or two way table, for their experiment and record the
experimental frequencies
Appreciate the difference between experimental and theoretical probability by comparing and contrasting their
results from the experiment to theoretical probabilities calculated for homework.
Teachers Prior Preparation/Organisation:
Prepare Weebly Event 3 - have all of the four different
experiment resources prepared and outlined on
Weebly.
Create groups of four to cater for learning and ability
levels, so that the different experiments can be
assigned based on difficulty.
Prepare the ICTs for the coin flip, the bag of marbles
and the spinner, as well as resources for those not
using ICT.
List of Groups for the projector.

Provision for students at educational risk:

Lower Level students Purposely assign them with
one of the easier examples i.e. flipping a coin twice or
spinning a 5-colour spinner twice. These examples
have less events and hence less possible outcomes
and will be easier for students to visualise and
conduct. Higher Level students Give these
students the replacement and no replacement
examples to extend their knowledge beyond consistent
sample spaces. This introduces weighted treediagrams.

LESSON EVALUATION (to be completed AFTER the lesson)

Assessment of Lesson Objective and Suggestions for Improvement:
A checklist will be used to determine:
Could the students recognise which sample space would be best used for two-step events?
Did the students enjoy conducting the different experiments in groups?
What will the students need to work on/revisit in the next lesson, when we readdress this topic?
Was the extension activity and introduction of replacement challenging for the higher-level students?
Did the lower level students find the task difficult? Were the experiments assigned to them appropriate for their
learning? Did I give them enough help and guidance to understand their task?
Teacher self-reflection and self-evaluation:
Anecdotal notes will be kept on:

Were the students interested in the lesson that you presented them with?

Did each student participate in the groups?

Were all objectives met?

What aspects of the lesson did the students complete?

How can this be improved?

[OFFICIAL USE ONLY] Comments by classroom teacher, HOPP, supervisor:

LESSON DELIVERY (attach worksheets, examples, marking key, etc, as relevant)

Time

5 mins

Motivation and Introduction:

Before inviting students into the classroom, have the list of
groups prepared on the projector, however, minimised to avoid
distraction.
Greet students and introduce the lesson as an extension of
the previous lessons class activity. Today, we are going to be
conducting some more statistical experiments as small groups,
looking at suitable sample spaces for them and then observing our
experimental results.
Put student group list up on the projector and ask students
to gather in those groups in assigned sections of the room.
On the group list will have what experiment each group is
conducting. Invite the groups to assign the following roles amongst
themselves: WebQuest Coordinator, Experiment Conductor,
Outcome Recorder, Experiment Supervisor. Stress the importance of
each of these roles for good teamwork.
Invite the students to Open the WebQuest Page and direct
themselves to Event 3, opening their respective assigned
experiment.

Resources/References
Laptop, Projector, Group
List

Weebly:
nd9probability.weebly.com

Lesson Steps (Lesson content, structure, strategies & Key Questions):

5 mins

15 mins

15 mins

Each group are to follow the instructions on the WebQuest

pages pertaining to their group experiment. Teacher Note: These
experiments should be somewhat student run and independent.
Avoid an excessive amount of teacher direction in this lesson. Just
ensure that the students are on the right track or guide them if they
encounter difficulties.

WebQuest Coordinator: Open the Experiment

Page and instruct the rest of the group of what needs to be
done in the experiment.

Experiment Conductor: Open the website/ICT

being used for the experiment - set up any required
conditions e.g. colours on the spinner, number of marbles in
the bags (in some cases, group may be setting up the actual
resources).

Outcome Recorder and Supervisor: Ensure that

some method to record the results is ready. For example,
students can use their workbooks, or can use laptops if they
see fit.

Once a group is ready to start have them wait for the rest of the
class to be prepared. Encourage the students whilst waiting to think
about whether their experiment has equally likely or unequally likely
outcomes.

In this time, students are to conduct the relevant number of their

experiment (as described in the WebQuest) i.e.

Coin Flip: 100 random tosses of the coin and

record the results.

Spinner: 100 spins of the spinner and record the

results.

Marbles (Replacement): 50 trials. Select two

marbles, one after another, with replacement.

Marbles (No Replacement): 50 trials. Select two

marbles, one after another, without replacement.

Teacher to walk around observing student interaction and

involvement in the experiment.

Once students have completed their experiment, encourage

them to check they have the right amount of trials. If so then may
move onto generating a sample space/data display of their
experimental results. These instructions can be found on Weebly
under each experiment for Event 3. Students will be working with
Excel/Google Spreadsheets to create a histogram or pie chart, or will

Group One:
http://justflipacoin.com/
Australian 20c Coins
Group Two:
http://www.mathplayground.
com/probability.html
Group Three & Four:
http://www.hellam.net/math
s2000/marbles.htm

Bag and coloured

marbles.

Excel/Spreadsheets,
Workbooks

be generating a table using ICT or by hand.

Whilst students are working, walk around and gage student

results.

Once students have completed their data display, have them

upload the results onto the Outcomes Page of the Weebly.

Wait for all groups to have uploaded their results. Once a group
has uploaded their results, they can move on to one of the extras
below.

Extra Note 1: If students conducted the experiment by hand and

they have finished the above steps correctly and before other
groups, allow them to experiment with the ICT and compare the
results they got to the computer generated results and discuss any
similarities or differences. Alternatively if two groups that have been
working on the same experiment have finished, allow them to
compare results.

Extra Note 2: If students have correctly completed all parts of

their experiment and discussed their results with either another
group or the teacher, then encourage them to download their
respective homework task and make a start on calculating the
theoretical probabilities.

5 mins

Give a time warning when there are 10 mins left of the lesson
and instruct students to finish what they are one, pack up their group
work and move back to their own desks.
Lesson Closure:(Review lesson objectives with students)
Class Discussion: Ask students the following focus
questions to guide a class discussion. Hands up if you think your
group had an equally likely experiment. Why? Hands up if you think
your group had an unequally likely experiment. Why? Group One,
summarise to the class what you found when you flipped a coin 100
times. What did you use to display your results? Why? Group Two,
summarise to the class what you found when you spun the spinner
100 times. What did you use to display your results? Why? Group
Three, tell the class how many marbles you started with and how
this came through in the results? What did you use to display your
results? Why? Group Four, what was different about your
experiment to Group Threes? What did you use to display your
results? Why?
Reiterate to all students that we have conducted four
different statistical experiments and gathered a large of experimental
probability data.
Transition: (What needs to happen prior to the next lesson?)
Outline Homework Task: Each student from each group
needs to download the homework task from their respective
experiment and follow the instructions to calculate the theoretical

5 mins

probabilities for their scenario. Students are then to comment on the

similarities and differences between the experimental and theoretical
data. This will be checked at the end of the WebQuest.
Ask students to bring their ClassPads or scientific
calculators to the next lesson.
Assessment: (Were the lesson objectives met? How will these be judged?)
Observation: Teacher to make judgements about student
contribution during the in-class experiments.
Informal Assessment: Teacher to check student results
have been uploaded to the Outcomes Page and check for any major
flaws in the results.
Discussion: Class discussion at the end of the lesson will
highlight whether or not the students have grasped the concepts of
probability and statistical experiments.
Formal Assessment through Homework: At the
completion of the WebQuest, student homework and group results
will be marked and graded.