Mathematics / Year 6 / Statistics and Probability / Chance

Curriculum content descriptions

Compare observed frequencies across experiments with expected frequencies (ACMSP146)

Elaborations
  • predicting likely outcomes from a run of chance events and distinguishing these from surprising results
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
  • Numeracy Numeracy
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
ScOT terms

Observations (Data),  Statistical frequency,  Expected frequency

Interactive

Mystery spinner: challenge

Look at results in a frequency graph compiled after testing an unseen spinner. Work out the likely proportions of colours in the mystery spinner. Use a tool to build a new spinner (a dial with a pointer). Choose up to five equal-sized sectors. Fill the sectors with up to five colours. For example, make a five-part spinner ...

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TIMES Module 4: Statistics and Probability: data investigation and interpretation, year 6 - teacher guide

This is a 23-page guide for teachers. This module uses a number of examples to illustrate different types of data and develop the statistical data investigation process. It suggests the following steps: considering the initial questions that motivate an investigation; identifying issues; planning, collecting, handling and ...

Interactive

Leisure survey

Explore how kids use their leisure time. Choose questions to ask in a survey. For example, look at the percentages of kids that play tennis, basketball or netball. Examine a table of results. Sort the data and use it to answer questions. Display the results using a suitable type of graph such as a pie chart, bar graph or ...

Video

MathXplosion, Ep 33: On the grid

Explore graphs, grids and mapping with a focus on reading and writing location data using coordinate geometry. Grids and maps illustrate the concepts of parallel/perpendicular lines (axes or labelled number lines), ordered pairs and intersection points.

Video

Catalyst: Probability and the birthday paradox

Even when a maths problem seems simple – for example, the chance of two people sharing a birthday – the maths can run counter to our human intuition. Mathematician Lily Serna poses a maths problem to the Clovelly Bowling Club: how many people do you need to gather to get a 50 per cent chance of any two people in that group ...

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Flight of the osprey infographic

In this lesson, students use data acquired during their learning about the osprey and information sourced online to design and create an infographic. This lesson is the final lesson in a series of six lessons that connect the cross-curriculum priority of Sustainability, Statistics and the Science learning area: Science ...

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Osprey bird dimensions

In this lesson, students investigate measurement data related to the osprey. Students represent and interpret data related to wingspan and body length. They investigate patterns in data to describe any relationships. This lesson is the third in a series of six lessons that connect the cross-curriculum priority of Sustainability, ...

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Osprey position and location

In this lesson, students acquire data related to the migration of the osprey. Students describe location and position on a Cartesian plane using paired coordinates. They explore the way latitude and longitude is used to pinpoint a location on Earth. This lesson is the fourth in a series of six lessons that connect the cross-curriculum ...

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Osprey migration data

In this lesson, students acquire data related to the migration of the osprey. Students represent and interpret the data, discussing and reporting on the data distribution. They compare two types of charts to decide which type is best to display the dataset. This lesson is the second in a series of six lessons that connect ...

Interactive

Racing game with one die

This is an interactive game that investigates probability by simulating a two-car race, in which the movements of the cars are based on the roll of a die. Cars advance when certain numbers are rolled, and the student can experiment with probability by selecting which car moves forward for a given outcome of the roll of ...

Interactive

Spinner

This is an interactive resource that investigates experimental and theoretical probability based on a spinner. The student can select the number of segments on the spinner and simulate spinning the spinner with a mouse click. The outcome of each trial is recorded in a table along with a comparison between the cumulative ...

Interactive

Spinners: explore

Test a coloured spinner (dial with pointer) with three equal-sized sectors. Use a tool to build more spinners. Choose up to twelve equal-sized sectors. Choose one of three colours for each part of a spinner. For example, make a three-colour spinner with six red sectors, four yellow sectors and two orange sectors. Test the ...

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TIMES Module 11: Statistics and Probability: chance, year 6 - teacher guide

This is a 17-page guide for teachers. It continues the development of probability. A careful consideration of outcomes and equally likely outcomes is undertaken. Experiments involving known probabilities are considered and what is observed is compared with what is expected. This is carried out with both small and large ...

Interactive

The foul food maker: questions 1

Use a vending machine to get an awful meal such as fly soup, worm pasta or yucky duck. The machine serves a meal randomly from four slots. Work out the likelihood of getting each type of meal. Then choose a matching probability word: impossible, unlikely, equal, likely or certain. Run simple probability experiments. Compare ...

Interactive

The foul food maker: go figure

This tutorial is suitable for use with a screen reader. It explains how the use of simple words can describe the likelihood of everyday events. How likely is an event: certain, likely, equal chance, unlikely or certainly not? Answer some questions using these words and then build your own examples. Learn how to describe ...

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Osprey ranking threats

In this lesson, students acquire data related to key threats to the survival of osprey. Students work in small groups to rank a list of key threats and collate the data in a class spreadsheet. They sort the data to identify the overall class ranking of threats. Students create a pie chart of the threats commonly ranked ...

Video

Can We Help Same birthday whats the chance video

Mathematician Adam Spencer answers a question about something called the 'birthday paradox'. Find out what this has to do with birthdays and the number of people in a room.

Video

Graphing

Graphs can be used to illustrate the relationship between two variables. Watch this fun animation from NASA to learn the basics of graphing.