Mathematics / Year 3 / Probability

Curriculum content descriptions

identify practical activities and everyday events involving chance; describe possible outcomes and events as ‘likely’ or ‘unlikely’ and identify some events as ‘certain’ or ‘impossible’ explaining reasoning (AC9M3P01)

Elaborations
  • predicting what could happen next in practical activities that involve an element of chance, considering possible outcomes and using terms such as “likely” or “unlikely” to explain their predictions
  • classifying a list of everyday events or sorting a set of event cards according to how likely they are to happen, using the language of chance and giving reasons for classifications; discussing how impossible outcomes cannot ever happen, uncertain outcomes are affected by chance as they may or may not happen whereas certain events must always happen, so they are not affected by chance
  • making predictions and testing what would happen; for example, if \(10\) names were put in a box, and names were then drawn out one at a time and replaced after each selection, discussing how likely it would be after \(10\) selections that all \(10\) names were drawn from the box or that one name was drawn multiple times
  • role-playing being a chatbot or virtual assistant responding to a user about the likelihood of events; for example, using preset questions on cards relating to the likelihood of events, role-playing in pairs responding as a virtual assistant, giving reasons for their response
General capabilities
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Numeracy Numeracy
ScOT terms

Likelihood

Interactive

Goat Grommets (Mental computation and dependent probability) - ABC Education

As a team, you'll need to use your understanding of probability to decide which waves your surfer should catch — or when to play it safe and head in. Use mental addition to calculate your score. Enjoy the surf but watch out for the shark pig! Mathematical ideas and strategies this game supports: the probability of an occurrence ...

Interactive

Goat Squad (Partitioning numbers and dependent probability) - ABC Education

The Rocksteady Reds cheer squad is competing against the Blue Boing Boings to be the first to build a triangle and win the cheerleading competition. Will you use your strategies for addition and partitioning numbers to help your team win? Mathematical ideas and strategies this game supports: addition and partitioning numbers; ...

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Coin Toss - Calculate

The focus of this activity is for students to conduct an experiment that involves chance.They will use the information they gather to represent their findings.

Interactive

Goat to bed (Partitioning twenty) - ABC Education

Some naughty little goats should be in bed, but they are still up and playing games! You will need to choose teams, then use your strategies (such as combinations for 20) to decide who wins: baby goats or babysitter! Mathematical ideas and strategies this game supports: numbers can be partitioned in many ways; there are ...

Interactive

Waste and materials – sustainability action process (Years 3–6)

This resource guides students through an extended school-based or local investigation focussed on waste and materials using the five-step sustainability action process. The resource supports the investigation of a real-world issue or problem. Students develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate ...

Interactive

Kitchen gardens – sustainability action process (Years 3–6)

This resource guides students through an extended school-based or local investigation focussed on kitchen gardens using the five-step sustainability action process. The resource supports the investigation of a real-world issue or problem. Students develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate and ...

Interactive

Sustainable transport – sustainability action process (Years 3–6)

This sustainable transport learning resource will guide students through an extended school based investigation. Students will develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate and reflect on their success and their learning.

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Cool lunch

In this set of learning activities, students investigate how heat energy from the Sun transfers across a variety of materials, affecting the internal temperature of lunch containers. They conduct experiments to identify materials that absorb or reflect heat and draw on their findings to create, test and justify designs ...

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The long walk

This set of learning activities challenges students to design shoes using recycled materials. The module includes a comprehensive teacher guide, curriculum links, materials lists, design process guides and printable student resource sheets. The resource also provides an editable module template, is supported by online professional ...

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Park Ranger Problem Solving: An ‘Addition & Subtraction’ Rich Task for Years 3–4 - Calculate

The aim of this task is to provide a rich, contextual activity through which students can begin to explore the addition and subtraction of one- and two-digit of numbers in everyday contexts.

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.

Interactive

Rainforest: use compass points

Use compass points and a scale to find places on a map. Understand abbreviations such as N, W, SW and E. Follow instructions to find four locations. As you go, look up the meaning of tricky words.

Interactive

The slushy sludger: 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. Will an event happen: yes, no or maybe? Answer some sample questions using these words and then build your own examples. This learning object is one in a series of three objects.