Name: Kristina Hass

Grade Level: Fourth Grade

Subject: Math

Date: March 21, 2016

Class Period: 1:45-2:50
Lesson # & Title: Probability

Big Idea/ Lesson Focus: Finding the probability of certain measurable

events (spinner, bag of marbles)
Function of the Lesson:
*** Introduce New Skill or Content
____Practice
____Review
____Remediation/ Re-Teaching
Context for Learning: There are 20 students in the class, 13 girls and 7
boys. 3 students are on IEP. 14 students are white, while 2 are African
American, 3 are Asian, and 1 is Hispanic. 5 students in the class are gifted,
and 2 students have a learning disability.
Content Standards:
-Theme: How likely an event will occur
-Strand: Probability
-Topic: Introduction to Probability
-Content Statement: The likeliness of an event occurring may vary, and can
be found using probability.
Learning Objectives (aligned to assessment plan):
-Students will be able to write probability as a fraction, conduct a simple
probability experiment with and without replacement, and use the results to
describe outcomes in the future
-Students will be able to find the probability of an outcome with or without
replacement, and will realize the difference between these outcomes
-Students will be able to complete these tasks with
Academic Language (Academic Language Demands and/or Academic
Language Objectives):
-Probability
-Event
-Replacement
-Certain
-Impossible
-Likely
-Unlikely
Assessment Plan (aligned to learning objectives):
-Formative Assessment:

-I will be assessing student progress and understanding as they

experiment with probability tests such as using a spinner or pulling
marbles out of a bag.
-During the presentation, I will have students participate in pulling
marbles out of a bag in the interactive Smart Board presentation. I will
have them record their findings and will periodically ask questions to
check their progress as a group.
-I will also observe students during their group activity and see who
seems to still need help and who is completing their work successfully.
-Summative Assessment:
-I will give students a test at the end of this unit.
-The test will cover the ideas presented during the lesson, such as
writing probability as fractions, as well as using both replacement and
non-replacement.
Procedures: Lesson Introduction
-I will begin the lesson by asking the students some how likely questions
that they have likely heard before, such as How likely is it to snow
tomorrow? or How likely is it that the sun will rise tomorrow? or How
likely is it that you will have a test tomorrow? These questions will
introduce the idea of what it means to consider probability in an engaging
way.
-I will then move to some more measurable questions, such as how likely is
it that I will roll a 4 on a die?
-From here I will introduce the idea that the students can make fairly
educated guesses on certain events like these, called probability.
Procedures: Lesson Body
-Presentation/Explicit Instruction (I do: 100% teacher, 0% student):
-I will explain the concept of probability as the chance that an event
can or has occurred.
-I will describe how to write probability as a fraction
-I will briefly explain that there are other ways to write out probability,
such as a decimal or a percent.
-This step will take about 5 minutes
-Structured Practice/Exploration (We do: 75% teacher, 25% student):
-I will show students a diagram of a spinner on the Smart Board, and
have them predict the likeliness of spinning a certain color.
-We will calculate a fraction for each color on the spinner as a class by
writing the selected color out of the whole.
-I will then spin the spinner a few times to show that while the
probability is a good estimate, the results will not always be exact.
-This step will take about 10 minutes
-Guided Practice/Checking for Understanding (We do: 25% teacher,
75% student):

-Next, we will examine a diagram of a bag of marbles on the Smart

Board.
-I will choose volunteers to pull out a marble, have the rest of the class
record the color, and then replace it.
-After observing the results, we will predict and then observe the actual
number of each color in the bag, and write out fractions for each color.
-We will then repeat the experiment with another bag of marbles, this
time without replacing.
-This step will take about 15 minutes
-Independent Practice/Application (They do: 0% teacher, 100%
student):
-Next, students will complete some more experiments with those
around them.
-Students will each create their own spinner on a worksheet with a predrawn spinner containing eight equally divided parts.
-After coloring each section, students will work with those around them
to discover the likeliness of each color being spun.
-Finally, students will write out fractions for each situation and turn
them in to be graded.
-This step will take about 20 minutes
Procedures: Lesson Closure:
-I will close the lesson with some final examples of how probability can be
used, both in and out of the classroom. Students may also volunteer to give
some examples if they can think of any.
-I will go over what it means to use replacement and non-replacement, and
will remind students that probability is still only an educated guess, and will
not always be completely accurate.
-I will also explain to students that soon they will begin to find different ways
to express probability, such as with a percent or decimals.
Differentiation, Individualized Instruction, and Assessment:
-Students will create their own individualized spinners as an activity after the
presentation, and will be able to work with those around them if they need
help. Students of varying skill levels will have been seated together, so if
one student needs help, they will be able to easily ask someone nearby for
assistance. Throughout the lesson, I will ask for volunteers to participate in
the Smart Board exercises, giving as many students an opportunity to
participate as possible. In addition, I will be offering help to those who need
it while students are working on their spinners, as well as checking their
progress and understanding.
Instructional Materials and Support:
-Smart Board for presentation and first few exercises

-Link to presentation: http://express.smarttech.com/?

url=http://exchangedownloads.smarttech.com/public/content/a4/a41fbe36ab90-4b64-9c3d-bab3d28f601b/Probability.notebook#
-Coloring supplies for spinner creation activity
-Worksheets with pre-drawn spinner that I will have made
-Pencils to write fractions
Cultural Responsiveness Commentary:
-While teaching this lesson, I will be sure to remain aware of the diversity
within my classroom. Keeping different cultures in mind, I will give examples
of probability usage that can apply to everyone, showing that it is not limited
to any singular group. I will also be sure to give everyone in the classroom
an equal chance to volunteer and participate, and will not single out any one
student for any unnecessary reason. When assessing students or assisting
them during their spinner creation, I will be sure to involve each student, and
observe them with the same expectations. I will not say or do anything that
may make one group uncomfortable, and I will be sure to respect every
student in the class.
Research and Theory Commentary:
-In this lesson, I will begin by explaining the main points of the lesson to
students, and will eventually give them more freedom to begin completing
activities on their own. By doing this, I will be incorporating ideas from
Vygotskys scaffolding techniques. I will also be using the idea of
experimental learning from the thinker Dewey, as the students will
eventually begin completing probability experiments on their own, by
completing the marble activity as a class and later completing a spinner and
finding the probability of spinning certain colors.
Use of Technology Commentary:
-I will be using the Smart Board for a presentation on probability. It is an
interactive presentation, and includes some examples of spinners, as well as
several marble bags, in which marbles can be dragged out. By keeping most
of these items on the Smart Board rather than using real marbles, I will be
limiting distraction, as well as the chance of losing materials. However,
students will still be given the opportunity to interact with the exercises and
will be able to use the Smart Board presentation and then apply it to a real
situation. In addition, the presentation contains definitions, reminders, and
an answer key to example problems to best help students understand the
concepts, or improve on them.