Students should become familiar with the ideas of probability by experimenting with as many different objects as possible. Dice, spinners, coins, and cards are some of the common objects that are useful for studying probability. In Grade 6, students should be able to calculate experimental probability. By working in pairs or groups of 3 or 4, they should conduct a number of experiments to determine the experimental probability of certain events. Student experiences with physical situations that involve probability concepts are very important in developing an understanding of these concepts.
Situations involving equally likely outcomes are the easiest.
Students must realize that when a green cube is removed from a bag of coloured cubes, the number of green cubes is reduced as is the total number of cubes. Students will differentiate between theoretical probability and experimental probability in later grades. Probability is calculated by using the ratio of favourable outcomes to possible outcomes. Link probability concepts to those of ratio and proportion. Probability is simply a ratio and many of the concepts related to it can be studied with the ratio and proportion strand.