Teaching Math in a grade one class??

Question

In what ways could someone teach a six year old child the concept of probability? What could probability teach that six year old child?

Answer 1

Start with a simple definition of probability:

The relative frequency with which an event occurs or is likely to occur.

Next, work with other teachers to agree on a standard defintion all teachers can teach and will make sense to a first grader.

A previous answer gave marbles as a learning tool, but you can use anything that 1st graders relate to and would be fun, like candy, popular characters, anything that comes with different colors or shapes.

Place 5 red, 2, blue, 1 yellow and 1 green chararcter, object or toy into a bag. Show the students the objects before you put them in the bag. Have each student draw from the bag and record each draw on a chart counting red, blue, yellow and green. After all students have drawn from the bag, they should see which color came up the most, i.e. red. We can conclude that this is the most likely to be drawn. Also, since I started with 10 total objects, this lesson also leads to fractions and percents. Make sure you replace the objects back in the bag after each draw.

As a follow-up, ask them many questions about likelihood or what will happen if you:

1. 10 boys and 3 girls are in a room. If a student is drawn at random, which is most likely to be chosen; Boy or girl

2. Have them bring a box of cereal to school that has candy flavors. Fill a bowl of cereal, have each student count each flavor, then ask which flavor is most likely to be pulled out of a box of cereal. You can do the same with small bags of M&M's. We use these in adult classes in stats.

Again, work with your co-teachers to expand on this bacis lesson. Statistics is very important in the real world because it gives a chance to predict what will most likely happen in the future, and with this knowledge, we can be prepared, and make decisions accordingly based on high probable events.

Answer 2

Start small and simple. Use a penny and determine probability of heads or tails (half the time for either). Then move on to something more complex, but that child familiar with, such as a single die (as in, 1 'dice'). A die has 6 sides. Therefore, general rule of probability is that probability of any single event happening is 1 out of total number of possibilities (2 for the coin, 6 for the die, and so on)

Answer 3

Use a jar of marbles. Put in one color of marble. Ask the child if it is possible or impossible (define possible if need be) to get that color of marble. Then ask the child if it is possible or impossible to get any other color than the one in the jar. From there give the example with the same number of two different colors. Ask the child which is more probable. If you start at the basics and then move up the child won't get confused. Remember to move at a pace that is good for them.

Answer 4

You want to teach probability to a child before you teach addition, subtraction, multiplication and division? No wonder kids grow up hating math!

Answer 5

well I Think an simple mathematics flashcards will help out
adding, subtracting. multiplications, division then fractions is
because what we use as good education .See http://www.mathematics/flashcards.com ! these tools are great
use for yourself

Answer 6

Youngsters respond to visual effects. Start small.