Virginia SOL 4.PS.2.c
The Standard
Write the probability of a given simple event as a fraction between 0 and 1, where there are no more than 24 possible outcomes.
Virginia Standards of Learning for Mathematics · The student will model and determine the probability of an outcome of a simple event.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify all equally likely outcomes in a simple chance situation and count those that make the named event happen. They write probability as favorable outcomes over total outcomes and check that the value is from 0 to 1.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can use a list, table, spinner, number cube, or bag model to identify the numerator and denominator. The student explains why 0 means impossible, 1 means certain, and fractions in between mean an event may happen.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may reverse the numerator and denominator or use the number of unfavorable outcomes as the numerator. They may write fractions greater than 1, or label an impossible event as 1 and a certain event as 0.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: A bag has 5 red, 3 blue, and 4 green tiles. Write the probability of drawing blue, then explain what the numerator and denominator count.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs a bag with 12 colored tiles; students list possible draws, choose an event, and write its probability as a fraction.
Prompt students to explain why a probability cannot exceed 1, using a labeled fraction and a simple event as evidence.
Play Probability Match with cards showing chance setups, favorable outcome counts, total outcome counts, and fraction answers for students to pair.
Use 20 equal raffle tickets, with 5 marked winner, and ask students to write the chance that one random ticket wins.
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Printable 4.PS.2.c Worksheet
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Related Standards
- 4.PS.2.d
Determine the likelihood of an event occurring and relate it to its whole number or fractional representation (e.g., impossible or zero; equally likely; certain...
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- 4.PS.2
The student will model and determine the probability of an outcome of a simple event.
- 4.PS.2.b
Model and determine all possible outcomes of a given simple event where there are no more than 24 possible outcomes, using a variety of manipulatives (e.g., coi...
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