Virginia SOL 8.PS.1.b
The Standard
Compare and contrast the probability of independent and dependent events.
Virginia Standards of Learning for Mathematics · The student will use statistical investigation to determine the probability of independent and dependent events, including those in context.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students decide whether one event changes the chance of another event. They calculate compound probabilities and explain why dependent and independent situations produce different results.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students can identify whether the first outcome changes the probability of the second outcome. They can calculate both probabilities, compare them, and explain the effect of replacement or removal.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think events are independent just because they happen at different times. They often confuse independent events with mutually exclusive events. They may forget to change the total and favorable outcomes after an item is not replaced.
How to Assess It
- Give this exit ticket: A bag has 3 red and 2 blue tiles. Find the probability of drawing two reds with replacement and without replacement, then explain why the answers differ.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Students draw colored cubes from a bag with and without replacement, record 30 pairs, and compare experimental probabilities.
Ask, "Does the first result change the second probability?" Students defend answers for card, spinner, and marble scenarios.
Play a sorting relay where teams classify scenario cards, then calculate each compound probability to earn the card.
Analyze quality-control sampling to compare selecting two defective items when each inspected item is returned or removed.
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Printable 8.PS.1.b Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 8.PS.1.b, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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Related Standards
- 8.PS.1
The student will use statistical investigation to determine the probability of independent and dependent events, including those in context.
- 8.PS.1.c
Determine the probability of two independent events.
- 8.PS.1.d
Determine the probability of two dependent events.
- 8.PS.1.a
Determine whether two events are independent or dependent and explain how replacement impacts the probability.
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