Capture the engagement of your young mathematicians with a collaborative graphing activity. Using a deck of zoo animal picture cards, students select a picture from the deck, record the chosen animal on a graph, and then replace the card before allowing the next child to take his turn. The result is a graph of data that allows for some interesting class discussions about probability.

Concepts

probability, graphing, graphing data, experimental probability, theoretical probability

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Additional Tags

math

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Instructional Ideas

• Create a large graph as a whole class as well has having children create their own personal versions
• With younger children, this resource is best used to teach about graphing rather than probability
• Color in and laminate the animal picture cards, allowing for repeated use year in and year out

Classroom Considerations

• The design of this resource indicates that it is meant for younger children, but the concept of probability is not taught until middle school
• This activity is best performed with a larger group in order to get better results

Pros

• Includes fun animal picture cards that will engage children in the activity
• A table is provided that supports young learners with recording the results of the activity

Cons

• Resource does not address the fact that experimental and theoretical probability are not the same, and that the results of this activity may not clearly show that the probabilities are the same for choosing each animal

Common Core

1.MD.C.4 2.MD.D.10 3.MD.B.3 7.SP.C.5 7.SP.C.6 MP4 MP6