Introduction
Lesson 4
In the final lesson you will elaborate on the chance of certain weather conditions happening with the use of a weather map. Using the mathematical language from previous lessons that you have gained, see if you can narrow down what you think the weather forecast will be for the next few days.
When working out the weather for the next 3 - 5 days, list what you think the conditions will be from most likely to least likely. These are two more phrases to add to your chance vocabulary.
Task
Task to Achieve Goal
- This last activity will be done in a group of 3 - 4 students, put together by the teacher.
- In your groups go through your chance vocabulary first, working out in what situations you will use the different types of chance words, making sure you all have the same understanding of the chance words.
- Next you will click on the URL in the Process section, a satellite picture of Australia will come up with live weather pictures. Study the picture for 5 minutes in your group and take note of the entire map.
- Using the vision before you, observe where each capital city is and what is happening with their weather.
- For each capital city, workout what their weather forecast will be for the next 3 - 5 days, using your chance vocabulary, list the conditions from most likely to least likely. Give reasons to back up why you put them in that order.
- We will get together at the end, as a class, and see what all the groups decided on for their forecasts.
- The last step will be looking up on the internet, or newspaper, to see which group got the closest.
Process
Evaluation
Discuss Results
After looking at the radar I would assume that all the groups came up with similar forecasts, but the reasons will be the interesting aspect. I'm looking forward to seeing what mathematical language the groups used, in relation to the chance of certain weather conditions occurring. If there is heavy cloud cover over Sydney, I would like to think you have all put something like "Due to the cloud cover it could rain in Sydney and is least likey to be a sunny day. "
At the end of the tasks also take some time to explore the website, where your weather map is from, and see if you can find any words from your mathematical vocabulary that are being used for the prediction of weather.
Conclusion
What We Learnt
Now that you have built up a mathematical vocabulary for chance, start to use it and listen out for it in your daily lives. When someone mentions the chance of something happening, you will now be able to have a conversation about what level the chance is and put your opinion forward on the likelihood of it occurring. In the levels beyond you can still use an event like the weather to learn more detail about chance. Taking something like rainfall, and saying there is a 10% chance of rain today, is getting into finer detail.
Credits
http://www.bom.gov.au/products/national_radar_sat.loop.shtml
First Steps in Mathematics: Chance and Data. Developing Probability and Statistics.
The Australian Curriculum: Mathematics
Teaching Mathematics: Foundation to Middle Years.
www.createwebquest.com (Used for all lessons)
Teacher Page
The Australian Curriculum: Mathematics
Students described everyday events and the chances of them occuring, listing them from most likely to least likely (ACMSP092). Identifying everyday events where one can't happen if the other happens using weather (ACMSP093).
One event occuring, not having an affect on the chance of another event happening (ACMSP094). The interpretation of data from the media or other forms (ACMSP097).
Content strand: Statistics and Probability.
Proficiency strand:
Understanding - beginning to develop an understanding of connecting related ideas, and theability to describe their thinking mathematically.
Fluency - students becoming more fluent in choosing appropriate methods and approximations.
Problem Solving - develpoing the ability to workout issues and events that may arise in everyday life.
Reasoning - students at the early stages of the capacity for logical thought and actions eg. analysing and evaluating.