I want to preface this post with a simple piece of advice- try the fun stuff. I am always nervous before I try something new.. but setting expectations is everything! Managing kids is HARD. I’ve learned so much from those around me. This activity went so well because of the expectations. For this activity I used my probability resource for simple probability that also includes finding the difference between theoretical & experimental probability. I placed students into groups of 3-4 (I have also done partners in the past.. do what you prefer!) I set a timer for an allotted amount of time- usually 15 min. This resource has 20 questions so this allows plenty of time to attempt as many as possible. YouTube has the cutest timers btw. Students begin working & can go in any order they choose- I stress that they can decide which ones to try or skip. I like to offer some choice & some teams want to tackle all the hard ones first, while some like to try all the one point questions first. A group raises their hand when they have an answer & I check their work. If it is correct I check it off on their paper. (see photo.) This is how they earn points. I tell my students that if they raise their hands for me to come check answers but I am busy checking another group, keep working & when I come over I will check multiple answers at a time if needed. This way they are efficient!
When the timer goes off they add up their points. Then they can see how many hoops they have earned. Once they know this information, they can decide which group members wants to shoot hoops/how many each member can do. Then one group at a time is called to shoot the ball. (I got my goal at a local sports store but you can even use a trash can/paper!) I have a student tally mark each goal made by the team. To keep this manageable I have my ‘audience’ stay seated as if we were at a game. The only students standing are to be the group who has been called to participate. If I see too many are getting up, we pause until they are seated. I find the more strategic I am with procedures the better things like this go. The overall winning team gets candy in my room. (: Please email me if you have questions or suggestions! bmccarley@mcssk12.org
