Lottery

[Decoration]

Lottery

Pupils decide whether or not a lottery will be a good way to raise money.

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Practical details

Suitability
National Curriculum levels 5 to 6
Time
20 to 40 minutes
Resources
Pencil and paper

Key Processes involved

Representing:
Select a method for organising the work and for determining whether or not the lottery will raise money
Analysing
Work logically, systematically listing the number of ways two numbers may be chosen from six
Interpreting and evaluating
Form a convincing argument based on their findings and deduce whether the lottery is or is not a good money raiser
Communicating and reflecting
Communicate their reasoning clearly and effectively

Teacher guidance

Check that pupils fully understand the task context before they begin, perhaps by conducting a simulation of the problem as follows:

Ask each pupil to write down two numbers between 1 and 6 and then draw out two balls from a bag containing the numbers 1 to 6. The pupils who have chosen the correct pair win the game. Ask others which two numbers they chose, so that pupils realise that there are many different possible pairs of numbers. You only need to do this once or twice until they get the idea.

Pupils can tackle this task in different ways, but they might be expected to:

  • Find and justify probabilities and approximations to them by selecting and using methods based on equally likely outcomes.
  • Understand that different outcomes may result from repeating an experiment