Thinking about and Investigating Risk with Marty
Lesson Overview
This is the second of five lessons that focus on literacy, numeracy and social and emotional learning in the context of THRIVING in challenging circumstances.
In this lesson, students will carry out an experiment into chance using Marty. Students will code Marty to make random movements and make predictions about outcomes. They will communicate their findings about probability displaying their results as simple fractions, decimal fractions and percentages.
- Programming, Block coding, Logic (if, then), Loop, Repeat, Chance, probability, risk, Random, Fraction, decimal, percentage,
Content Sections
Thinking about and Investigating Risk with Marty
Lesson Overview
This is the second of five lessons that focus on literacy, numeracy and social and emotional learning in the context of THRIVING in challenging circumstances.
In this lesson, students will carry out an experiment into chance using Marty. Students will code Marty to make random movements and make predictions about outcomes. They will communicate their findings about probability displaying their results as simple fractions, decimal fractions and percentages.
- Programming, Block coding, Logic (if, then), Loop, Repeat, Chance, probability, risk, Random, Fraction, decimal, percentage,
- Awareness of basic probability and chance; experience with conditional statements
- Tablet
- Math - probability and conversions
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- Coins and/or dice
Learning Objectives
- Find out what a random code block does and use operator blocks to test if statements are true or false
- Use logic to code Marty in MartyBlocks to move in different ways if statements are true or false.
- Carry out a simple experiment into chance.
- Report probabilities using simple fractions, decimal fractions and percentages.
- Know that understanding the idea of risk can help us keep ourselves safe.
- Either as a teacher demonstration or as a student activity, start by tossing coins and/or throwing dice asking students to guess what the outcome will be each time. Brainstorm scenarios when students might have come across making predictions in everyday life.
- Students need access to MartyBlocks to code Marty following the steps given in the Student Workbook.
- Students should start by exploring random blocks, looking to see if they can predict outcomes. Ask students to share their findings.
- Next students will test to see if statements are true or false before moving on to using logic to make Marty move in two different ways depending on whether the outcome is true or false. They will use this code as the basis for a simple experiment into chance and probability.
- By using Marty coded to randomly make a left kick or a right kick, students will carry out an experiment to count the number of left kicks and, from their results, report back on the probability of a left kick.
- Review conversion between simple fractions, decimal fractions and percentages and ask students to give their results in these equivalent forms and ask students to share the findings of their experiment.
- Discuss how we can assess the risk of an event happening from the number that describes the probability of it happening and explain how knowing about probability can help us make decisions to keep ourselves safe.
Extensions & Support
- Students could look up the probability of specific events happening such as winning a lottery and find out how probability is used to communicate information to help us e.g. flood warning and weather forecasts
- Students can repeat the experiment, changing the chance of a random left kick and share with their class how their findings differ from the first experiment.
- Students could calculate the average of their results or the class results.
Additional Reading
- How to get started with MartyBlocks
- Educator FAQ
- Marty the Robot V2 - Educators Guide
- Technologies: Computing Science
- Literacy & English: Listening and Talking
- Health and Wellbeing: Mental, Emotional, Social and Physical Wellbeing
- Numeracy: Number, Money and Measure
- Literacy & English: Reading
- Literacy & English: Writing
- Computing, Design and Technology: Design and Technology
- Computing, Design and Technology: Computing
- CSTA Education Standards
- Elementary Technology Applications: Grade 3 to Grade 5
- Digital Technologies, Design & technologies: Digital Technologies
- International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)