Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Today, our lesson focused on exploring probability, chance, and percentages through a fun and interactive game using playing cards. We began by discussing a standard deck of 52 cards, explaining that the deck is divided into four suits: spades, clubs, hearts, and diamonds. We then calculated that each suit contains 13 cards, as 52 divided by 4 equals 13.
Next, each student chose a suit to represent: spades, clubs, hearts, or diamonds. The objective of the game was for the students to shuffle the deck, draw a card, and place it in line. The suit of the card that reached the ruler first was declared the winner.
Before starting, we worked together to calculate the probability of drawing any particular suit. Since each suit has an equal number of cards, we determined that each suit has a 1 in 4 chance, or 25%, of being selected. Students then selected one card and placed it in the line to represent their suit. We paused the game when we saw that there were five spades, three hearts, two diamonds, and no clubs in the line. One student provided a great explanation of probability, suggesting that clubs would be the most likely suit to be drawn next because there were still 13 clubs remaining in the deck, while only eight spades remained. This demonstrated an excellent understanding of how the remaining cards in the deck affect the likelihood of each suit being selected.
We continued the game, discussing the changing probabilities and percentages with each card drawn. In the end, the spade team emerged as the winners!
This was a highly engaging and enjoyable way for the students to learn about probability, chance, and percentages in a hands-on and practical context.
Kind regards,
Cassundra and Luke