Probability Dog Race

This activity is a good introduction to probability. You will need two die for this activity. 

Step 1: Pick sticks to determine the order that students can choose their dog.

• Have students pick their dog for the race.

Step 2: Have a class discussion on which dog the students think will win the race. Students usually pick their dogs based on physical attributes. 

Step 3: Have students take turns rolling the die and marking the chart on the board based on the sum of their die. 

Students quickly realize that dog number 1 can never win because no two die can ever have a sum of 1.

Step 4: Have a discussion with the class about the likelihood of the different outcomes you could get. We use this activity as a good opportunity to talk about the likelihood of an event happening. For example, the likelihood of rolling a sum of 1 is unlikely and the likelihood of rolling the sum of 6, 7, or 8 are more likely because there are more ways to roll a sum of those numbers. It is so fun to see their reactions when they realize this outcome. 

Below is the screen students see when choosing their dog. 

Below is a picture of my students completing this activity, along with their data. 

As you can see from the data chart, students rolled the sum of 6 and 7 the most. I hope you enjoy this activity! :)