ALEX Learning Activity

  

Counting Practice! Fundamental Counting Principle

A Learning Activity is a strategy a teacher chooses to actively engage students in learning a concept or skill using a digital tool/resource.

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  This learning activity provided by:  
Author: Lorie White
System:Lauderdale County
School:Rogers High School
  General Activity Information  
Activity ID: 2889
Title:
Counting Practice! Fundamental Counting Principle
Digital Tool/Resource:
Fundamental Counting Principle Desmos Card Match
Web Address – URL:
Overview:

This lesson includes a teaching video and has a Desmos card match activity where students are practicing their skills using the Fundamental Counting Principle. The video and card match activity will allow students to apply their knowledge of the Fundamental Counting Principle by solving problems and self-checking their results.
  Associated Standards and Objectives  
Content Standard(s):
Mathematics
MA2019 (2019)
Grade: 9-12
Applications of Finite Math
7. Develop and use the Fundamental Counting Principle for counting independent and dependent events.

a. Use various counting models (including tree diagrams and lists) to identify the distinguishing factors of a context in which the Fundamental Counting Principle can be applied.

Example: Apply the Fundamental Counting Principle in a context that can be represented by a tree diagram in which there are the same number of branches from each node at each level of the tree.
Unpacked Content
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Given a real-world context problem, determine if the the Fundamental Counting Principle can be applied, use various counting models to count using a variety of different context parameters.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • Fundamental counting principle
  • Independent events
  • Dependent events
  • Tree diagram
  • Branches
  • Node
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • How to construct a tree diagram.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Count the number of events when given a variety of constraints/parameters when the Fundamental Counting Principle can be applied.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • The Fundamental Counting Principle can be applied in contexts where an ordered list of events occur and there are a ways for the first event to occur, b ways for the second event to occur so the number of ways of the ordered sequence of events occuring is axb.
Diverse Learning Needs:
Learning Objectives:

Students will use various counting models to develop and use the Fundamental Counting Principle for counting independent and dependent events.
  Strategies, Preparations and Variations  
Phase:
During/Explore/Explain
Activity:

  1. The teacher will teach the Fundamental Counting Principle using the following Fundamental Counting Principle video.

  2. After the students have watched the video, the teacher will direct the students to the Desmos Activity "Fundamental Counting Principle Practice" on the classroom devices.

  3. The teacher will instruct the students to match a problem to the correct answer.

  4. Students will check and correct any problem they miss during the activity. Students can check their answers by selecting the icon at the top of the slide with a checkmark and x.  

  5. At the end of the class, the teacher will rework problems with the entire class that cause difficulty. 
Assessment Strategies:

Students will match cards and self-check the answers using Desmos.  Students can check their answers by selecting the icon at the top of the slide with a checkmark and x.  

 

 
Advanced Preparation:

The teacher will need to ensure the classroom has the following:

  1. Internet connection (WiFi).

  2. The teacher will need to determine how he/she will display the teaching video.

  3. Classroom set of computers, iPads, or smart devices. (If allowed students can use their own personal devices.)

  4. Prior to the lesson, the teacher will need to assign the activity Fundamental Counting Principle Practice.

  5. Prior to the lesson, the teacher should be familiar with Desmos and should create a free class code for the activity. If the teacher does not have a Desmos account, he/she will need to create a free Desmos account.

  6. Prior to the lesson, the teacher should work through the activity and be prepared to address questions. 
Variation Tips (optional):

  • Students could work in pairs if there is a limited number of devices.

  • The problems could also be worked in a whole group situation if no devices exist.

  • The teacher can work with the whole class on any of the problems that students struggle to work with during the activity.
Notes or Recommendations (optional):

The teacher will need to set up a free Desmos account if he/she does not have an account. You can create a free Desmos account using any existing email on teacher.desmos.com, or sign up through an existing Google account.

The teacher can use this same log-in to save work in Desmos Graphing Calculator or Geometry components.

 

This activity can be a stand-alone lesson or used with the following:

What's For Dinner? Discovering Your Choices! (Before Activity)

Go, Stop, Slow - Here's What I Know - Fundamental Counting Principle Exit Ticket (After Activity)
  Keywords and Search Tags  
Keywords and Search Tags: Fundamental Counting Principle, Independent Events, lists, Tree Diagrams