Activity 01
Coin Toss Tally
In pairs, pupils flip a coin 20 times and record the results (Heads or Tails) using a simple tally chart. They then compare their results with another pair to see how outcomes can vary.
Identify all the possible outcomes when you spin a spinner with four different colours.
Facilitation TipBefore they start, ask the whole class to predict which outcome will happen more often and why.
What to look forUse mini whiteboards. Show pupils a spinner and ask them to write down all the possible outcomes. This allows for a quick check of understanding for the whole class.
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Activity 02
Spinner Station
Set up different spinners around the room: one with 4 equal colours, one with 3 unequal sections, and one with numbers 1-5. In small groups, pupils rotate through the stations, listing all possible outcomes for each spinner.
Explain how many different outcomes are possible when you roll a standard six-sided die.
Facilitation TipEncourage pupils to draw the spinner and write the outcomes beside it in their copies to keep a clear record.
What to look forA short worksheet with pictures of a coin, a die, and a simple spinner. Pupils are asked to list all the possible outcomes for an experiment with each item.
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Activity 03
Two-Coin Combination
Pupils work in pairs with two different coins (e.g., 10c and €1) to list all possible outcomes when flipped together. Using different coins helps them see that Head-Tail is different from Tail-Head.
Compare the number of outcomes for flipping one coin versus flipping two coins at the same time.
Facilitation TipGuide them to create a simple table or list (H,H; H,T; T,H; T,T) to organise their findings systematically.
What to look forPupils use a traffic light system (red, orange, green) to indicate their confidence in listing outcomes for different experiments.
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Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Begin with the simplest experiment, a coin flip, and establish the two outcomes. Use physical objects for all experiments. When introducing two coins, use a simple table with columns for 'Coin 1' and 'Coin 2' to help pupils organise the four possible outcomes and see why HT is different from TH.
After this, your pupils will be able to confidently identify and list all the possible results, or outcomes, for simple experiments.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
If I get three heads in a row, the next flip is definitely going to be tails.
Each coin flip is an independent event. The coin has no memory, so the chance of getting heads or tails is the same on every single flip, regardless of what came before.
When flipping two coins, there are only three outcomes: two heads, two tails, or one of each.
There are actually four outcomes. We need to think about each coin separately. You can get Heads on the first and Tails on the second, OR Tails on the first and Heads on the second. These are two different outcomes, so the full list is HH, HT, TH, TT.
If a spinner has more blue sections than red sections, you can't land on red.
While it is more likely to land on blue, it is still possible to land on red. 'More likely' does not mean 'certain', and 'less likely' does not mean 'impossible'.
Methods used in this brief