Max Maths, Year 5, Practice, Describing the occurrence of familiar events

In the Max Maths Year 5 practice section on describing the occurrence of familiar events, students are tasked with understanding probability and likelihood. They are presented with a series of statements and must match each to a point on a scale ranging from 'impossible' to 'certain', with 'unlikely', 'even', and 'likely' as intermediate points. For example, students consider the likelihood of rain tomorrow, the broadcasting of the news tonight, the probability of rolling a six on a die, and the chance of their school being open the following day. This exercise helps students grasp the concept of probability by relating it to everyday events.

Additionally, the practice encourages creativity and deeper thinking by asking students to come up with their own statements. They are instructed to write statements about events that are 'certain' to happen, such as the sun rising in the morning or the occurrence of their next birthday. They must also think of statements about events that are 'unlikely' to happen, like spotting a dinosaur on the way to school or finding a gold coin in their lunchbox. Finally, they are asked to write statements about events that are 'likely' to happen, such as needing to eat lunch or having to do homework. These exercises not only solidify their understanding of probability but also engage them in applying the concept to real-life scenarios.