How can you tell they’ve got it: Simple Chance Experiments?

If they’ve got it, you’ll see things like: Flip a coin 20 times, record heads and tails in a tally chart, and describe what they notice about the results; Roll a die 30 times and compare how often each number came up with what they expected; Pull counters from a bag, record results, and explain whether the outcomes matched their prediction. Or just try it together: Has your child ever done an experiment like flipping a coin or rolling a die lots of times, recorded the results in a tally chart, and noticed any patterns in what came up?

Mathematics Probability Ages 9–10

Simple Chance Experiments

Your child can run a chance experiment, like flipping a coin many times. They record the results and compare them with what they expected.

In curriculum terms

Conduct simple probability experiments — flipping a coin, rolling a die, pulling coloured counters from a bag — record results, and compare experimental outcomes with expected theoretical outcomes

Ages are typical, not deadlines — follow your child’s pace. How to help at home →

How to tell they’ve got it

Tick these off as you see them — no test required.

Flip a coin 20 times, record heads and tails in a tally chart, and describe what they notice about the results
Roll a die 30 times and compare how often each number came up with what they expected
Pull counters from a bag, record results, and explain whether the outcomes matched their prediction

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Try this together

Has your child ever done an experiment like flipping a coin or rolling a die lots of times, recorded the results in a tally chart, and noticed any patterns in what came up?

Where this sits on the map

Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.

Builds on

Likelihood Languageages 9–10Conducting probability experiments and describing results requires knowing the language used to describe likelihood

Pictograms and tally chartsages 6–8Recording probability experiment results in tally charts uses the data-recording skills taught in Data & Statistics

Simple Chance Experimentsthis skill · ages 9–10

Unlocks

Experimental vs Theoreticalages 10–11Comparing experimental and theoretical probability requires prior experience conducting simple experiments and recording results

Probability as a Fractionages 9–10Practical experiment experience provides the intuitive grounding that makes fractional probability representation meaningful

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Where this fits in the official school curriculum — our best automated guess, not yet checked by a person.

Show candidate curriculum codes · 3 ACARA · 2 NSW · 3 VIC

Australian Curriculum v9 candidate

AC9M5P01high confidenceYear 5 · Probability

list the possible outcomes of chance experiments involving equally likely outcomes and compare to those which are not equally likely

AC9M5P02high confidenceYear 5 · Probability

conduct repeated chance experiments including those with and without equally likely outcomes, observe and record the results ; use frequency to compare outcomes and estimate their likelihoods

AC9M3P02high confidenceYear 3 · Probability

conduct repeated chance experiments; identify and describe possible outcomes, record the results, recognise and discuss the variation

NSW syllabus codes & stages only

MA2-CHAN-01high confidenceMathematics K-10 · Stage 2

MA3-CHAN-01high confidenceMathematics K-10 · Stage 3

Victorian Curriculum 2.0 codes & levels only

VC2M5P01high confidenceMathematics · Level 5 · Probability strand

VC2M5P02high confidenceMathematics · Level 5 · Probability strand

VC2M4P02high confidenceMathematics · Level 4 · Probability strand

These are candidate alignments generated by semantic matching — machine-suggested and unreviewed (v0.1), not official or verified mappings. For official curriculum content see australiancurriculum.edu.au, curriculum.nsw.edu.au and f10.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Don’t rely on them for registration or compliance purposes.

Nearby on the map

Equally Likely Outcomesages 9–10 Likelihood Languageages 9–10 Ordering Likelihoodsages 9–10 Probability as a Fractionages 9–10

All Probability skills →