Yesterday, our Grade 8 Mathematics students held the "Chance Carnival" in the Aula. Over the course of third and fourth period, junior and senior classes were welcome to join and play a game of chance. The event was inspired by the Probability Unit Grade 8 is currently studying, in which they learn how games of chance and risk work and the impact of fairness and unfairness. The difference between gaming and gambling is an important one to note, and so instead of using money for their games, our Grade 8’s used sweets.
Prior to the carnival, students worked in groups to brainstorm an idea for a game that others would like to play. They then designed the game themselves using materials from school or home. The final step entailed working out the chances of a player winning, losing, or breaking even in their game. As other students played, Grade 8’s recorded the number of wins versus games played so that they can use this data for a reflection piece done in class after the carnival.
Though the creation of a fair game was the main focus of the project, the Grade 8's worked on some valuable ATL's (Approaches to Learning) in the process, such as sharing workload across a team, making decisions and compromises, and communicating clearly to audiences of varying ages. The grade 8's also acted as role models and demonstrated positive leadership skills while they interacted with our special guests from the Junior School. Well done, Grade 8's!