Dice Roll Exploration
Calling all Odd Squad Agents! When you play board games that use dice, have you ever noticed that some numbers seem to show up more often than others? So what’s going on there? Are certain numbers more frequently rolled than others? And if so, why? Here’s an odd-some activity to help you find out!
Materials
Directions
This activity works best with two people. Decide which person will roll the dice first. The other person will record the data on the sheet. The person that rolls the dice will add the numbers together, and that sum will be recorded on the Dice Roll Record Sheet.
Before you begin, point out that the highest number on the die is a 6. You’re rolling 2 dice, so what’s the highest number you can roll? What’s the lowest?
Tip: To add dice easily, always start with the larger number and then count up. For example, if you roll a 3 and a 5, start with 5, then count up saying, “6, 7, 8.” So, 5 + 3 = 8. You can even touch the dots as you count them.
To record the roll, put a tally mark in the box next to that sum. For example, if you roll a 3 and a 2, you’d put the tally mark in the box next to the 5. Do this for every roll.
Keep tally marks in neat rows and make your 5th tally across a group of 4, to form a “bundle” of 5, like this. This will make it easier to count at the end.
Roll 10 times, then switch tasks so that each person has a turn at rolling the dice and recording the data. Try to do at least 60 rolls all together. The more you roll, the more reliable your data will be. Are you noticing anything yet?
Okay, Agents, time to calculate. Add up the tally marks and bundles for each number. Which numbers came up the most? Which came up the least? Why do you think this happened? (Hint: Think about the different ways to make different sums.) How many different ways can you make 7? And how many different ways can you make 12?
Explore Further
This activity is one way to help you begin to think about probability and that there are reasons some things are more likely to happen than others. The more ways there are to make certain sums, the more likely they are to come up when rolling dice. When you roll a pair of dice, there’s only one way to make a 12 (6 + 6), but there are six ways to make a 7. So 7 has a higher probability of coming up more than 12.
This dice roll exploration is also a great way to practice simple addition, but in a fun way. Think about how many addition facts you practiced together while playing, the math questions you explored, collecting and organizing the data, looking at the results, and then finding answers. Well done, Agents!
Author: 
- Activity Type
- Craft