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Likely or unlikely worksheets

Between impossible and certain there are three more words. These free printable worksheets ask how likely it is to pick a shape from a bag of 8 to 12, and a child circles impossible, unlikely, equally likely, likely or certain. Answer key included.

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Likely or unlikely
Likely or unlikely worksheet — Bags of 8 to 12 shapes, free printable with answer key

The answer key prints on a separate page.

What's on this sheet

The bags are never a close call. Unlikely means a third of the bag or less, likely means two thirds or more, and equally likely means exactly half. So a bag with 6 squares and 6 stars is plainly equally likely, and a child can tell the words apart without needing a fraction to do it. A bag with 2 circles out of 10 is unlikely, and it is not impossible.

Why this sheet works

This is the page to use before probability has numbers in it. A child who can look at 10 circles and 2 stars and say a circle is likely has already compared a part to a whole, and that is what a probability of 5/6 will mean later on. The maker can also draw the questions as spinners, which show the same idea as wedges of a circle.

How this one works

Pick one without looking. A star is

6 squares and 6 circles
impossible
  1. Count what is there: 6 squares and 6 circles, 12 in all.
  2. There is no star at all, so it is impossible.

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