Desk combinations

Desk combinations

Pencil and paper
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Further Resources
This task is about all the combinations of ways that 4 students could sit in a row.
Mrs Win rearranged the desks in Room 15. She asked Sam, Ina, Tana, and Eli to sit in a row of four desks.
She said they could decide who was going to sit at each desk. Here are the row of desks.

 

Children      
Sam-saving-shoulders.png
Sam
ina-shoulders.png
Ina
Tana-shoulders.png
Tana
Eli-shoulders.png
Eli
1. Work out all the different ways the four children could sit in the row of desks. You may cut out the pictures of the children and the row of desks to help you.
2. Each time you work out a new order that the children could sit in, write it down in one of the boxes below using the first letter of each of their names.
Two have been done for you. You will not need to fill up all the boxes.
 
S, I, T, E
S, I, E, T
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Task administration: 
This task is completed with pencil and paper, and other equipment.
Level:
3
Curriculum info: 
Maths, Statistics, Probability
Keywords: 
combinations
Description of task: 
Students use pictures to help them list the 24 different combinations of four children sitting in a row of desks.
Curriculum Links: 
This resource can be used to help to identify students' understanding of listing all possible outcomes.
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Interpreting statistical and chance situations, sets 3-4
within the Mathematics Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 

3 marks
(All 22 remaining combinations included)
or
2 marks
(for at least 16 combinations included)
or
1 mark
(for at least 10 combinations included)

All of the 24 possible combinations are listed below.
S, I, T, E (given)
S, I, E, T (given)
S, T, I, E
S, T, E, I
S, E, T, I
S, E, I, T
I, S, E, T
I, S, T, E
I, T, S, E
I, T, E, S
I, E, T, S
I, E, S, T
T, I, S, E
T, I, E, S
T, S, I, E
T, S, E, I
T, E, S, I
T, E, I, S
E, T, S, I
E, T, I, S
E, S, T, I
E, S, I, T
E, I, S, T
E, I, T, S

[Combinations may be written in any order.]