In the following lessons, students participate in activities in which they analyze information represented
graphically. Students are asked to discuss, describe, read, and write about the graphs and the information they contain. The emphasis on using components of language is natural for students and helps them clarify the information depicted. This unit was adapted from an article entitled "Ideas: Football," by by J. David Keller, Daniel J. Brahier, and William R. Speer, which appeared in The Arithmetic Teacher, January 1993, pp. 264-77.
The ideas in these activities focus on connections between mathematics and football by using the Super Bowl. Students are asked to look at the Super Bowl not just as "the big game" but as an opportunity to apply mathematics to some interesting problems. The activities involve number sense, geometry, measurement, statistics, estimations, and problem solving.
Math Content
In Get the Picture--Get the Story, students will:
- enhance problem-solving skills.
In Super Bowl Scores, students will:
- determine mathematical combinations, and
- develop the concept of multiples and combinations of multiples.
In Super Bowl Scavenger Hunt, students will:
- use observation and listening skills as a means of collecting data, and
- distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information to be used in
problem solving.
Individual Lessons
Lesson 1 - Get the Picture—Get the Story In the following lesson, students act as reporters at the Super Bowl. Students study four pictures of things that they would typically find at a
football game: players, a scoreboard, a crowd, and a concession stand. Students are asked to create problem situations that correspond to their interpretation of each of the pictures. Lesson 2 - Super Bowl Scores This activity focuses on analyzing the scores for football games. Students study combinations of numbers to produce possible scores
for football games. Lesson 3 - Super Bowl Scavenger Hunt In many homes, the Super Bowl is an event of some significance. This activity is designed to have students examine some enjoyable (and, sometimes, obscure) questions using mathematics during the game. The questions on the activity sheet require that the students make observations about the game.
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