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Grades 5-12


This lesson is designed to reinforce basic concepts in a cumulative review. (It may be very easily adapted to fit any individually taught lesson. The focus of this specific lesson is for a 9th grade class.) Students will view a segment of Futures With Jaime Escalante showing the application of math in basketball, and they will try to find some of these applications in a tape of a game played by their home school. (Girls' basketball would be a gender equity promoter.)

ITV Series
Futures With Jaime Escalante: Sports Performance (#12)

Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:

Per Student
Per 2 Students
Per Class
Pre-Viewing Activities
Ask the students: How many of you are basketball players and/or cheerleaders for your school, church, or a recreational league?

Find out how many attend games or watch them on TV. Ask: Who are your favorite players? and Does anyone know who Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is? Ask why some don't like to watch basketball on TV.
Focus Viewing
For the benefit of those who have no involvement or interest in basketball, explain that you are going to show the basketball application of math concepts. Point out that these concepts apply to other sports and activities and encourage those students to find the applications in something of their interest.

Viewing Activities
tape at the start of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 'sky-hook'.

when the title comes on screen and ask: Can anyone list some rules for basketball that use numbers? Expected student responses:
·five fouls
·three point line
·7-10 team fouls
·jersey numbering

through the short clip of all sports.

at the end of the flashing clip and ask: What are some mathematical components of some of the sports that were just flashed on the screen? Have a student list them on the board.

until the instrumental skateboarding segment begins (as soon as you see a skateboard).

until you see Jaime with the basketball. Reiterate the importance of being on your toes all the time.

as Kareem comes out and he explains how he had to calculate his 'sky-hook'.

the tape and repeat: Any sport requires an understanding of math.

Ask the students: Did the video bring to mind any other ways math is used in sports? Next tell them: You're going to look at a video of the school team. Please look for these things: angles, area, measurement, and formulas. The features to be included in this segment are play, pause, rewind and slow motion.

Post-Viewing Activities
Put students into groups of 3 or 4 and pass out score sheets and shooting charts without totals. Ask the students to tabulate the score sheets (half our team and half the other team). Compare answers on the chalkboard as a whole class to determine the correct score and find out if we won. Also have them determine what the average score was for all players who entered the game.

Pass out shooting charts and have the students calculate shooting percentages for each player, in different spots on the court and overall as a team. You may want to share statistics with them from other games to compare how the players usually do.

After all class work is finished (on the last day) take the class to the gym to play review basketball. Break them up into teams (you choose how many teams). Ask questions about the material they just reviewed. The first team to answer a question correctly gets 2 points and a free throw for an extra point. You can play to a chosen number of points or a certain amount of time. Prior to play, the class should decide what the winning team and the non-winning team get as a reward. (Example: winning team gets 3 bonus points, non-winning team gets 1 bonus point; candy is a popular item also.)

As a culminating activity, attend a school game to encourage their schoolmates, whoop and holler and realize that they can enjoy something that greatly involves math.

Action Plan
The final project, attending the game together, is actually part of the action plan.

Have students cut box scores out of the newspaper and calculate some of the averages we did together.

Students could do individual reports on famous players, teams, components of the game and/or other relations to math.

Discuss the make-up of muscle tissue, movement of the joints, tendons and muscles, speed, growth and reaction time and their importance to sports performance.

Write a newspaper review of the game (or portion of the game being viewed) detailing exciting plays or statistics.

Social Studies:
Research the history of basketball. Find out where it came from and how its popularity spread. Are there different rules in different cultures?

Determine how many calories can be burned while playing. Discuss aerobic fitness (heart rate and pulse). Relate similar information on muscles from the science extension.

Home Economics:
Make warm-up uniforms for the team and present them at a pep rally.

Determine the cost and components of running a high school basketball team versus a professional basketball team.

Master Teacher: Rose Ann M. Fulena

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