latimes.com
basketball
March Madness refers to the time of year when college basketball tournaments are played beginning in the month of March and ending in early April. Many students find it hard to keep their mind on academics during this time because they are thinking about the big games. However, there is a way for teachers and parents that home-school children to take advantage of that basketball enthusiasm and turn it into an academic motivator. Here are some ideas for incorporating basketball into academic lessons:
- Language Arts: Students of any age could do research on a player or a team and write a report. Older students may also enjoy watching a game and then writing a creative reflection of what they saw either in a poem or song.
- Math: Older students can work with statistical analysis of a certain game, team or player record while younger students can benefit from creating fractions for things such as shots made per game.
- Social Studies: Any age student can benefit from geography lessons. Have students locate the city and state in which certain teams come from. They could also research the history of the college and possibly the mascot.
- Science: One basic science principle that can be clearly seen in basketball (or in any game) is the difference between potential and kinetic energy. Younger students could watch a portion of a game and determine when each is being used. Older students may enjoy delving into the physics of the game including the parabolas involved in shooting the ball.
Manipulating the "madness" and creating clever lessons that incorporate basketball will keep students motivated and learning.
