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MATH ACTIVITIES FOR STUDENTS

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Standards For

MATHEMATICS

1. Students develop number sense and use numbers and number relationships in problem-solving situations and communicate the reasoning in solving theseproblems.

2. Students use algebraic methods to explore, model, and describe patterns andfunctions involving numbers, shapes, data and graphs in problem-solving situa-tions and communicate the reasoning in solving these problems.

3. Students use data collection and analysis, statistics, and probability in problem-solving situations and communicate the reasoning in solving these problems.

4. Students use geometric concepts, properties and relationships in problem-solving situations and communicate the reasoning in solving these problems.

5. Students use a variety of tools and techniques to measure, and apply theresults in problem-solving situations and communicate the reasoning in solvingthese problems.

6. Student link concepts and procedures as they develop and use computationaltechniques. Including estimation, mental arithmetic, paper-and-pencil, calculators and computers, in problem-solving situations and communicate the reasoning in solving these problems.

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Box Score SearchMath Standard 3

You can find an amazing amount of information about a basketball game just by reading the box scores. Look through the sports section to find the box scores from a National Basketbal Association game. Find the following information in the game: Who was the high scorer? ________________Who scored the most 3-point field goals? ________________What was the total amount of points scored? ________________Who were the starting players for one of the teams? ________________,________________, ________________, ________________, ________________How many people attended the game? ______Use your imagination and the information in the box score to write a paragraphdescribing how the winning points were scored.

No Place Like Home Math Standard 1

It’s to a team’s advantage to play in its home court. Look at the NBA Standings to figure out the percentage of home games your favorite team has won this year. ___Check the results of yesterday’s games to see how many home teams were victorious. ___ What percentage of the games did the home team win? ___

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TeamPoints

OpponentPoints

Point Spread

Difference

B-Ball

GraphingMath Standard 3

Find the standings for the National Basketball Association in the sports section.Look at one of the Divisions and make a double bar graph to show the wins andlosses for the teams. Then write three observations about your graph. Give yourgraph a title.

Point SpreadMath Standard 6

You can beef up your math skills by skimming the sports section for information.Find the basketball scores to complete this chart. In the first column write thename of the team and the number of points scored. In the second column, writethe name of the opponent and its point total. In the third column compute thepoint spread, or difference between the two scores, and in the fourth column putthe total points scored by both teams. Find the scores for at least three othergames.

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Basketball Word BankMath Standard 1

Math is a big part of sports. Skim your sports section and identify all themath-related terms you can find for a sports word bank. Circle any of thewords that are connected to basketball.

Sports FantasiesMath Standard 3

The top sports fantasies include sinking the winning shot in an NBA title game, hitting a home runin the World Series and throwing a touchdown pass inthe Super Bowl. Today’s sports section may not includethese sports fantasies but it does have lots of amazingsports accomplishments. Find 5 sports feats and ratethem on a 1-10 scale with the best accomplishmentbeing worth 10 points. Make a graph of your ratings.

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Basketball

Word

Problems Math Standard 1

Using the sports section of today’s newspaper, find a story or a chart containingbasketball scores. With the information you find, write three basketball wordproblems using the numbers that tell the scores of the games. Exchange yourmath problems with a partner and solve each other’s problems.

Basketball GeographyMath Standard 5

You might be surprised to know that you can learn a lot about geography by reading the sports section. Skim the section to find the names of the home citiesof the professional basketball teams. Look on a map to determine which statesare represented by the most cities. Write three additional questions about themajor league cities for a partner to answer. Which three teams are the greatestdistance from your favorite team? Which three are the closest?

1. _____________ _____________?

2. _____________ _____________?

3. _____________ _____________?

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Playoff PicksMath Standard 6

Look in the sports section for the names of the teams that would be in the playoffs if they were held today. The eight teams with the best records in each conference go into the post season. List the teams. What are the chances ofyour favorite team making the playoffs?

Basketball StatsMath Standard 3

Look for the box scores from one of National Basketball Association games.Using the statistics, write five factual sentences about the game. Then lookthrough the story about the game and see if your information is included in the article.

1__________ 5_________

2__________ 6_________

3__________ 7_________

4__________ 8_________

1. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

2. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

3. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

4. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

5. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

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Average SalariesMath Standard 6

Last season the average salary paid to players in the National BasketballAssociation was 2.6 million dollars. Turn to the classified ads and pick out thefive top-paying jobs in the newspaper. Figure out the average salary of thesefive jobs _______ and compute the difference between that and the averageNBA salary.______

FiredMath Standard 3

Coaches are often fired when their team does not perform well. Based on therecords of the teams in the NBA, what coaches may lose their jobs? Predictthe next three coaches to get the ax.

1. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

2. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

3. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

4. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

5. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

1. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

2. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

3. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Points

Per

MinuteMath Standard 6

There are 48 minutes in a regulation NBA game. Find the final scores of onegame and add the total points together. ____ Divide the number by 48 to get thepoints scored per minute. ___ Then find the points per minute scored for threeother games.

ProbabilityMath Standard 3

Turn to the sports section and study the standings for the NBA teams. Based ontheir records, which team is most likely to win its next game? ________________Which team is most likely to lose? __________________ What are the differencesbetween the two teams’ records?

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50-Plus PointsMath Standard 1

This season, it’s possible that more players will score more than 50 points pergame than ever before in professional basketball. Check the box scores for anyplayer who scored 50-plus points in a game. Then list the top scorer, his teamand point total for each game.

Basketball Time Math Standard 3

Turn to the sports section and study the basketball summaries. Make a graphto show how many points each member of any one team scored. Then writethree observations about your graph.

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Magic

NumberMath Standard 6

The National Basketball Association playoff picture is unfolding. The teams play82 games in the season. The eight teams with the best records in each conferencemake the playoffs. What is the least amount of wins you think the teams willneed to qualify? ________ How did you arrive at the number?

NBA Standings Scavenger HuntMath Standard 3

Check the standings and schedule of the National Basketball Association to findthe following information.

The team with the most victories_________________________________________The team with the lowest winning percentage ______________________________The difference between the number of wins and losses for the your favorite team___________The won-lost percentage of your favoriteteam ___________The number of victories your team isbehind the division leader ___________

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EquipmentMath Standard 6

Make a list of all the equipmentyou would need to play in theNational Basketball Association.Can you find some of the equipment for sale in the news-paper? Write down the item andthe price.

All-StarsMath Standard 3

The National Basketball Association season is in full swing. Here’s a chance to pick your own all-star team. Find players who are listed among the individual leaders or those listed in the box scores. Write the names of your 5 starters and the teams they represent.

1. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

2. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

3. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

4. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

5. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

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Stock MarketMath Standard 6

Corporations play a big role in professional basketball. They buy the rights tohave arenas named for them. Can you find the names of any of these companies? Check the stock market listings for the companies’ stock prices. How did they perform yesterday? Did their stocks gain or lose value?

Driving CrazyMath Standard 6

Consider driving across the country to see the Los Angeles Lakers play thePhiladelphia 76ers. You could travel 2744 miles in your car, which gets 20 milesper gallon. If gasoline costs $1.60 per gallon, how much would you spend on thetrip? _______ Turn to the NBA standings and pick out two other teams. Use theweather map to estimate the distance between the teams and compute the cost ofgas.

Company ____________ Stock Price __________

Company ____________ Stock Price __________

Company ____________ Stock Price __________

Stock

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Attendance Math Standard 1

Look at the box scores and compare the attendance figures for yesterday’s NBAgames. Make a graph to show the results of your findings. Which game had thehighest attendance? _______________ How many people attended? ______ Whichgame had the lowest? _______________ How many people attended? ______Write three other questions about the attendance information.

Vital StatisticsMath Standard 5

NBA players are usually tall, thin and in their twenties or thirties. Use your news-paper to find someone who fits the description of a basketball player. What doyou think is this person’s height, weight and age.

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Sequencing the GameMath Standard 1

Select an article in the sports section that describes the action in a basketballgame. Read the article and record the highlights of the game. Look for anyoutstanding plays or turning points that had the most impact on the game.Write down five events in the order in which they happened. Use the graphicorganizer to sequence the events.

Season Ticket HoldersMath Standard 1

Some season ticket holders for NBA teams get 5% off the regular ticket price.Ticket prices are $10, $16, $21, $26, $36 and $44. Figure out the cost of eachticket if you get 5% off. Find five items in the newspaper that have advertisedprices and determine what the cost is with a 5% discount.

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Sports

SurveyMath Standard 5

Can you determine whichsport has the most coverage in today’s newspaper?Divide into small groups with each group taking apage of the sports section. Measure the columninches devoted to each sport. Make a graph to showthe results and write three facts about the graph. How much coverage is about basketball?

Take Me to Your LeaderMath Standard 6

Are there any of your favorite players among the NBA individual leaders? Selecttwo players from each category-- scoring, field-goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage and rebounding and show the difference between the two. Make upthree word problems based on the information.

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On the RoadMath Standard 5

Check out which NBA games are scheduled for today. Identify the teams thatare playing on the road. Which team has to travel the farthest distance for thegame? Use the weather map to help estimate the distances.

NBA on TVMath Standard 5

Look through the television listings for any sports programs that are on television. Are there any NBA games scheduled? Find the following information: What is the sport? _________________What time is it on? _________________How many minutes is the event on the air? ___________________________How many hours is the event on the air? ____________________________ What station is broadcasting? _______Do you plan to watch? _____________

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You are SpecialMath Standard 6

An NBA team offers a special Family Night that includes 4 tickets, 4 pizzas, 4sodas and 2 micro mini balls for $70. What do you estimate the value of eachitem to be? Go to your newspaper and select items that you could put togetherto make a great package. Can you do it for only $70? Write down the itemsand the cost.

InvestmentsMath Standard 3

Professional basketball players make a great deal of money. They often need tofind some good investments. Go to the stock market listings and to find invest-ment ideas for the players. Find the stock, the current price, and the changeprice. Are there articles in the newspaper about issues that might affect thestock market?

Dow

SODA

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Mean,

Median, ModeMath Standard 6

List the points scored by the players of your favorite team in the box score.Add all the numbers together . ___ Divide by the number of players whoplayed in the game. ___ The answer is the average or mean. List the pointtotals from highest to lowest. The number that is in the middle is the median. ___ Are any of the point totals the same? Which number came upmost often? ___ That is the mode.

Climates Math Standard 5

Look through the weather page to find the warmest and coldest cities in theNBA. Find the temperature in the city of your favorite team. Then completethe thermometers below.

COLDEST FAVORITE WARMEST

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Geometry and BasketballMath Standard 4

How are geometric shapes a part of basketball? List the objects involvedand write or draw the matching shape. Then do a search through yournewspaper for as many different geometric shapes as you can find.

Basketball TimeMath Standard 5

Check the schedule to find the starting times for today’s basketball games.Draw the hands on the clocks below to show the tip-off time. Find five different times the games begin.