Project Based Learning and Football

 Today I was so excited to have my students back in my room, as kinder testing is almost completed! (There is still one subtest for one kiddo who was absent but we are super close.)  

It was great to be in the building again, even if the pipes were bursting with water. Students rushed through the door with their noses cold from the fresh air, chatting about their long weekend, eager to share about their latest mini-trip to Mexico, rock climbing, soccer games, and birthday parties over the weekend.  I missed my students and it was great to catch up again.

We started a new mini-unit today on fractions.  Students got to choose whether they wanted to learn about fractions in conjunction to the Superbowl or Humane Society.  They began Project Based Learning, which entailed studying fractions in the world around them and applying math to everyday experiences.  

I was surprised how new the game of football was to many of my students.  Luckily, one of my quieter students was an avid football player and he explained the rules, abbreviations, strategies, and scoring to the group. He was able to lead and shine and help others, which was a cool and unexpected twist.  I didn't realize how unfamiliar the game would be to my students, who were confused by the goal posts and yard lines as well as what a touchdown and interception were.  The students talked to each other, leaned on one another's expertise and began to analyze the game and find the statistics in it.  They watched a clip of the Seahawks from years ago, winning the Superbowl, and began to make sense of it.  

It's interesting to me to find these unknown holes in their learning. My students can analyze a table and find variables and extrapolate theories, but didn't have much knowledge about a common sport in the US. It was cool to watch how they were able to apply their mathematical thinking to this new concept and begin to analyze it and find the beauty in it as well.   I reminded me that my job is to push their learning in many directions, socially as well as mathematically.  Maybe I will be able to expose them to new hobbies or interests that they would not have learned much about otherwise.

We are about half way through, and will continue next week- hopefully the weather and the pipes hold.  If you are interested in seeing the projects- check them out here.