Sum It Up Saturday: Basketball

This is the end of my first week back to blogging here.  My plan on Saturdays is to link to the previous 5 days so that you have the entire unit easily accessible in one post.  Do you prefer it this way or would you rather I just post the entire unit at one time?  If I post entire lessons at once, it may result in more than one unit a week, but I can't promise that.  I also realize that I did not include science in this lesson plan.  I will share some ideas on that in a minute.  In future weeks, I think I will move the fun ideas to the Sum It Up post on Saturday and include science ideas on Fridays.

Basketball

Some science ideas related to basketball:

- Anatomy and Physiology: Learn about the muscles used while playing basketball.  Younger kids can focus on the parts of the body being used (heart, brain, arms, legs, back) and more advanced kids can learn the muscle names, insertion points, etc.  You can also talk about aerobic exercise and how muscle cells work.  Adapt this to whatever ability you are working with.

- Physics: This post on reference.com has some great ideas for exploring physics with basketball, especially in regards to potential and kinetic energy and the law of conservation of energy.

- Scientific Theory:  Practice dribbling the ball.  Make a prediction about what will happen if you dribble ball faster or slower or from your waist level, your knee level, or your chest level.  Try it and make notes of what happened and try a new prediction.  You can do the same thing when practicing making baskets.  Try changing the bend of your elbow before you release the ball, or try closing your eyes when you take a shot.  

Math Monday

Time Travel Tuesday

Writing Wednesday

Think Of Others Thursday

Fun Friday

Fun Friday: Basketball

(Disclaimer: Some of these links are affiliate links, meaning I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase.  This is at no additional cost to you and does not affect my opinions.)

- Go watch a basketball game.  This could be a pick game at a park, a school game, a college game or a professional game.  Can't find a game to watch, play one instead.

- Play a fun variation of basketball by playing a game of H.O.R.S.E., Around the World, or Lightning.

- Gather some friends, or work on your own, and work on improving your basketball skills with these 63 basketball drills.

- Play Basketball Shootout at home, a friend's home, or a local game room.

- Play a basketball themed game such as Jukem Basketball Card Game, Decision Day - Fantasy Basketball Board Game, or The Ultimate Basketball Trivia Game.

- Print and color some basketball coloring pages (this one also has a Connect-the-Dots page), basketball player coloring pages, or NBA coloring pages.

- Sew a basketball pillow.

- Make a salt dough basketball magnet, or turn it into an ornament instead.

- Make some basketball cookie pops.

Writing Wednesday: Basketball

Copywork 

"You can't win unless you learn how to lose."  -Kareem Abdul Jabbar

"Basketball is my passion, I love it.  But my family and friends mean everything to me.  That's what's important."  -LeBron James

"What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player."  -John Wooden

"Be strong in body, clean in mind, lofty in ideals." -James Naismith


Writing topics
In addition to yesterday's writing assignment, here are a few more writing assignment ideas:

- Choose a basketball player, past or present, that you admire or want to know more about.  Research them and write a report about them.

- Learn more about the "Dream Team" and write a report about who they were and what they did.

- Write a narrative about a basketball game you have watched.  Now, write the same story from the point of view of the referee or one of the players.

- Write a narrative about a basketball game you have played in.  Now, write the same story from the point of view of the referee or one of the spectators.

- Write an information piece about your favorite basketball team.


Writing Prompts

- Imagine you were tasked with keeping a group of rowdy teenage boys busy during the winter.  Your supplies are limited to what can be found in the YMCA gym.  What game might you develop?

- You just started a job selling items in the stands during basketball games.  Write about your new job, being sure to write about what you are selling and the people who make purchases from you.

- You look up and see your face on the big screen above center court.  Why are they showing you and how will you react?

- Walking by the basketball court, a basketball comes rolling up to you and stops at your feet.  You pick it up and go to toss it back to the player.  Tell about who was playing and what happens next.

- You were just hired to work for your favorite basketball team.  What is your job?  How does your first day go?

Math Monday: Basketball

Basketball is a great topic for studying various areas of math.

Counting

- Younger students can practice counting by ones, twos, fives, tens, etc.  Dribble a basketball or bounce it back and forth with a partner, counting each time it bounces.

- Learn how to keep score in basketball.  Watch or play a game and keep track of the score.

Geometry

- Print out a diagram of a basketball court (high school court or NBA court)

• Measure the lengths of the various parts of the court.  Determine the perimeter and/or area of the court itself, half of the court, the free throw lane and for more advanced students, the center circle. (Here is a diagram to identify the different parts of the basketball court.)
• Identify the different types of lines found on a basketball court (parallel, perpendicular, horizontal, vertical) and the parts of a circle (arc, circumference, diameter, semicircle)

- When shooting a basket, take note of the angle of your elbow as you start your shot.  Try starting with your elbow at different angles and see which angle you have the most success with. 

Algebra

- Watch a game or go out and shoot some hoops.  Keep track of how many times you (or a certain player or one team) attempts to make a basket, and how many times you/they succeed and miss.  Now, determine the percentage of shots made.

Word Problems

Word problems can be made with a basketball theme for many levels.  My samples use the student as the subject, but you could easily substitute a favorite team and player.  Here are a few samples:

- Your team scored 15 points in the first quarter.  The other team scored 17 points.  How many points were scored in all?

- Your team scored 87 points in the game.  You scored 18 of the points.  How points did your teammates score?

- During your last basketball game, your team scored 4 3-point shots, 8 foul shots, and 35 baskets inside the 3-point line.  How many points did your team score in all?

- You took a total of 42 foul shots last year.  You scored with 35 of the shots.  What percentage of foul shots did you make?

There are also some online games to practice math facts with a basketball theme.

Math Facts Basketball (Basic math facts)

Hoops (multi-step word problems)

There are also several math related books about basketball.  (Disclaimer: the following are affiliate links.  This simply means I may receive a small commission if you purchase from the site.  This does not cost you anything extra.)

- Basketball: The Math of the Game (Currently available free through kindleunlimited)

- Basketball Math: Slam-Dunk Activities and Projects for Grades 4-8

- Fantasy Basketball Math: Using Stats to Score Big in Your League

- The Math of Basketball 

- Basketball: Math on the Court (Currently only available for free on kindleunlimited)