8th Grade  Project 1 week

"Football Stats: Predict, Graph, Reflect!"

Isaiah C
CCSS.Math.Content.8.EE.B.5
CCSS.Math.Content.8.F.A.3
CCSS.Math.Content.8.F.B.4
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Purpose

Students will engage in a project that combines the excitement of football with mathematical analysis, focusing on understanding and applying proportional and linear relationships. By collecting and analyzing real-world data from a football team's performance, students will develop skills in graphing and interpreting mathematical functions. This project aims to deepen students' understanding of how mathematical models can predict outcomes and adjust based on real-world scenarios, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Learning goals

Students will develop skills in analyzing and interpreting data through the lens of football team performance, focusing on proportional and linear relationships. They will learn to construct and interpret graphs and equations, using them to predict outcomes and understand real-world applications of mathematical functions. By engaging in reflective activities, students will enhance their ability to evaluate their predictions and adjust their mathematical models based on actual data, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Standards
  • CCSS.Math.Content.8.EE.B.5 - Graph proportional relationships, interpreting the unit rate as the slope of the graph. Compare two different proportional relationships represented in different ways.
  • CCSS.Math.Content.8.F.A.3 - Interpret the equation y = mx + b as defining a linear function, whose graph is a straight line; give examples of functions that are not linear.
  • CCSS.Math.Content.8.F.B.4 - Construct a function to model a linear relationship between two quantities. Determine the rate of change and initial value of the function from a description of a relationship or from two (x, y) values, including reading these from a table or from a graph. Interpret the rate of change and initial value of a linear function in terms of the situation it models, and in terms of its graph or a table of values.

Products

Students will create a comprehensive analysis report featuring graphs and equations that model a football team's scoring trends. They will develop a presentation to showcase their findings, including a comparison of predicted versus actual performance outcomes. Additionally, students will craft a reflective summary that examines the accuracy of their mathematical models and discusses the implications of any discrepancies observed.

Launch

Kick off the project by having students watch a short video clip of a recent football game, focusing on scoring patterns and team performance. Then, engage them in a discussion about how they might use mathematical functions to predict future game outcomes. Encourage students to brainstorm what data they would need to collect and how they could represent this data graphically to make informed predictions. This will set the stage for their hands-on exploration of proportional and linear relationships in the context of football.

Exhibition

At the culmination of the project, students will host a "Math in Football" showcase where they present their analyses of football team performance to peers, teachers, and family members. Each student will display their graphs and equations on posters, explaining their initial predictions, the adjustments made, and the insights gained from comparing their models to actual outcomes. This interactive exhibition will include a Q&A session, allowing students to articulate their understanding of linear functions and proportional relationships in real-world contexts.