Mrs. Kinney’s fourth- and fifth-grade combination class at Trinity Elementary School is putting a fun spin on math this school year! A football fan herself, Mrs. Kinney wanted to share her love of the game with her students while creating meaningful opportunities for them to apply their math skills. To kick off the project, each student drafted an NFL team to follow throughout the season. Once their teams were selected, the students became official football fans, keeping up with games, scores, players, statistics, and team records.
The project began with students writing letters to their drafted teams. Each letter included an introduction about the student, questions they had for the team, and an explanation of why they chose that particular team. One fifth-grade student, Elliot, drafted the Indianapolis Colts and sent his letter to the team. A couple of weeks later, the class received an exciting surprise! Elliot received a response from the Colts! Along with a “thank you” note for being a Colts fan, Elliot received stickers from the team. It was an exciting moment for him and his classmates, and a memorable reminder that the students’ classroom project could connect them to the world beyond their school.
Each week, Mrs. Kinney’s class sets aside time to discuss the latest NFL games. Students talk about scores, wins and losses, injuries, player performances, and other developments from around the league. Following their weekly discussions, students put their math skills to work by creating reports about how their teams performed. They analyze real football statistics, turning numbers from the games into mathematical problems and solutions.
For example, students create fractions based on a quarterback’s completions, calculate the total number of points their team has scored throughout the season, determine the fraction represented by their team’s season record, and then convert those fractions into decimals. They also track team records and discussion division standings and winners each week. Through this project, students are discovering that math can be found in sports they love, the games they watch, and the world around them.
