Wiffleball -- Sports-Based Statistics Project

Take your class out to the ball game

Theoretical and Experimental Probability gets a facelift in this interactive game-based 21st Century Math Project. Tired of flipping coins and spinning spinners? Students play the role of team managers and with only player statistics they must build a team capable of winning the championship. 

Name: Wiffleball

Suggested Grade Level: 7-12 (Pre-Algebra, Statistics skills)

Math Concepts: Theoretical vs. Experimental Probability, Fractions, Data Collection

Interdisciplinary Connections: Sports, Games, Awesome Fun Stuff

Teaching Duration: 2-3 Days (can be modified)

Cost: $5 for a 11 Page PDF (1 project, 2 assignments and all game essentials) 

PDF Version: Wiffleball @ TPT

The Product: Students build their teams to compete for a championship. Bracket style tourney optional and included!

Game on, homie.

Combine together three juggernaut hobbies into one colossal  21st Century Math Project. Sports. Gaming. Mathematical Swagg. While there are plenty of class activities to teach the difference between theoretical versus experimental probability, I had to lob in my own crazy attempt.

In this 21st Century Math Project students will plays a series of Wiffleball games (6 players on a team and 4 inning games to keep things shorter) where they will keep track of statistics using a baseball/softball inspired scorebook and after the game crunch the number to see if their players performed up to their theoretical expectations. How does experimental probability match up? Students will find out together.

Did someone say drunk?... Hey, you
wanna use my spinners?!

In 7^th Grade, my math teacher (he may have been drunk or a genius) pulled out Strat-O-Matic baseball, a card game with every MLB team, a 60 sided die and told us to go at it. Of course we loved it. While I was 12 years old, I certainly do not remember doing any actual math. The much older version of me says, what a missed opportunity! Why can’t we do both?

In my trial runs with this project (during student lunches since this content hasn’t quite come up), students keep coming back for more. Nothing like having to kick your students out of your room because they are doing too much math! Now, I discovered keeping the scorebook was difficult at first. If you have any experience with baseball or softball this will probably be an easy thing to teach. I have simplified the game to have three outcomes. Homeruns, singles and outs.

EXTENSION: Perhaps a few students want to get together to create a league and play a season worth of games during lunch! It can happen.

Sometimes 21st Century Math Projects can get a little too intense. Students will get emotional. Some might cry. It’s all part of the design. But seriously make sure students don’t cry.  

Population Growth: Seven Billion and Counting... -- International STEM Project

Wait until the robots start cloning us...

As the world's population has ballooned in the past three centuries researchers wait for the other pen to drop. Currently sitting at a cool 7 billion (and counting), researchers believe (based on their models) that the world's population will top out at 9.2 billion. In this 21st Century Math Project students will analyze the same data as the experts and make their own predictions. Which model best projects the world in 2050? I guess at the class’s 38th year reunion you can find out.

Name: Seven Billion and Counting…

Suggested Grade Level: 9-12 (Basic Algebra II, Precalculus skills)

Math Concepts: Scatterplot, Creating, Using and Analyzing Regression Functions, Patterns, Evaluating Predictions

Interdisciplinary Connections: Social Studies, Global Studies, Population

Teaching Duration: 3-4 Days (can be modified)

Cost: $5 for a 20 Page PDF (2 assignments, 1 project with answer key) 

PDF Version: Seven Billion and Counting... @ TPT

The Product: After a careful analysis of population data by continent, students will use their chosen mathematical model to predict how the world’s population will breakdown in the year 2050.  

An authentic task? You're teasing me
right? Where's my drill and kill?!

Will it ever end? Most statisticians believe we will taper off our growth. They are expecting a logistic function although to date our population is freakishly exponential. In this 21st Century Math Project, students will investigate population of the different world regions over history. Students will begin by simply trying to observe a pattern, move to lines of best fit and finally have the freedom to choose their own non-linear best fit functions. This dataset yields some interesting conclusions for prediction and discussion especially in regards to the limitations of linear modeling.

Students will use the skills of patterns, constructing pie graphs, regression functions for modeling and using their equations to make predictions. What makes a model strong? Students will explore this question. This lesson is designed to work with a class set of TI graphing calculators and would work with an Advanced Algebra 1 class, Algebra 2 or PreCalculus.

That's like a lot of people, ya feel me?
People should, like, stop making babies
and stuff.

The final project is a challenging, multi-faceted task which needs certain skills to be built. To compensate, two assignments were added which help introduce the topic and skills. Thus a student’s understanding of the mathematics concepts will grow with their familiarity the topic of population.

-- "Seven Billion and Counting" -- using patterns to determine the world in 2050 and constructing pie graphs to represent 1750. 

-- "Predictive Models (the long and short of them)" -- students use linear models for global data for two different intervals (1750-2000 and 1975-2010). Students then are asked to develop their own non-linear regression functions.

Which all leads to the Mama…

This will shape the world for
generations to come. What can we do
to take action now?

-- "The World in 2050" -- students will compare the results of their 4 different results, use them to draw conclusion about modeling in general and will construct a pie graph representing the world in 2050.

I wrote this assignment relatively recently so I have only used it one time, but students were honestly intrigued by the study and the challenge of comparing their models to the experts. Others were interested in the observations that can be made in the population data by continent which certainly can generate some discussion.

EXTENSION: Population is a global issue with serious implications in terms of sustainability, natural resources and poverty. Using their models, students could create PSAs and other Presentations that can be viewed in the community.  

Will this blog go on forever? Will it live in the cloud forever? Are you someone from the year 2341, searching through Google’s cache? Did you find my laptop? If you found my laptop, there’s a really weird short with the battery that cases the screen to flicker every now and again. 21st Century Math Projects might live forever, but one day I may have to start a new company… 22^nd Century Math Projects. 

Oscar Winner -- Inquiry Project

And the winner of greatest blog visitor is...

Glitz, glamor and a 21st Century Math Project. These three things go together like peas, carrots and bubble yum. Utilize twenty years of Oscar winners (from 1990-2010) as a data set to guide your students through creating box and whisker plots, histograms, and exploring mean, median, and mode.

Name: Oscar Winner Inquiry Project

Suggested Grade Level: 7-12 (Basic statistics skills)

Math Concepts: Box and Whisker Plots, Histogram, Mean, Median & Mode and Stem and Leaf Plots

Interdisciplinary Connections: Film, Entertainment, Acting

Teaching Duration: 3-5 Days (can be modified)

Cost: $6 for a 13 Page PDF (1 inquiry project, 2 assignments with answer key) 

Interactive Version: Oscar Winner Math Project @ NextLesson.org

PDF Version: Oscar Winner @ TPT

The Product: An inquiry project asking students the question “Does the age of the award winning star in a film relate to the overall gross of the movie?”

They sure don't make 'em like Frank
Capra made 'em

Is an actor or actress more likely to win the Best Actor/Actress nod when they are older? What about younger? What is the range? Are actors in R rated movies more likely to win the Oscar? Students will explore these questions and more in this 21st Century Math Project.  Depending on your curriculum, this works well as a middle school math project and I have also used it for remediation at the high school level and as preparation for the high school state test. One thing is for sure, students will always have to read graphs so this really could serve as a refresher at all levels.

Although most middle and high school kids do not gravitate toward Academy Award Winning Performance, but instead to teen erotica vampirey – guy dress up like a girl is lolOMG!ZZ type of movies, I have found students are still into it. There are enough famous actors, actresses and movies that there’s still strong interest in the assignment.

Who is Julia Roberts? Was she that
substitute we had yesterday

EXTENSION: Well unfortunately, this 21st Century Math Project relies more on swagg than global relevancy. Fortunately the mathematical rigor is still there. So I’m ashamed to admit, there’s not a meaty extension that comes to mind. Perhaps you could suggest a student watch a film that you believe had an exceptionally great performance so they can appreciate great acting.

In a 21st Century Math Projects the mathematical rigor has to be there, but there is a scale between global competency and awesome swagg coolness. Typically I try to lean to global competency, but eh, you can’t win them all. 

Grade Point Average -- Middle & High School Math Project

An attempt to cure the shortsightedness of underclassmen

It’s Friday. The Friday. The Friday that signals the end of the grading period. Students dig deep in their backpacks, bake a dozen cookies to schmooze a teacher and turn in as many missing assignments as possible before the final bell. The Honor Roll, the basketball team, and everyone’s cell phone privileges are decided on this day. As important as it is, some students are not sure how to calculate their GPA.Perhaps that changes in this new 21st Century Math Project.

Name: Grade Point Average

Suggested Grade Level: 7-12 (Algebra skills)

Math Concepts: Using Formulas, Solving Equations.

Interdisciplinary Connections: Grades, Academics, Advisory

Teaching Duration: 3-4 Days (can be modified)

Cost: $5 for a 18 Page PDF (1 project and handouts) 

PDF Version: Grade Point Average @ TPT

The Product: Students will analyze transcripts of soon-to-be high school seniors and determine what their grades must be to meet their goal and make suggestions about how they can do it. 

Can I play soccer, dude?

This pains the soul of the math teacher. In this project, students are not just asked to calculate a simple GPA. They are assess the goals of fictional students and determine the grades they will need to reach them. This allows students to solve basic equations and use simple formulas. Content-wise this can be a perfect fit at the end of the first quarter of an Algebra class and could work in a Middle School or High School. However the usefulness of the assignment could assist students at all levels.

In creating the assignment, I have not used weighted grades (colleges don't either!) and I have used 90-100 A, 80-89.999 B... grading scale.

Please help kids understand this. I'm
tired of have 3 kids in our AP courses.

In this 18 page document you will be given a mapping to the Content Standards, an outline for how to implement the project, handout resources for students to use, and an answer key. In all it is three different assignments --

-- In “Grade Point Average” students use report card data to calculate GPAs and determine what grades students need to meet their goals.

-- In “The Hypothetical Game” students will determine the difference between boosting those percentages up in the last week of the quarter. What impact will it have on their overall GPA? Students will find out.

What's college?

-- In “The Transcript” students learn the difference between an “Academic” GPA and the GPA that appears on their transcript. The "Academic" GPA is the measurement that many colleges use which eliminates arts and elective classes from the equation. In this project, students will set goals for the senior years of four different characters to help them achieve their goals. Unless it’s too late.

US President Inquiry -- Middle & High School Math Project

Was their a debate on TV tonight?

Want a FREE election friendly math project for your Middle School or High School classroom? In this 21st Century Math Project, students will investigate a number of factors around our nation’s presidents. The age of a President at their inauguration, their age at death and the number of children they have become data to analyze with some of standardized test’s favorite statistic measures.

Name: US President Inquiry Project

Suggested Grade Level: 7-12 (Statistics skills)

Math Concepts: Mean, Media & Mode, Box & Whisker, Stem and Leaf Plots, Histograms

Interdisciplinary Connections: Social Studies

Teaching Duration: 2-4 Days (can be modified)

Cost: FREE PDF (1 inquiry project, 2 assignments with answer key) 

PDF Version: US President Inquiry @ TPT

The Product: An inquiry project asking students the question “Do US Presidents with the most children live longer after they have been inaugurated?”  

What is the average age of the President at inauguration? How long do they live after their time in office? Does the number of children they have any bearing on the length of their life? Let students investigate and uncover evidence to support conclusion in this 21st Century Math Project.

Herber Hoover is a funny name.

When I use this project, it’s interesting to see the awareness my students have with their history of presidents. Help out your social studies department, by giving your student some familiarity with some of the nation’s most important figures.

While the US Presidents are the window dressing, the guts of this project are 100% applied statistics. I selected what I have found to be the most frequently occurring statistics concepts found on standardized tests and packaged them into a series of questions. Using the Presidents in this assignment allows students to make more meaningful conclusions and practices crafting thought out, data-supported responses.

If you dig the freebie, you can find other projects that fit your instructional and cool-teacher needs at 21st Century Math Projects.