We have 10 great super bowl activities for your math classes.
Category: Algebra
These posts help students see patterns and relationships.
Typical Super Bowl scores
In this activity students study historical Super Bowl data to reflect on average (mean, median, and mode), losing scores, winning scores, and range of scores. They are asked to judge which of these central measurements seem the most meaningful and explain their reasoning.
Powerball, Mega Millions, and probability
Recently the Mega millions’ jackpot was won in Maine at 1.35 billion dollars. Last year, someone won 2.04 billion dollars in Powerball. Students examine compound probability and decide whether playing Powerball or Mega millions is worth it.
Throwing Up 2023
It’s hard to shovel new snow when you have to get your shovel-full over previous snow banks. You have to throw the snow practically straight up. Predict the arc of your shovel throw with a parabola and refine your formula by manipulating the parabolic factors.
Lunar New Year 2023
A combination of 10 Heavenly Stems and 12 Earthly Branches, the year’s symbol creates a sequence of year names that eventually repeat. Students explore the least common multiple of these two cycles without ever hearing the term LCM.
MLK and efforts towards racial justice
Timelines for the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr. – Students create one of two timelines about Martin Luther King Jr’s life or the efforts in America to create a more fair racial balance in the U.S. …
Earth’s perihelion with the Sun
Today, Wednesday, January 4th, 2023, Earth will be as close as it gets to the Sun during its orbit. Shouldn’t that make this the warmest time of the year? In this activity students become familiar with the terms perihelion and aphelion as they calculate…
Is 2023 a special number?
What do you notice about 2023?
What is a Harshad number?
Does 2023 meet the criteria?
Big deal? Rare? Often?
Beautiful mathematics
Color, measure, design, Sierpinski, spirals, Pythagorean triples, hexadecimal color codes, fractals, string design, modular math, Pascal’s triangle, Fibonacci, polyhedra, build an eclipse … Enjoy!
Before the holidays (16 activities)
We have tons (well, 16) of activities to bring to your class in this last week before the holiday break. Movies, science, art, cooking, economics, weather and the logic of calendars. Enjoy!
How many feet of lights should I buy for my tree?
In this 3-act task, your class guesses how many feet of lights you will need to light your tree. Then gather data from groups and find means or medians. Then actually calculate an estimate given tree dimensions.
Three Hanukkah activities
Three great activities to play and learn about Hanukkah. Soda displays, Hebrew calendar, and relating two recipes for their healthiness.
Do I have enough wrapping paper?
In this problem based activity students first guess and then try to calculate whether they will have enough paper to wrap this present without taping pieces of wrapping paper together. I have to wrap this box. ⇒ ⇐ …
Wind chill
Students use the National Weather Service’s chart to look for patterns, make predictions, decide how many ways the wind-chill could be -22 degrees F, and compare the formula’s outcome with their chart predications.
The Algebra of Magic Squares
Students examine Magic Squares for how they could help with math computation practice and having fun.