Discovery Education and the NBA and WNBA are teaming up to energize middle and high school classrooms with a new series of interactive math problems now available in Math Techbook. Inspired by game scenarios, with game footage and statistics, these NBA problems deepen students’ understanding of key math concepts like probability, ratio, variables, equations, weighted averages, and more.
Challenge students to predict who will be chosen for the All-NBA Teams by creating formulas based on available statistics, or have them predict how many assists a player is on track to have by the end of the season using proportions. Using an interactive NBA Math Tool, students can gather and analyze NBA and WNBA statistical categories, follow a favorite player or team, and predict player performance throughout the season. Students quickly see that math is essential in basketball, while engaging in problems worth solving and learning about diverse careers in sports.
Some of the problems students will tackle include:
Join Discovery Education and Jr. NBA for a virtual field trip to the NBA headquarters, Madison Square Garden, and Madison Square Boys & Girls Club in New York for an inside look at how math is brought to life through careers in basketball. Meet NBA basketball players and staff who use math every day to improve the game both on and off the court.
Sample Apply Problem 1 of 4 (Middle School)
When the score is really close, and time is running out, coaches need to decide which player has the best chance of making a game-winning shot. In this problem, students play the role of coach and decide which player should take a technical free throw to win the game. Students use real-time statistics and their knowledge of percentages to figure it out.
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Sample Apply Problem 2 of 4 (Middle School)
An NBA basketball court is 94 feet long and 50 feet wide. Those might be the right dimensions for a player who is 6’10”, but is it the right size for a middle-school student? Using estimation and proportion, students will determine a court size that’s more appropriate for their height and stride length.
Sample Apply Problem 3 of 4 (High School)
A bank shot is a shot that hits the backboard first. They can be very effective—sometimes, even more effective than straight-on shots. But bank shots aren’t possible from every spot on the floor. Using their knowledge of geometry and reflections, students will analyze the situation to determine the spots from which bank shots are possible.
Sample Apply Problem 4 of 4 (Middle School)
Is the number of three-pointers a player makes related to the number of three-point shots that she attempts? That seems likely. Is the number of blocks related to free-throw percentage? Maybe not so much. In this problem, students will choose two stats that they think have a strong positive correlation, and then create a model to determine if there’s any relationship between them.
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