Whether or not students have played or are familiar with basketball, there is a good chance they have seen a basketball court at some point in their lives. They may have noticed that there are different lines drawn on a court and wondered, what do those lines mean? The answer lies in data science! Here to share his ideas for bringing the fast-paced game of basketball into your classroom, is DEN STAR Merek Chang!
Merek Chang
Merek Chang is a 6-12 Science Teacher on special assignment in California. He has also taught high school science and robotics classes. He received his Bachelors of Science from University of California Davis in Food Science and Technology and worked full-time in the food industry prior to entering education. He also received a Master’s in Education from San Diego State University. Merek is a KQED Media Literacy Innovator and is passionate about uplifting student voices and connecting the community to the classroom through the lens of environmental literacy and civic engagement.
Making Data Science Relevant
As an avid basketball fan who has taught students who love basketball, I am always looking for relevant tools to connect curriculum to their interests. Discovery Education Experience has great basketball content to add into your lessons on data science, STEM Careers, or math skills! One of my go-to resources is the Analyzing Basketball Data video, hosted by a student, Miles Brown.
In the video, Miles visits Madison Square Garden to learn how data is used in basketball and what a career as a data scientist in the NBA looks like. After students watch the video, I ask them to share what they noticed and are wondering about. Based on their responses, I guide them to a question about two-point basketball shots versus three-point shots that the data scientist alludes to in the video: A basketball player takes 10 three-point shots and makes three of them. A teammate then takes 10 two-point shots and makes four of them. Which player is the better scorer? Use evidence to justify your claim.
I let students work in groups and have them share their responses. Next, we put the question to the test in our classroom with a paper ball/trash can setup. I used this lesson in a 3rd-4th grade combo class, but if students are older, you can consider doing this on the actual basketball court! I ask each student, “Are you a two-point shooter or a three-point shooter?” Students make their claim and then shoot 10 two-point shots and 10 three-point shots. After collecting the results, we revisit a shooting heat map from the 2:25 mark in the Analyzing Basketball Data video, and students identify another “notice and wonder” to discuss what they see from the map.
I found this lesson to be a fun and effective way to get students to talk about numbers and data while incorporating digital media that’s relevant to them and piques their curiosity.
Take the Learning to the Next Level
As I worked with a younger group of students, I kept the data science and content simpler, but there are great opportunities for extension activities!
The NBA’s official website has a section titled NBAMath with pre–made lessons using official NBA data. After introducing your students to the data analysis process, you could have them continue to flex their analysis skills with a new set of basketball data points, straight from the NBA!
Another option for extending this lesson could be the “NBA 15-dollar Challenge.” This challenge is very popular on social media, where you must build a team of five players by spending “15 dollars” on players that cost different “amounts” based on their skill levels to add to the team. Check out this example of the 15-dollar Challenge from The Bleacher Report! This challenge can be extended even further by asking students to build their own “15-dollar Challenge” board with players from the WNBA. Students would get the opportunity to evaluate criteria, research different players’ statistics, and learn about players’ histories to design their own ultimate team!
There is a myriad of ways to engage your students with data, and there are great options for bringing relevant, interesting data into your lessons. If your students happen to be basketball fans, I highly recommend you check out both NBAMath and Discovery Education’s NBA resources!
