PBL Introduction to Fantasy Baseball Math Broadcasts

Title: Fantasy Baseball Math Broadcasts

Goal: Students use Audacity or other tools such as MovieMaker to produce broadcast-style narrations that use their baseball statistics.

Introduction: An authentic way to assess student comprehension requires students to talk about what they are learning. If a student cannot clearly and concisely converse about a topic, he lacks either sufficient content knowledge or the vocabulary to package his ideas. The learning activity Fantasy Baseball Math Broadcasts provides an engaging way for students to speak both clearly and concisely about their content learning in math class and thereby further their comprehension of mathematics. Fantasy Baseball Math Broadcasts also provides an opportunity for students to develop their writing skills, public speaking skills and spoken vocabulary. Math and Language Arts teachers collaborate to determine the broadcasts' requirements based on the age and math level of the students; they also collaborate to develop rubrics and activities to showcase the broadcasts. Because students generally enjoy the activities inherent in Fantasy Baseball Math, this enriching language arts activity will generate further enthusiasm and provide an additional "real-world" activity that will bolster student learning. Activities for Fantasy Baseball Math Broadcasts address several of the Georgia Performance Standards for language arts and math.
Georgia Code 20-2-140 of the Georgia Department of Education provides for enriching curriculum
Georgia English Language standards (abbreviated):
ELA C1 -- use conventions of language
ELA LSV1 -- work in groups
ELA LSV2 -- delivers polished presentation
ELA W3 -- Uses research and technology to support writing
ELA RC3 -- acquires new vocabulary in each content area and uses it correctly
ELA RC4 -- establishes a context for information acquired by reading across subject areas
ELARL4 -- compose technical document
ELARL5 -- understand and acquire new vocabulary and use it correctly in . . . writing
Georgia Math standards
M6P3 Grades 6-8 -- Students will clearly communicate mathematical thinking and use the language of math to express mathematical ideas precisely.
M6P4 6-8 -- Students will make connections among math ideas and to other disciplines.