To encourage my students to understand problem solving techniques and strategies, I designed an activity using box scores from the sports page. It is definitely a high interest area, and motivating the students to participate in the activity has been easily accomplished. The first session of each new sport serves to explain the abbreviations used, what the terms mean, and fundamentals of scoring of the sport. Research skills are used to locate information concerning the history of the sport. Role playing enables us to act out the activity.
Children are able to share their prior knowledge or experiences concerning the sport.
A copy of identical boxscores are given each group. The same boxscore is displayed on an overhead projector. Questioning and thinking skills are modeled. Information is compared. Attendance figures and length of time the game was played are even noted.