Fantasy Basketball and Mathematics is an innovative program that uses real-world sports data to capitalize on the fun and dynamic phenomenon of Fantasy Sports to teach kids math. Fantasy Sports are games played nationwide by millions of adolescents and adults. Participants select athletes from college or professional teams. Players earn points based on their performances in their games. Each week students use newspapes or online resources to locate their players' statistics in order to find the sum of the points earned by their team. The goal of the game is to accumulate the highest number of points.
There are four programs for grades five and up: football, baseball, basketball, and soccer. Each program consists of a student workbook as well as a resource guide for teachers and parents. Each program includes lesson plans, student handouts, a pre- and post-test, 46 practice worksheets, 46 quizzes, examples of graphs and box scores, and over 100 scoring systems that give teachers and parents the flexibility to customize content according to the skill level of their students.
Fantasy Basketball and Mathematics is student-centered, collaborative, and motivating. Its hands-on features (newspspers, the Internet, and graphing activities) address all learning styles. In addition, students receive multiple exposures to concepts in order gain mastery and facilitate their transition to algebra. Preparation time for teachers is minimal, once the game begins. Students can follow their players on television, online, or in newspapers, giving them a chance to make connections between math at school and in the real world. They can also play it at home with their parents.
