Pre-Algbra
Math WebQuest
How "Good" of a Basketball Player are You?
Introduction - Task - Process - Conclusion - Resources - Learning Advice
Pre-Algbra
Math WebQuest
How "Good" of a Basketball Player are You?
Introduction - Task - Process - Conclusion - Resources - Learning Advice
What makes a basketball player a "good player"? Some players get paid much more than others and some players seem to steal the hearts of fans. But can you prove and show mathematically how "good" the player is? This web quest will help you to analyze some statistics on a Utah Jazz player and form graphs to present the information that you have collected. The graphs will help you to conclude if the person you analyzed is a "good" player.
You will pick a player from the Utah Jazz Team for whom you will use the internet to collect data about his performance in the 2003-2004 basketball season. The data will be made into graphs and mathematical information using the knowledge that you have gained in class. You will analyze the information and determine the ability of your chosen player. You will be asked to present all of this information on a poster board for your final project.
Step 1: Go to the worksheet link below and print out a hard copy of the page so that you can collect the data needed for the assignment. The worksheet is designed to help you arrange the information that is gathered.
Step 2: Go to the Player Stats link listed below and choose a player from the Utah Jazz 2003-2004 team. Scroll down on the page and it will show the stats from each player, the worksheet shows the abbreviations that are used on the website. Complete Section 1: Stats.
For extra help in understanding the basketball terms visit the link below.
Step 3: Complete Section 2: Pie Chart Data on your worksheet.
On a piece of 8 ½ x 11 paper make a pie chart to represent the total number of points your player made in the 2003-04 season. In the chart represent free throws, field goals, and 3-pointers made.
Use a compass, protractor, and ruler. Make it precise and label all pie sections with names and percentages. This will be used in your final project. If you need help making a pie chart visit the link below.
Step 4: Using the data collected in Section 1 of the worksheet use another piece of 8 ½ x 11 paper make a bar chart to compare field goals attempted with field goals made, free throws attempted with free throws made, 3-pointers attempted with 3-pointers made, and steals with turnovers. Label everything in the chart.
Step 5: Go to the Utah Jazz Roster link below, it will take you to a website that contains information on each of the Utah Jazz Players. Complete Section 3: The Whole Team on your worksheet. The worksheet will ask you to find the mean, median, and mode for heights and weights of the team. Definitions for the terms are provided in the link below if you need a reminder.
Step 6: Print out the worksheet provided below. Answer questions 1-3.
Step 7: Go to the Salaries link below, it will take you to a website that contains salary information for each member of the Utah Jazz from the 2003-2004 season. Complete Section 4: The Money on your worksheet.
Step 8: Using another 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper make a pie chart to represent the distribution of the money that is paid to the team for their annual salary. This is the data that you collected on the worksheet in Section 4. Make sure to label each pie section with the first initial and last name of the player's salary that is represented and the percentage. You may want to find a way to make your chosen player's section stand out from the others. This will be used in your final project.
Step 9: Answer questions 4-6 on your questions worksheet.
Step 10: Take all of the information that you have collected and make a poster board that gives a mathematical representation of the player that you analyzed. Use the graphs that you created and make sure that you included the players name in large print so that we know who the data represents. The poster will be graded on 4 standards:
1. Precise and neatly drawn graphs
2. Labels for all data
3. The basketball player's name large and clearly written
4. An aesthetic presentation on the poster (use color)
Congratulations you have completed the Webquest. You have successfully collected data and made graphs to represent what you have learned about the Jazz Player of your choice. This information was presented in a clear and precise manner. You now know how to give a presentation of mathematical data and to analyze your findings.
Three websites were used to collect data for this webquest. Link to basketballrefrence.com gave the information needed to track a player's performance for the 2003-2004 season. The webquest then links to a page on the USA Today website that allows us to use the Utah Jazz Roster to collect data about the players heights and weights. The final site that the webquest links to, is another USA Today site that provides the annual salary information for the Utah Jazz members from 2003-2004.
There are a variety of resources on the page to help you complete this quest. Worksheet #1 provides an outline for collecting data from each of the websites. A link to definitions of the basketball terms is available to clear up any questions regarding the data being collected. There is a link to pie chart making instructions to insure that each student remembers how to convert data into percentages and into degrees of a circle. Definitions of mean, median, and mode are provided as a reminder for making those calculations. The last resource that is listed on the website is a worksheet that has questions to help analyze the data that is collected.