Leading up to the Super Bowl, Bransford Elementary first grade has been connecting results of the NFL playoffs to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and Friday, February 6, was what they dubbed as Football Day!
After lunch, they gathered for their weekly class level huddle to review their football bracket and predict who will win the Super Bowl. But it’s not just football talk – the teachers are connecting the conversation to in-classroom lessons about whole numbers, math and data collection to arrive at conclusions—all which they display as colorful, fun charts and individual student predictions in the school’s hallway.
“We have a lot of students who love football and it was a way to tie learning into their interest about something that’s current,” said first grade teacher Laila Patrick.
The first grade huddles have been taking place on Monday mornings after each NFL playoff game to review wildcard and divisional round results and talk about which teams advanced—all while using skills that relate back to the TEKS.
On Football Day, which was their second-to-last huddle up, students also received an optional, fun Super Bowl-themed scavenger hunt to complete as they watch the big game that involves math, observation, writing and critical thinking skills. For example, one question is “which team won the coin toss” and another is “what was the score at halftime.”
Students write in their answers, another important skill they are practicing in first grade. At the bottom of the worksheet, there is also a chart where students write each team’s score for all four quarters and then add the final score.
In class on Friday, students used their artistic and math skills to create football fields where they had to count by 10s to add the hashmarks on the field. They also had to make sure the field goals on each side were symmetrically lined up.
Their football-themed learning will culminate on Monday, February 9, with a final huddle up to review who won the Super Bowl.
“It's really cool to hear the students, including students who never knew any team's names, connecting with one another, asking things like 'Did you see the Bears game this weekend?' Or playing football outside,” Patrick shared. “It’s been fun and a good connection among our students and teachers.”