Sunday, September 13, 2015

NFL Five Themes of Geography Final Project

Now that my students understand the Themes of Geography via our NFL worksheets, they divide into small groups and create a NEW NFL team to be based in the United States.

Some student groups will ask about having a team in another country, this leads to a GREAT class discussion on the problems the NFL might face with establishing Pro Teams in other countries: the travel distance (and time zone change) is one that really gets the students talking! At that point, they want their team to do well in weekly games, and choose to stay in the USA.

I have created a rubric to guide them.

After going over the rubric, I ask students to find a new city for their team. They must have a city that fits the NFL requirements. Generally, that means they need to justify the population, hotels, etc., compared to three other NFL cities.

Once the city is picked, students go on to create a new team name, new team helmet, stadium type, the NFL teams their team will play, how teams and fans travel / participate with the team, and any other information they want to include.

I usually let the students pick how to present the information. Some will choose Prezi, others Google Slides, and some will branch out into other formats.

On presentation day, most dress up. I tell them they are the new team owners, presenting to the NFL commission and current owners, trying to convince everyone the NFL NEEDS this team.

I know these lessons could transport over to any sport. I'm currently getting into Rugby, and I think I may try a mini-lesson with Rugby teams world wide.

No comments:

Post a Comment