Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)

Lesson Idea Name: All Star Averages

Content Area: Mathematics
Grade Level(s): 5th
Content Standard Addressed: MGSE5.NBT.7 Add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals to hundredths,
using concrete models or drawings and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the
relationship between addition and subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method and explain the
reasoning used.

Technology Standard Addressed: Strand: Productivity

Topic: manages information with databases and spreadsheets

Selected Technology Tool:

Google Sheets
URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable):

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1x438nw8fKo88tzeryQPwjm1_av7jTyWEtuFQyofXyzg/edit?usp=sha
ring

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

☒ Remembering ☒ Understanding ☒ Applying ☒ Analyzing ☐ Evaluating ☐ Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level): (Select the best level)

☒ Level 1: Awareness ☒ Level 2: Exploration ☒ Level 3: Infusion ☐ Level 4: Integration
☐ Level 5: Expansion ☐ Level 6: Refinement

Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Google Sheets can enlarge print, google translate can translate to any
language needed. The app Text To Speech with Google Drive can convert and file to speech.

Lesson idea implementation: The teacher starts the lesson plan giving some background information about
how math is used in sports events. The teacher discusses how the math skills the students are learning right
now are the basis for some of the same skills that professionals use to analyze statistics in baseball.

Directions:
Each student is to think of their top three favorite baseball players. If they do not know or cannot think of
any, the teacher can suggest some and show how to from the internet. Each student will use internet
technology in the classroom to research their favorite players and find how many hits each had and how
many at bats. Using pencil and paper, the student will determine the batting average which is the number of
hits divided by the number times at bat. Upon completion of this task, the teach will announce that there will
be an All-Star game and that the class will be divided up into two teams. The teacher will task each half of the
classroom with determining the average of all the players that are on their team. For example, if there are 20
students in the classroom, they will be divided up into two groups of 10. With each student having three
baseball players, each team will be responsible for determining the batting average of 30 players. Since this
results in a long list of numbers to add and divide, the teacher will introduce an invaluable tool that is
powerful and common in the world of business and sports. Using the smartboard, the teacher will show
examples and give guidance on how to set up a simple table.

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 Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)
The students will take turns entering their 3 players data into a spreadsheet table following the teacher’s
example.

TEAM A TEAM B

Student Name Baseball Player Batting Average Student Name Baseball Player Batting Average
Student 1 Player 1 0.387 Student 1 Player 1 0.443
Player 2 0.242 Player 2 0.320
Player 3 0.188 Player 3 0.400
Student 2 Player 1 0.387 Student 2 Player 1 0.121
Player 2 0.400 Player 2 0.543
Player 3 0.460 Player 3 0.122
Student 3 Player 1 0.232 Student 3 Player 1 0.010
Player 2 0.123 Player 2 0.023
Player 3 0.432 Player 3 0.100
Student 4 Player 1 0.229 Student 4 Player 1 0.455
Player 2 0.334 Player 2 0.100
Player 3 0.049 Player 3 0.001
Student 5 Player 1 0.221 Student 5 Player 1 0.300
Player 2 0.050 Player 2 0.200
Player 3 0.122 Player 3 0.112
Once the data has been entered, the teacher can ask a few questions about the data such as which player has
the highest, which has the lowest. Then the teach can talk about how the students would go about finding
the average of all 30 players. As the students talk about adding several numbers together, the teacher will
show them how technology can solve the problem by showing some basic formulas in excel. Using the
average formula, it should quickly and easily be determined which team had the highest average.

Going further, the whole class will experiment with different charts and graphs to visualize the data.

The teacher will also show how manipulating the data changes the chart. Interesting examples could be
entered to show how much a zero could drop the average, or how an outlier high number could raise the bar
charts.
Link to Google Sheets:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1x438nw8fKo88tzeryQPwjm1_av7jTyWEtuFQyofXyzg/edit?usp=sha
ring

Standard used:
MGSE5.NBT.7 Add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals to hundredths, using concrete models or drawings
and strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and
subtraction; relate the strategy to a written method and explain the reasoning used.

Reflective Practice:
I think the use of charts and graphs can be a powerful visual tool that can help students connect the impact of
an outlier (either high or low) on the average. I could also extend this conversation by reviewing mean median
mode and having small groups work on projects using Google Sheets to find another real-world application of
spreadsheets and adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing decimals to hundredths. The beauty of using
collaborative like Google Sheets is that students can work on the project outside of class on their own time
without the need or hassle of group meetings.

Spring 2018_SJB
 Basic Productivity Tools (BPT)

Spring 2018_SJB