Week Three: Sports & the Classroom (C) by

Cheese Rolling: The World's Most Dangerous Sport?

hartmaa3 — 2025-07-21 14:11:03 UTC

Cheese Rolling Non-Traditional Sport Exploration

annabonham — 2025-07-21 14:16:20 UTC

Esports

agocariz — 2025-07-21 14:48:48 UTC

Quidditch

swankkea — 2025-07-21 15:37:22 UTC

Comment below with your Hogwarts House! I'm a Slytherin!

Underwater Hockey

hlavatl — 2025-07-21 16:40:38 UTC

Roller Derby Matters!

biser_a — 2025-07-21 17:30:42 UTC

Why did you pick the sport you picked? I picked this sport because I've always been interested in it. I have never seen it live or on TV, but I have seen it in a movie with Ellen Page and Drew Barrymore. I wanted to know if it is staged just like WWE, because from what I have seen (which is very little), it seems a little ridiculous.
How could you use non-traditional sports to engage readers and writers in your classroom? Honestly, I'm not sure how I could use this except to talk about our great city of Cincinnati and to expose them to something they have never heard of. Weirdly enough, I think our students are quite sheltered. Even though they live 15 minutes from downtown Cincinnati, most of them have never been! I'm open to hearing other ways people might use sports that they are unfamiliar with in the classroom.
What kind of community or subculture surrounds this sport? How has the sport evolved or spread to new regions or demographics? Like anything, roller derby has a fan base who wear their jerseys and at times dress up like them. The misconception is that all roller derby girls wear fishnet hose and have lots of tattoos...that is not a requirement, but it seems like a subculture for sure. The sport has evolved a bunch. It started in the 1930s and was much rougher...they didn't have many rules, they used props, and it was more staged. It fizzled out in the 70s for those very reasons and made a resurgence in the 2000s, specifically in Texas. Now, there are structured rules, they wear some safety equipment, they have multiple referees, most teams play on a flat track (instead of a banked one), and although it's a rough sport, there's strategy to what they are doing and how they'll win.
What are some interesting things you learned about your sport? Besides what I gathered about the historical roller derby and modern roller derby, I learned a lot about the rules. They have a bunch of lingo I had never heard of: The Jammer is the one who can score, and there are 4 blockers called "The Pack" who play both offense and defense simultaneously. They play 2 30-minute periods, but each Jam is 2 minutes max and can be ended by the Lead Jammer at any time. While it's a rough sport, it's not illegal to block in back (like football), trip your opponent, or talk back to the referees! (That last one would be quite fun!) Finally, contrary to popular belief, roller girls do not have (or like) to wear fishnet hose...actually, those give them rink rash, and of course, the athletes love their punny nicknames!

Roller Derby: Gnarly Names, Punk Attitude, Grassroots Efforts

ericeberly42 — 2025-07-21 21:01:16 UTC

Non-Traditional Sports! E-Sports & Cheese Rolling

kaiser2016 — 2025-07-21 21:12:02 UTC

Pickleball: Fun for All!

fischel7 — 2025-07-22 00:36:07 UTC

I would say that non-traditional sports is the definition of 80% of the students I have worked with at SMS. I wish more students had the itch to get outside, but they do not. They also tend to prefer sports that involve sitting on a couch. I am totally in support of e-sports, as it again includes the majority of students I have worked with over the years, but I do worry about the amount of activity they are getting to keep their bodies healthy. On a complete sidenote, and not on topic at all, I think it all comes down to parents taking the initiative to get kids out or up and moving. To me, technology has replaced many of the parenting moments that could be had. It is easy to put a kid in front of a television while you scroll on your phone. I hope that this changes in our society. *rant over*

If you have never played pickleball before, I challenge you to give it a shot!

Equality for Female Wrestlers Lesson

hartmaa3 — 2025-07-22 11:30:43 UTC

I was inspired to do this after reflecting on some of the female wrestlers I’ve taught in recent years.

Adapted Lesson: Racial Stereotypes in Sports-Related Film

hlavatl — 2025-07-22 15:25:57 UTC

Economically Disadvantaged in Sports

annabonham — 2025-07-22 17:12:07 UTC

Native Americans, Poverty, Sports Unit

ericeberly42 — 2025-07-22 19:34:49 UTC

This is rough, but I outlined resources for a quarter's worth of study in a sophomore class that focuses on research, source evaluation, and synthesis (some AP Seminar skills), with two / three longer lessons leading into Absolutely True Diary by Sherman Alexie.

Sports Unit with Focus on Barriers

agocariz — 2025-07-22 20:13:17 UTC

I love a good PowerPoint, so I decided to create a 5-day unit that starts with the idea of sports, then moves into the barriers in youth sports, then delves into solutions to these barriers, and culminates with a final project that includes all of the above. It needs work, but I am excited about the prospect of using this in the classroom. (Thank you, Anna, for posting early and helping me get a start).

Social Justice Lesson Plan

biser_a — 2025-07-22 23:54:39 UTC

This activity is so helpful for our final project, so thank you!

For me, the lesson plan that felt most approachable or doable was exploring cultural (racial) stereotypes (specifically, the white savior trope). I think teaching at a mostly white school would get students to wake up to the notion that media perpetuates this stereotype and many more! See the lesson plan for more info.

The lesson plans that feel uncomfortable are the ones revolving around gender and gender identity. Unfortunately, the district in which I teach is very conservative, so I know those lessons/books won't fly. BUT our students need to hear these lessons, so a modification I would make is to center the reading around a more 'acceptable' book and add excerpts of the suggested books to show multiple perspectives.

Unit Plan: There's Always This Year by Hanif Abdurraqib

swankkea — 2025-07-23 00:44:42 UTC

This is less of a single lesson plan and more of a unit plan designed around Hanif Abdurraqib's memoir There's Always This Year: On Basketball & Ascension. I taught the memoir last year (which is where some of the linked documents come from), but would love to continue improving the unit to highlight social justice issues in a greater context. For those who are unfamiliar with the text, the text pointedly addresses issues of gentrification, racism, incarceration, poverty, and the unhoused population surrounding Columbus, Ohio.

Social Injustices in Sports Lesson Plan

fischel7 — 2025-07-23 02:56:01 UTC

This is ROUGH. I adapted it from a lesson plan I found online. I remembered the excitement I felt watching Mo'ne Davis in the 2014 Little League World Series and wanted to use her as a jump-off point for discussing stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. It is difficult for me to get away from the topic of female athletes, having been one my entire life, and of course, after reading Ervik's inspiring novel.

I'm planning to create a slideshow, which is currently formulating in my head, and pulling it all together as a part of my final portfolio. I am a little stuck as to how I want to do the writing and I think it will take multiple days. I also need to work on my differentiation and extension pieces. I have a little more research to do on supporting texts. I use ReadWorks often and have found some solid female athlete articles for lower readers. I need some higher level as well.

Developing lesson plans like this is new to me, but it is challenging in a good way. Thanks for your feedback.

Examining Gender Inequality Lesson Plan

kaiser2016 — 2025-07-23 03:30:08 UTC

Here is a lesson and digital activity I made for students to use to examine gender inequality in sports. I was inspired by our non-traditional sports slideshow from yesterday to create this. In my class we have a "Liberty & Inequality" unit this would supplement perfectly. We also have conversations about women's roles and rights during the Space Race unit and naturally throughout the year in other texts we read. This was super fun to make and I think students will appreciate the freedom to choose and then spend time reflecting on their learning independently. The extension for this is for students to discuss their notes and reflections together from the previous day. We can then have a whole class discussion and tie in and make connections to our whole class novel, or curriculum.

Science and ELA Research Argument: Energy Drinks and Athletic Performance

hartmaa3 — 2025-07-23 13:23:21 UTC

I am sure I'm not alone in seeing the increase in students bringing energy drinks to class, and last year with my middle schoolers, it felt it was getting out of hand. This inspired me to create a lesson working with a science or health teacher about what energy drinks do to the body and how this can negatively affect athletic performance.

Polished "What If...?" Piece

hartmaa3 — 2025-07-23 14:49:30 UTC

Polished "OpDoc" Piece

hartmaa3 — 2025-07-23 14:50:14 UTC

Force and Motion - Contact Sports

annabonham — 2025-07-23 15:53:15 UTC

Breather Unit: Sports & Society

hlavatl — 2025-07-23 15:57:26 UTC

Rough Syllabus: Sports Statistics and Sports Research

ericeberly42 — 2025-07-23 18:01:46 UTC

A math teacher at our school started a sports statistics class a few years ago, and we have been talking about collaborating to help students grow in their ability to present statistical findings.

Attached is a rough start to a syllabus that would involve a co-taught or block course for sports statistics and sports research. I am really spending today brushing up on my statistical analysis skills (I was also a psychology major in another life) and reading his textbook, so I could use any feedback about how to pair statistics and English for a semester course. Thanks for any feedback!

Entrepreneurship in Sports Entertainment Venues

agocariz — 2025-07-23 18:04:17 UTC

Well, this is rough but has a lot of fun potential. It puts most of the work in the hands of the kids, but I think that is what will make this fun and challenging. It incorporates a ton of subject and lets kids look at unusual sports while trying to create a new/unique sports entertainment venue in Cincy.

QUICK Overview: For this 5-6 week unit, students will work in groups of 4 to research sports entertainment venues throughout the Cincinnati area (Top Golf, Pickleball Lodge, Fairfield Fun Center). They will also explore sports that are not as common her (cheese rolling, derby). They will then create their own business idea. They will not only create a financial analysis, but also a written analysis, a business plan, a visual representation, and a pitch for their idea.

Sports is Cinema: A Lesson in Directorial Choices

swankkea — 2025-07-24 00:07:01 UTC

I teach a film and literature course for seniors and wanted to build something cool for them! This was partially inspired by a former student (graduating class of 2023), whose work I used here as well. This is rough, but I really like the idea, so as I move towards my portfolio, I plan to create a timeline, create a rubric, and find two other mentor texts from other sports to diversify what students may take away.

Sports Journalism Unit Plan

biser_a — 2025-07-24 01:15:59 UTC

I plan on making this part of the overarching course I'm proposing as a potential senior elective course.

I know I have a lot more to work on and find, but I would say it has a pretty good flow. As always, I'm open to suggestions and ideas, too!

Thank you in advance :)

Special Olympics: Teaching Respect and Acceptance

fischel7 — 2025-07-24 03:20:03 UTC

I did a lot of reading on the Special Olympics website. I have never actually combed through it. I had the urge to look at the board of directors and was pleasantly surprised to see not only representatives of the disability community, but also of many races and cultural backgrounds.

I went back to my roots of my own mission, which is to create an inclusive classroom where any and all students feel welcome. I am dedicated to the eradication of the R word. The Special Olympics is also close to my heart as my cousin continues to participate (he will be 40 soon), and I have been to and supported many students in their sports endeavors through the program. This is rough again, but I think it gives me enough to go off of and fine-tune for implementation.

Memorable Sports Moment - Usain Bolt

annabonham — 2025-07-24 14:20:56 UTC

Welcome to English II

agocariz — 2025-07-24 14:37:43 UTC

I decided to use our trading card lesson as one of my final projects. I made a few adjustments since our kids do not have access to their personal photos during class. I think this will be a really fun first day activity, and it will help us all get to know each other better.

A Blurry Memory

hlavatl — 2025-07-24 15:04:54 UTC

Polished SWT: Concession Food Menu

swankkea — 2025-07-24 15:44:55 UTC

During our time in SWT during this class, one of the more fun assignments I had in my journal was the concessions prompt. Not only did I learn a ton about the menu in Augusta (FASCINATING!), but I put together a menu for the MLB Home Run Derby, which I celebrate with my family each year. What I've attached is the polished multimodal graphic, taken from what originally started as some quick lists and mind-maps in my journal!

Brain Chemistry & Sports

kaiser2016 — 2025-07-24 16:51:23 UTC

Here is a lesson and slideshow I made that has students analyze the relation between brain chemistry and sports. I found these two fascinating articles in my research and thought they would be super engaging and interesting to discuss. I asked AI to help me craft some ideas because I was struggling with how to incorporate this into my units that already exist. I decided that it may be an interesting text in our Science and Science fiction unit. AI suggests viewing the Brain and body as creator and creation! It's a little stretch but kinda fascinating to ask students to think about! This lesson would be great to use in Science or ELA. In my extension activities I note that it could be interesting to study other relationships sports and the brain have - like concussions. That one just seemed a little obvious so we focused on brain chemistry instead. Let me know if you have other suggestions. Make sure to checkout the slideshow that supplements this lesson. AI created the handout at the end of the lesson and exit slip but I think students could honestly just use their notebooks, or a Google form for the exit ticket to save paper and time.

Polished Sports Story

biser_a — 2025-07-24 17:05:26 UTC

This is my 3rd iteration of the piece, and I'm glad I narrowed it down to talking about dance the whole way through. I tried to capture all the best (and maybe worst) things dance has taught me. And I also tried to show how it is still a part of my life today. I might try to add a few more descriptive details, but overall, I'm pretty happy with it. Let me know what you think!

Crafting Memoirs with Sports Writing

kaiser2016 — 2025-07-24 18:56:29 UTC

I've needed a memoir writing component in my perspectives and narratives unit at the beginning of the year! "My Sports Story" inspired this lesson. I wanted to use my piece of writing as a mentor texts for students to use when crafting their own memoirs. In this lesson students observe writer's craft and name the moves writer's make and why. Students will then attempt to write their own 100-200 word memoirs. The end game is to build a complete narrative.

Eble Dragon Hoops Controversies and Stories Unit

ericeberly42 — 2025-07-24 21:49:00 UTC

I teach sophomore CP2 and AP Seminar for sophomores, so I would plan on adapting this quarter-long unit to each class to study sports controversies and sports stories.

Sports What If

annabonham — 2025-07-24 22:09:37 UTC

After making a few adjustments...

Unit: Crusade for a Club

agocariz — 2025-07-24 22:32:06 UTC

Not going to lie...I am super amped about this unit. I took a ton of ideas from this course and combined them into 1 unit that brings in public speaking, interviewing, research, technology, creativity.

Moeller students (aka the Crusaders) will create a hype video for a lesser-known club. They will have music, interiews, images...the works. I think this will not only be fun, but we will honor some of those clubs/kids who aren't in Moeller sports.

Sacred Writing Time Prompt

fischel7 — 2025-07-25 00:52:42 UTC

This is what I completed on July 21st for sacred writing time. It is probably my third draft, as simple as it is. I feel like I could have said even more, but I didn't want to make the font super tiny for a poster. I made the heading and footer slightly smaller to accommodate more words, but also wanted them to stand out. Nothing fancy here, just basics, but something I connect with personally and within my career. Looking forward to fine-tuning more pieces to share!

AP English Language Synthesis Question on Sports Betting

ericeberly42 — 2025-07-25 14:53:05 UTC

I have been giving love in my planning and portfolio-building to my sophomore classes, so I wanted to construct something for my senior AP English Language & Composition class.

This is a synthesis question on sports betting, posing the question "What value has sports betting brought to America?" I could definitely stand to refine this question, and I also worry that some of the readings are too long for the testing period. My other concerns involve the spread of the issue, as it covers economic, psychological, social, political ground, and I don't think six sources can accurately capture the nuance well enough (which may help me with changing my question). I also worry that my sources lean too heavily on the drawbacks of sports betting.

Thanks for any feedback you can offer!

What If...

hlavatl — 2025-07-25 16:02:51 UTC

Mini-Unit Research Project: What If? Podcast

swankkea — 2025-07-25 21:49:44 UTC

During our time here in the course, I really enjoyed the "What If?" assignment. For those who weren't in my padlet group, I chose to do a podcast episode on What if Caitlin Clark had never been drafted into the WNBA? Here in our last week, I wanted to take my single assignment and blow it up into a much larger mini-unit for research. The attached link takes you through the lesson overview, provides that podcast I submitted as a mentor text, guides you through a lesson timeline, and provides student resources. Feeling grateful to include this in my final portfolio!

Marathon- A Reflection (Polished..I think)

fischel7 — 2025-07-26 02:06:12 UTC

I am putting the link for the first one with my edits below. I enjoyed writing this piece and watching the op doc. This assignment stuck out to me as one of my favorite writings. Thank you for sharing the resources and encouraging us to choose our adventure. Learning about Mr. Sauce was inspiring.

1.0

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GV89Qiov1-AMyhqhXNB1vufVxh1jeXDwvy_BVNz99ss/edit?usp=sharing

Sporting Life in the Elizabethan Era

kaiser2016 — 2025-07-26 02:24:12 UTC

Here is a lesson plan I created where students research sports during the Elizabethan Era. This was inspired by our non-traditional sports day! This was specifically created to pair with my Shakespeare unit because it will give students more context of the time and more interest in it. I would love some suggestions for extensions, or even better texts/websites to use. This would be perfect to ease students into Shakespeare and make sense of how minimal their entertainment options were back then.

Polished Sports Fandom Diary Entries

biser_a — 2025-07-26 21:58:08 UTC

I'm not sure if I'm going to use this in my final project, but I do like using something like this as a creative piece and/or a mentor text from my own experiences...