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Bowling Math

 

fitness graphic

 

 

 

Subjects
  • Educational Technology
  • Mathematics
    Arithmetic, Statistics
  • Physical Education
    Games

Grades

3-5, 6-8

Brief Description

Students do the math to figure the bowling score, then keep score while they bowl a string!

Objectives

Students will

  • learn the rules for scoring a game of bowling.
  • use a work sheet to gain practice in figuring bowling scores frame by frame.
  • use an online tool to practice bowling math (optional).
  • get some exercise by bowling a string and keeping score.

Keywords

bowling, strike, score, statistics, average

Materials Needed

Lesson Plan

Keeping score at a bowling alley -- the old-fashioned way, by hand -- is a terrific opportunity for math practice!

Share with students these directions for scoring bowling. Provide each student with a copy of Education World's Bowling Math Work Sheet. The work sheet includes two different activities. Cut the work sheet in half so the students can do one work sheet now, one later; one with a partner and one independently; or one in class and one for homework. (The work sheet answer key can be found in the Assessment section of this lesson plan.)

Note: Since there are many opportunities for students to make errors as they calculate each bowling frame, you might provide students with the final total for each player. That way, if students get to the last frame and do not have the correct total, they can go back over their work and find their errors.

For more practice, get out the bowling pins (or empty soft drink bottles), play a string, and keep score while you play!

Additional Resources

Assessment

Students perform calculations correctly 80 percent of the time or more.

Answer Key: The scores below represent the point totals that should appear in each frame on the bowling score sheet.

Bowling Work Sheet 1:

Bowler's
Name
Frame
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Jeff 6 26 40 44 53 57 66 66 83 91
Lisa 18 26 35 55 69 76 85 87 96 105
Ellen 5 19 25 33 42 49 58 66 70 87

The winner of the game was Lisa.

Bowling Work Sheet 2:

Bowler's
Name
Frame
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Kyle 20 31 35 44 52 59 64 70 81 84
Tanya 20 36 43 49 62 66 74 89 98 106
Josh 7 13 22 29 48 57 69 71 79 85

The winner of the game was Tanya.

Lesson Plan Source

Education World

Submitted By

Gary Hopkins

National Standards

 

  • MATHEMATICS: Number and Operations GRADES 3 - 5
    NM-NUM.3-5.1 Understand Numbers, Ways of Representing Numbers, Relationships Among Numbers, and Number Systems
    NM-NUM.3-5.2 Understand Meanings of Operations and How They Relate to One Another
    NM-NUM.3-5.3 Compute Fluently and Make Reasonable Estimates

     

  • GRADES 6 - 8
    NM-NUM.6-8.1 Understand Numbers, Ways of Representing Numbers, Relationships Among Numbers, and Number Systems
    NM-NUM.6-8.2 Understand Meanings of Operations and How They Relate to One Another
    NM-NUM.6-8.3 Compute Fluently and Make Reasonable Estimates

MATHEMATICS: Connections

 

  • GRADES Pre-K - 12 NM-CONN.PK-12.3 Recognize and Apply Mathematics in Contexts Outside of Mathematics

PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND HEALTH: Physical Education

TECHNOLOGY

  • GRADES K - 12
    NT.K-12.1 Basic Operations and Concepts
    NT.K-12.3 Technology Productivity tools

Return to the Fitness Fun lesson plan page.

See the Education World theme page Resources, Lessons, and Activities for Physical Education for more resources.

 


Last updated 04/25/2012