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Great Sites for Teaching About ... Basketball

Great Sites Center

Each week, the Education World Great Sites for Teaching About ... page highlights Web sites to help educators work timely themes into their lessons. If your students are among the millions of Americans eagerly anticipating the "Big Dance," this week's sites are among the best on the Web for integrating basketball into your curriculum.

 

 

  1. Basketball
    http://www.freezone.com/sports/basketball/contents.html
    Freezone presents this eye-catching coverage of the game, including a Rule Book, which also covers skills and equipment. A Trivia Game offers lots of student support while providing interesting information. In You Be the Ref!, students practice making calls in simulated game situations. The Ref tasks follow the same format as the Trivia Game, so making the jump between the two activities is easy for students.

     

  2. Basketball for Kids
    http://www.health.cybear.com/atoz/fitness/kidfit/kfbasket.asp
    Cybear offers this fast-loading site about the fundamentals of the game, the skills players need, and the equipment they use. It also includes a glossary of terms for students not acquainted with the language of the game. This site is heavily text-based with lots of links to other fitness-related topics and is appropriate for students in upper elementary school and above.

     

  3. Basketball Mania!
    http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/3952/
    This ThinkQuest entry shares basketball from a number of different points of view for kids. The site includes a History as well as information about basic skills and rules. Students will probably enjoy the Trivia quiz. The interactive quiz tests - and broadens -- students' knowledge. Written for elementary students, this page is ideal for kids in third grade or higher who want to learn more.

     

  4. Basketball Tips and Training
    http://www.myteam.com/mytp/instruction/index.jsp?sport=Basketball
    My Team.com presents this online clinic on basketball skills. The site covers ball handling, passing, shooting, rebounding, defense, and more. Each segment includes an explanation of skills and drills recommended for student practice. Advanced features include game basics, game strategies, and Lingo, a glossary of basketball jargon! Text-based with quick-loading graphics, this site is appropriate for kids in upper elementary grades and older.

     

  5. Final Four
    http://www.finalfour.net/
    This is the official site for the NCAA men's and women's tournaments. It covers everything from the invitations to the tournaments to the championships. Lots of statistics and background information will help your class follow the action. Imagine the math activities you can develop, from free-throw percentages to understanding RPIs. The trivia game at Final Four has a different look -- it's in video. Users need the Quicktime plug-in to view, but it's available on the site. This site is a must see!

     

  6. Hoophall
    http://www.hoophall.com/
    This is the official Web site of the Basketball Hall of Fame. It provides the searchable Hall of Famers, Hall News, and a good History section. Click to Educations to see ordering instructions for a free copy of the cross-curricular activity packet Full Court Press for teachers of grades 4 through 8. Streaming audio and video for interactivity, polls and a daily trivia game, and some good features make Hoophall well worth a visit.

     

  7. NBA.com
    http://www.nba.com/
    In addition to in-depth coverage of professional basketball, the site offers some out-of-the-ordinary features. Check out Create Your Own Highlight Reels. Users decide the highlights of the featured games and create personalized game reels. You'll need Real Player 8 and Netscape 4.08 or better or Internet Explorer 4.0 or better. Click to March Is NBA Reading Month for ideas and information about events in your area. At Virtual GM players compete against celebrity GMs. A password is required, but registration is free. Statistics has lots of links to players and teams to help students dig deeper to determine who is tops -- imagine the great math applications you and your students might dream up!

     

  8. NBA Live Shootout
    http://www.bhong.com/shootout/games.asp
    This site is commercial, but your students may enjoy playing the six online games. They use JavaScript and Shockwave technologies and require the Macromedia Shockwave player.

     

  9. NBA 2Ball
    http://www.gas.nick.com/new_sports/feature_2ball/index.html
    Nickelodeon's Gas offers this high-tech interactive look at a new basketball phenomenon sweeping the country -- 2ball! Two players try to score as many points as they can in 60 seconds from six different positions around the court. The page includes a streaming video explanation of how the game is played and a nicely diagrammed format of the court used for this popular game.

     

  10. USA Basketball
    http://usabasketball.com/usab/index.html
    USA Basketball is the national governing body for men's and women's basketball in the United States. The Web site provides information about the Men's and Women's programs, a calendar upcoming events, and news. The Rules section compares international, NBA, and (men's) NCAA rules in a table format, and History covers the Olympics, Goodwill Games, and World Championships.

 

Article by Walter McKenzie
Education World®
Copyright © 2001 Education World

 

03/14/2001