What About That Jazz?

Summary

With the help of the NBA Utah Jazz website, students learn the use of a database. You can also extend this lesson to use copy and paste, and prepare a spreadsheet for later use.

Materials

• Computer with database program.(Works 2.0, ClarisWorks, WordPerfect Works, etc.)
• Worksheet for each student.
• Internet access

Background for Teachers

Know how your database software works by reading and hands on. Read the Preface material under step one.

Intended Learning Outcomes

1. Enter information into a database and save it.
2. Be able to sort and search.
3. Create a database report.
4. Print a database report.

Instructional Procedures

I use Works 2.0. It has a fun database tutorial called 'A Works Tour' that the students go through. If your software has a tutorial it might be beneficial to use it. See Preface Material.

Become familiar with the NBA Utah Jazz Roster & Boxscore sites and the information on them. You will also need to know what the abbreviations mean on the Jazz Boxscore page.

Make a database named Jazz Stats and load it onto the computers, or the server if your computers are networked.

Make a copy of the Jazz Roster and Stats worksheet for each student. Review what a database is, and it's different uses. Have the students name the different types of things that could be turned into an electronic database, such as a phone book, address book, recipe file, student information file, etc.

Have the students go to the Jazz Roster site and fill out the jersey 's and the players on the worksheet.

Have the students go to the Jazz Boxscore site and fill out the remaining part of the worksheet.

The students need to go to the Jazz Stats database, then to File and Save as. Have them name it Jazz Stats and their name.

Review with the students how to enter information into each cell. Have students enter the information from the worksheet into the database.

Reinforce the students skills of sorting and searching from 5th grade.

Create and name a database report from the Jazz Stats DB.

Have the students print the database report.

Optional. Have the students highlight the database information and copy it to the clipboard. Have them open up a spreadsheet and paste the information in it. You then have a prepared spreadsheet to teach with.

Extensions

Whenever I do something like this, I try to let the students work at their own speed as much as possible. I have extra activities or typing for those who get through first. There are also times I have the students that are finished help the other students that need it. The rule is: They don't do the work for the student, just answer questions and give advice on doing the assignment. I feel that this works really well. It gives the more gifted student an opportunity to learn. I believe that as we teach something we learn it better. The 'helpers' have to exercise patience, and find new ways to explain the same old thing. The student that has a harder time also gets the help that he needs, and with 25 to 30 students in the room that is important. You could also have the gifted student create the Jazz Stats database, or help in creating a mystery to solve with selection rules.