Super Bowl helps schools make some extra points

Teachers are taking advantage of the Bucs' win to catch their students' attention with football-themed lessons.

By JANEL STEPHENS
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 22, 2003

ST. PETERSBURG -- During her morning announcements Tuesday, Blanton Elementary School principal Deborah Turner used the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' ascendancy to the Super Bowl to encourage her students to pass the FCAT.

At Perkins Elementary School, where Sandra Rosado teaches Spanish to her fourth- and fifth-graders, her usual puppet entourage was joined by a character that resembled Bucs quarterback Brad Johnson.

At St. Paul's Catholic School, art students designed fantasy Super Bowl tickets, and science students examined the trajectory of a football pass.

Using sports as a teaching tool isn't new.

Pinellas schools have a unit called Tackle Math, which incorporates facts and figures on the Bucs and Raymond James Stadium to facilitate lessons in geometry, probability, measurement and statistics.

The program, developed in 2001 for seventh-grade math, is optional for use in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

"The kids really enjoy it," said Sue Loucks, an eighth-grade algebra teacher at Safety Harbor Middle School who created Tackle Math with math teacher Barbara Colmenares. "You get out of the book and see some real-life applications." The CD-ROM and playbook include math scenarios that allow students to determine the probability of different plays that would give the Bucs a first down.

This week, the Bucs are an even more readily available source of inspiration.

Turner's goal is to improve on Blanton's D grade last year in the state scoring system, which is determined by a public school's performance on the state standardized test.

"I told them that if you follow a plan and you believe in yourself and focus, you could succeed," she said.

She added that her students and staff "are very focused this year."

Along with the daily pep talk, a marquee outside will read "B in Blanton stands for Best and the Bucs."

"It just goes to show you how important leadership is. Gruden has enough skills to encourage people to believe in themselves, and that's what a leader is," Turner said.

Rosado, who has taught Spanish in Pinellas County for 12 years, said using puppets and sports makes teaching a language a little easier.

"Since it's sports, they've really gotten into it," Rosado said. "Even my kids that have a difficult time with Spanish, you can see they are trying their best with their pronunciation."

Pedro, a Mexican puppet with a sombrero, asked the Brad Johnson puppet a series of questions about his tastes in sports.

Said Johnson: A mi me gusto mucho el futbol. (I like football a lot.)

Poncho asked: Te gustan los Aguilas? (Do you like the Eagles?)

Johnson: No, no me gustan las Aguilas. A mi me gustan los Bucaneros! (No, I don't like the Eagles. I like the Buccaneers!)

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