Read about this WebQuest, and then go to Process for step-by-step instructions.
Central investigation question
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Introduction
March Madness is the time of the year when NCAA teams from all over the country compete in a complicated tournament to find out who is the best. A total of 65 teams play a series of games over 3 weeks. The winner is crowned the national champion – the best in the country.
But is the winner of this tournament really the “best” team? That’s what you’ll be looking at in this web quest.
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Task
In this quest, you are going to look at the structure of the NCAA “March Madness” tournament and think about whether it determines the best team. You’ll have a chance to look at how other sports decide their best. Finally, you’ll look at the pros and cons and make a recommendation to the NCAA about whether to keep their current tournament structure or adopt a new structure.
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Central investigation question
What is structure for the NCAA tournament would determine the best team?
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Process
Step 1: The current structure
The current NCAA tournament uses a single-elimination structure. Teams are grouped by regions and by seeds to determine which team plays which.
Read the web resources linked here to learn about how the tournament is set up. Make sure you understand how the tournament is set up, who participates, what seeding is, and how winners advance. Answer the questions in the handout MM1A as you read.
Step 2: History of winners and losers
Some
people have said that the single-elimination structure of the tournament lets
“Cinderella” (lower seeded teams) do better. Is that good or bad?
Let’s look at the history of tournament to see how
often low-seeded teams have won and how often the teams that were seeded #1
have won.
Answer the questions in the handout MM1B as you read.
Step 3: Other possible structures
Other sports use different types of tournament structures to determine their champion.
Use information about sports you know and from the readings below to find 3 championships that differ from March Madness. Use handout MM1C to show how they differ and what the pros and cons are.
Step 4: Finding the best
Now it’s time for you to use what you’ve learned to design a tournament structure that will pick the truly best team. Create a new structure and write a description of it. Discuss the pros and cons of your suggested system vs. the current system. How is it different and how will it help find the truly best team? Will it cost more or less? Will it generate more or less revenue? How might fans respond to it?
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Resources
Use these web resources to conduct your research and investigation.
Resources for Step 1
Resources for Step 2
(You read this in Step 1. Review the section called “Tournament Trends.”)
Resources for Step 3
MLB – The road to World Series
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(This handout is available in Word.)
March Madness – Handout MM1A
Name:
Date:
Period:
Instructions: As you explore the web resources in Step 1 of the webquest, answer these questions.
1. How many teams participate in the tournament? How are they selected to participate?
2. What is seeding? How is seeding determined? How does the seeding effect which teams play each other?
3. How many games does a team need to lose to be eliminated from the tournament?
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(This handout is available in Word.)
March Madness – Handout MM1B
Name:
Date:
Period:
Instructions: As you explore the web resources in Step 2 of the webquest, answer these questions.
1. What are the trends in the tournament? Do lower or higher seeded teams usually win the championship?
2. What is a “Cinderella” team? Why is it exciting when a “Cinderella” team wins?
3. How does the single elimination structure (meaning that if a team loses one game, they are out of the tournament) make it more likely for a “Cinderella” team to win?
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(This handout is available in Word.)
March Madness – Handout MM1C
Name:
Date:
Period:
Instructions: Use the web resources in Step 3 of the webquest and other resources including your own knowledge to find three tournament structures in sports that are different than March Madness. Tell about them and their pros and cons.
Sport |
Tournament differences from March Madness |
Pros |
Cons |
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Evaluation
Step 1 – The current structure
1 (beginning) – Most questions were not answered or there was less than 50% accuracy; several key facts were missing.
2 (developing) – Most of the questions were answered with 60% accuracy; some key facts were missing.
3 (accomplished) – All the questions were answered with 75% accuracy; most of key facts were identified.
4 (exemplary) – All the questions were answered correctly with complete information; all the key facts plus more were identified.
Step 2 – History of winners and losers
1 (beginning) – Answers do not show an understanding of the trends and the significance of “Cinderella” teams.
2 (developing) – Answers show some understanding of the trends and the significance of “Cinderella” teams.
3 (accomplished) – Answers show a good understanding of the trends and the significance of “Cinderella” teams.
4 (exemplary) – Answers show an-depth analysis of the trends and for the significance of “Cinderella” teams.
Step 3 – Other possible structures
1 (beginning) – Grid included 1 or 2 other sports tournament structures and little understanding of the differences and pros and cons.
2 (developing) – Grid included at least 2 other sports tournament structures and some understanding of the differences and pros and cons.
3 (accomplished) – Grid included 3 other sports tournament structures and a basic understanding of the differences and pros and cons.
4 (exemplary) – Grid included 3 or more other sports tournament structures and insightful analysis of the differences and pros and cons.
Step 4 – Finding the best
1 (beginning) – No new tournament structure was designed or the details were not sufficient to explain the differences or pros and cons..
2 (developing) – A new tournament structure was designed with some information about the pros and cons.
3 (accomplished) – A well-thought-out new tournament structure was designed with adequate information about the pros and cons.
4 (exemplary) – A creative new tournament structure was designed with lots of convincing and detailed information about the pros and cons.