Data science and the NBA

Title separator

Vocabulary - data collocations

data science lesson plan

LESSON OVERVIEW

With this data science lesson plan, students will learn a lot of advanced vocabulary related to the topic and put it into practice through a series of written and oral activities. They will also discover how data science is used in basketball and reflect on its possible use in other industries.

C1 / Advanced
C2 / Proficiency
90 minStandard LessonUnlimited Plan

WARM-UP & DATA COLLOCATIONS

In small groups, students look at several collocations with the word data divided into three groups. They need to discuss their possible meanings and try to add more collocations to each group. Then, they read the definition of a data scientist and reflect on different aspects of this job, as well as the application of data science in different industries. They move on to a vocabulary task in which they analyse eight sets of words and have to choose the odd one out. Next, they look at the sets again and have to find a set with three words that don’t collocate with data. The following exercise helps students understand the meanings of some of the words included in the sets. They’re given seven definitions and have to decide which expressions with the word data are defined. The last activity in this part of the lesson is a case study which involves analysing data, forming hypotheses and coming up with solutions to a problem experienced by an online food delivery platform.

VIDEO & LANGUAGE PRACTICE

The second part of the lesson starts with a video about the use of data science in basketball. Before watching it, students discuss how the scoring in basketball works and how many points a dunk shot is awarded. They watch the video and answer six specific questions. Afterwards, they engage in a discussion about the use of data science in sports. The listening part is followed by more language practice. First, students read nine sentences taken from the video with highlighted words and phrases and try to guess their meanings (e.g. mediocrity, granular, bang for buck). Next, they analyse ten sentences involving the words from the previous exercise and have to predict who might have said them and in what situation. The aim of the following task is to write a short summary of the video using the words or phrases given. Finally, students have to imagine how data science could be applied to a specific problem in their industry or field of interest. They need to define the problem, think of a goal, suggest a solution and what data will enable them to achieve the goal and later verify the solution’s impact. They share their study with the other classmates.

WORKSHEETS

Comments

Title separator

Leave a Reply

  1. John Hodgson

    Great lesson, it worked well. My students really enjoyed it.

    1. Ewa

      Thanks, that’s really great to hear 🙂

      1. Ann Yantsevich

        Great lesson! Thank you. It’s very hard to find information for advanced IT students. This one is just perfect! Waiting for more))

        1. Ewa

          Happy to hear that. More lessons are coming.

  2. HalanBastos

    You guys rock my socks

    1. Ewa

      Thanks, you’ve made my day 😀

  3. Agnieszka Godlewska

    Super lessons, ideal for advanced IT students. Thanks a lot.

    1. Ewa

      I’m glad you like it 🙂

  4. Christiane1963

    Very good lesson. It worked well, and I’m so glad to have it as e-lesson as well because all of a sudden, I was more or less obliged to do a hybrid lesson, part of the students online, the other part present. So thank you very much.

    1. Ewa

      Thanks! I know how challenging hybrid lessons can be, so it’s great that the elesson was of use.

  5. beapatok1

    Great lesson! It would be fantastic if you could make your lessons suitable for different language levels! 🙂

    1. Stan

      That’s a nice suggestion! A bit hard to implement at this moment, but we’ll definitely consider that.

      1. bea102

        Thanks for your message!

  6. Lydia goold verschoyle

    Great lesson! endless opportunity for speaking especially from advanced IT students, especially in the section on how data science can be used in specific areas… BIG thank you!

    1. Ewa

      Great to hear that! You’re welcome 🙂

  7. Lina

    Really interesting topic. Gonna use it in class. Thank you Ewa!

    1. Ewa

      Thank you! Hope your students like it!

  8. Dawid Kowalski

    This is an excellent class, my students enjoy it a lot!

    1. Ewa

      Awesome, thanks!

Browse other materials recommended for you

Title separator
talk about uncertain situations
C1 / Advanced | C2 / Proficiency
Speaking Class 45 min / 60 min
Loading

Uncertain times in business

Business General

In this lesson, students talk about attitudes towards difficult situations. They revise useful vocabulary and watch a video about VUCA, a framework to interpret challenging circumstances. Students also talk about how some difficult situations were handled in real life.

lesson on ethical dilemmas
C1 / Advanced
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

Ethical dilemmas in science

Global Issues Technology

Engage your students in talking about ethical dilemmas in science! Students practise useful phrases to express opinions, watch a video on gene editing technology and analyse comments on ethical debates.

ESL lesson on performance reviews
B2 / Upper Intermediate | C1 / Advanced
Flipped Lesson 60 min
Loading

Time for a performance review!

Business

With this lesson, students learn functional vocabulary to talk about performance reviews (e.g. overlook, reassess). They discuss hypothetical situations and engage in a role-play. They also share opinions, watch a video, and discuss performance management tools.

cross-cultural communication in business
C1 / Advanced
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

Avoiding culture clashes

Business Global Issues

Students explore cross-cultural communication in business! They share experiences and opinions on the topic, learn about an international business framework called ‘The Culture Map’, discuss cross-cultural communication scenarios, and practise collocations.

first lesson for Business English students
B2 / Upper Intermediate | C1 / Advanced
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

Trades and trends! (first lesson with B2/C1 Business English students)

Business

Get to know your new class in this first Business English lesson! Students discuss their language journeys, watch and discuss a video about corporate trends, learn collocations, and revise grammar.

lesson plan on corporate responsibility
C1 / Advanced | C2 / Proficiency
Speaking Class 45 min / 60 min
Loading

ESG: From compliance to commitment

Business Global Issues

With this lesson, students explore ESG regulation and its implementation! They talk about the necessity and purpose of ESG practices, watch a video about anti-ESG sentiment and discuss some controversial opinions.

talk about technology for reducing crime
B2 / Upper Intermediate | C1 / Advanced
Speaking Class 45 min / 60 min
Loading

Fighting crime with tech

Global Issues Technology

With this lesson, students talk about the use of technology for reducing crime and watch a video about crime detection technology. They also talk about regulations and punishments for tech-related crimes, and discuss law enforcement in movies and real life.

ESL lesson on energy production
B2 / Upper Intermediate | C1 / Advanced
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

I get electricity from…

Global Issues Technology

Step into the world of energy production with this lesson! Students practise useful vocabulary and watch a video on electricity trading. They also talk about local and global power generation, examine statistics and discuss sustainable energy.

ESL lesson about crowdfunding
B2 / Upper Intermediate | C1 / Advanced
Standard Lesson 60 min
Loading

When crowds fund your project

Business

With this lesson, students talk about funding sources, address scepticism and watch a video about common myths of crowdfunding. They also explore vocabulary, analyse successful crowdfunding campaigns and create their own projects.

Show more lessons

Questions

Title separator

Is there a minimum subscription period if I choose a monthly subscription?

No, there's no minimum required number of subscription months. You can cancel any time you want. Basically, you can sign up and then cancel your subscription the next day, which will mean you have access for 1 month and won't be charged again.

What currencies can I pay in for my subscription?

Our default currency is USD (American dollar), but you can also pay in EUR (euro), GBP (British pound sterling) or PLN (Polish zloty). You can change the currency you want to pay in at the Pricing page before selecting a subscription plan.

How can I edit an e-lesson plan?

You can get your own editable copy of an e-lesson plan and make changes to it. To do so, either (1) make a copy of it on your Google Drive (preferable method) or (2) download it in a Powerpoint format (but formatting might be a bit off so we can’t guarantee that it will work well).
Read more FAQ
Title separator

ESL Brains

Forgot password?
or continue with