The best Super Bowl teaching lessons and activities can be a great way to engage with students already excited about the big game and also teach students who are less familiar with what all the hoopla is about. It can also be an opportunity to delve deeper into other subjects.
The Super Bowl will kick off on Sunday, Feb. 12, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and pit the Kansas City Chiefs/ against the Philadelphia Eagles. The eagerly anticipated halftime show will feature music superstar Rihanna.
Here are the best Super Bowl teaching activities and lessons.
Learn About Historic Super Bowl Ads
The Super Bowl is about so much more than the action on the field and has traditionally been the biggest day in advertising, with many brands using it as a launch point for new advertising campaigns. One of the most famous is this classic ad from Apple inspired by the novel 1984. Have your students watch it and learn about the history of technology as part of the class discussion.
Play Football-Themed Games in Class
This resource from Teaching Expertise is brimming with football-themed activities and games. From building a football shape pinata to flick football and football-centered interactive reading games. These games are not specifically Super Bowl-centric so can be enjoyed even during the off-season as those of us who are Jets fans wonder if this is the year our luck turns. (Spoiler alert: it’s not!)
From football-themed scavenger hunts to sports-related health exercises and exercises for Monday morning based off of Super Bowl ads, the various resources here will allow teachers to pick and choose from an array of Super Bowl-related class activities.
An excellent resource for teachers looking for pre-designed classroom exercises. From a geography lesson in which students locate the home city of each previous Super Bowl winner to having students who are already sports fans research top plays in Super Bowls past, there are many different exercises and resources.
Coverage of the First Super Bowl in The New York Times
History and media teachers can make use of this resource, which leads to the Times’ coverage of the very first Super Bowl. Students can compare this article to modern coverage of the big game. What are some similarities and differences?
A Beginner’s Guide to Football from The NFL
Not all of your students will be football fans or even familiar with the game. This short video produced by the NFL is designed to give those who are new to the game a rundown of the rules. This could be used as a primer before other football-related activities.
