March Madness: Create a Bracket for Instruction! Use @flippitynet When Creating the Perfect Bracket!


 March Madness: 
Create a Bracket for Instruction!

As March Madness approaches, many students may be excited about filling out brackets for their favorite college basketball teams. However, brackets can be more than just a fun activity during the tournament season. In fact, incorporating the creation of a bracket into your weekly instructional lessons can provide a variety of benefits for students. Here are some ways to do just that:

-Debate and Discussion
One way to use brackets in the classroom is to have students create brackets based on a current event or topic being studied in class. For example, students could create a bracket of the most influential figures in history or the most important scientific discoveries of the past century. Students can then debate and discuss their choices with each other, learning to defend their opinions and consider others' perspectives.

-Critical Thinking
Creating a bracket requires students to use critical thinking skills. They must consider various factors and criteria when selecting their choices and determining which options move on to the next round. This type of analytical thinking can be applied to other areas of their academic and personal lives.

-Writing
Incorporating a bracket into a writing assignment can also be an effective way to engage students. For example, students could create a bracket of their favorite books or movies, and then write a persuasive essay arguing why their choice should win. This not only develops their writing skills but also helps them learn to support their opinions with evidence.

-Math
Brackets can also be used in math class to teach probability and statistics. Students could create a bracket predicting the winners of a sporting event or the likelihood of certain events occurring. This provides an opportunity to learn about odds and probability while also engaging with real-world events.

-Teamwork
Creating a bracket can be a collaborative activity that promotes teamwork and communication skills. Students can work together to create a bracket, discuss and debate their choices, and then present their bracket to the class.


Using Flippity.net for your bracket creator! 

Other educators use these brackets to add some friendly competition to their classroom instruction.  They may also use brackets to rank characters in a story, make choices based on voting, rank student responses or projects, etc...

When I was teaching, I could NEVER find a quality bracket maker that was easy to customize.  Then I found this one on flippity.net!  It's amazingly simple to use, especially with its ease of integration with Google Sheets.


Once you grab the Template, it will automatically prompt you to create a copy.  Once you have created your copy, you can fully edit the template with your own content.  Names, content, pictures, etc.

Here is more information and directions straight from the template instructions


Option 1: Quick & Easy

Edit the terms in the boxes below then click the generate button to use your Tournament Bracket. You can separate terms with commas or line breaks. Bookmark the resulting page (Ctrl + D) to re-use it.

Terms

Title

Generate

Option 2: Google Sheets

Step 1: Modify the Google Spreadsheet Template

  • Make a copy of this template. (You'll need to sign-in with your Google account.)
  • Edit the Competitors.
  • Change the title of your tournament by changing the name of the worksheet (at the bottom).
  • Do not edit any cell with a blue background.

Step 2: Publish Your Spreadsheet

  • Go to FilePublish to the Web…, then click Publish.

Step 3: Get Your Flippity.net Link

  • Click on the Get the Link Here tab of the template (at the bottom).
  • Click on the Flippity.net link to use your tournament bracket.

Step 4: Bookmark and Share

  • Bookmark the page to find it again quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Tournament Bracket work?

  • You may use anywhere from 4 to 64 competitors.
  • Byes will automatically be added to fill up 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64-competitor brackets.
  • Click on a competitor to advance them to the next round. Ctrl + click a competitor to clear.
  • If you entered the strongest competitors at the top of your spreadsheet, press "Seed Bracket" to automatically match high-seeds against low-seeds. This ensures the most competitive matches will occur at the end of the tournament.
  • Press "Randomize Bracket" to randomize the match-ups.
  • Press "Reload" to return the bracket to the original order.

Can I make an NCAA March Madness tournament bracket?

  • Yes, but you cannot use more than 64 teams so you won't be able to show the "First Four." Remember that the NCAA bracket is already seeded, so just enter the teams in order and don't press "Seed Bracket."

Can I make a bracket with pictures?

  • Yes, just paste the URL (address) of a picture you find on the web in the appropriate cell.
    • URLs must end in ".gif", ".png", ".jpg", ".jpeg", or ".webp".
    • You cannot use Google Drive to store your images.
    • You can use Google Drawings. Use the "Publish to the web…" link.
    • Images are automatically resized.
  • Note: You can use text or images, but not both.

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Below, I've complied a list of 5 activities that you can do with a bracket system in your classroom instruction:

March Madness Math

March Madness is a popular basketball tournament that takes place every year in the United States. However, you can use the concept of a bracket to create a math tournament in your classroom. Start by dividing your class into teams and assigning them a math topic to master, such as fractions or geometry. Then, create a bracket with each team pitted against another in a series of math challenges. The winning team advances to the next round until only one team is left standing.

Battle of the Books

If you're an English teacher, consider hosting a "Battle of the Books" bracket-style competition. Have your students read a selection of books and create a bracket with the books pitted against each other in a series of debates. Students can argue why their book is the best, and the book with the most votes moves on to the next round. This is a great way to get your students excited about reading and to promote critical thinking and persuasive speaking skills.

Science Showdown

Science can be a challenging subject to teach, but incorporating brackets can make it more engaging. Divide your class into teams and assign them a science topic to research and master, such as the human body or the solar system. Then, have each team present their findings in a "science showdown" competition. Each team will present their research and answer questions from the other teams. The team with the most accurate and complete information advances to the next round.

History Head-to-Head

History can be a fascinating subject, but it can also be difficult to keep students engaged. Using a bracket-style competition can add an element of excitement to your history lessons. Create a bracket with historical events, such as the American Revolution or World War II, and have your students research and present information about each event. The events will go head-to-head in a debate-style competition, with the winning event advancing to the next round.

Spelling Smackdown

If you're an elementary school teacher, a spelling bee is a classic way to incorporate a bracket into your weekly lessons. However, you can make it even more exciting by turning it into a "Spelling Smackdown." Have your students compete in teams, with each team responsible for mastering a list of words. Each team member will spell a word, and the team with the most correctly spelled words advances to the next round.

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Incorporating the creation of a bracket into your weekly instructional lessons can be a fun and effective way to engage students and promote various academic and social skills. Whether you use it to teach critical thinking, writing, math, or teamwork, a bracket can be a valuable tool for any classroom.


There are many free websites that allow you to create your own digital brackets, other than Flippity.net, here are some of the best ones:

Challonge: This is a free online bracket maker that is easy to use and allows you to create single and double elimination brackets. It also has features such as customizable settings and automatic scorekeeping.

CommonNinja: This website offers a user-friendly interface and allows you to create different types of brackets, including single and double elimination, round-robin, and Swiss style. You can also customize the colors, fonts, and logos.

Printyourbrackets: This website offers a wide variety of printable brackets that can be downloaded for free. It has brackets for different sports and games, as well as blank brackets that can be customized.

Tournamentmgr: This website offers a simple bracket maker that allows you to create single elimination brackets with up to 32 teams. It also has a feature that allows you to share your brackets on social media.

Bracket HQ: This website offers a customizable bracket maker that allows you to add your own images and logos. It also has a feature that allows you to create brackets for any number of participants, which is useful if you have an odd number of teams or players.



About the author of this post:

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Tommy Spall, M.ED. 

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram: @tommyspall

Instructional Technology Specialist (Prek - 4)

Contact Email: tspall@brenhamk-12.net

Site: bisdwired.net

Blog: bit.ly/bisdwired
















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