Teaching

March Madness-Themed Lessons for Any Classroom

By Marina Whiteleather — April 01, 2025 1 min read
Vector illustration of a basketball going into a hoop. Blue sky and clouds in the background
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Teachers are scoring big with students by bringing the spirit of March Madness into the classroom.

Every year, college basketball teams face off in the NCAA tournament where even fair-weathered viewers turn into die-hard spectators. Fans can join the competition, filling out brackets that predict the outcomes of each game.

This year, more than 34 million brackets were submitted onto online platforms, such as ESPN and the NCAA website, and early games saw an average of 9.4 million viewers, giving teachers an opportunity to capitalize on the excitement.

Educators have long seen this cultural touchstone as a moment to engage students, such as this 2nd grade class that filled out a bracket last year and saw it emerge as one of the best in the country.

This year, Florida, Duke, Houston, and Auburn will compete for the championship prize on April 5 and April 7, so teachers spent March preparing for the big event with their students.

Teachers took to social media to share how they integrated March Madness into their lessons, no matter the subject.

Math

@maleah0426 I created a Math March Madness Bracket! Hope someone finds this useful and uses my lesson plan! Share and tag me if you do! 😊 #teacher #education #educational #lessonplans #lessonplanning #math #mathlesson #mathlessonwithme ♬ original sound - lele

Reading


History


Science


Social-emotional learning

@monicagentaed March Madness for Classrooms! Perfect for SEL activities! Students LOVE these and their engagement is 🔥 #teachersoftiktok #teacherlife #socialemotionallearning #sel #socialemotional #teacher #education #classroomideas ♬ Camera Multiple Clicking/Power Wind - General Sounds

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