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STANDARDS
CCSS: CCSS: 3.OA.B.6, 3.OA.D.8
TEKS: 3.5B, 3.5D
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Fearless Football Player
Isaiah Bingham is legally blind, but he doesn’t let that stop him from following his dreams
Rodney Choice/AP Images for Scholastic
Isaiah Bingham had been practicing football with the team at his Delaware middle school for weeks. The 12-year-old suited up for the first game of the 2022 season. Like his teammates, Isaiah was excited and nervous. But he faced a challenge that no one else on the team did. Isaiah is legally blind.
Isaiah was born with a condition that prevented his eyes from forming properly. He can only see things right in front of him clearly.
Isaiah Bingham had been practicing football with the team at his Delaware middle school for weeks. The 12-year-old suited up for the first game of the 2022 season. Isaiah’s teammates were excited and nervous. Isaiah was too. But he faced a challenge that no one else on the team did. Isaiah is legally blind.
When Isaiah was born, his eyes didn’t grow correctly. He can see things right in front of him clearly. But everything else is blurry.
When Isaiah was a baby, a doctor told his parents that the only sport he could safely do was swimming. But Isaiah has never let his poor eyesight stop him from achieving his goals—including playing football.
In the summer of 2020, Isaiah tried out for a youth football league. He did so well, he was the second player chosen for his team. Isaiah’s dad told the coaches about his son’s eyesight. Until then, the coaches had no idea.
Isaiah’s parents took him to a doctor when he was a baby. The doctor said that the only sport Isaiah could safely do was swimming. But Isaiah has never let his poor eyesight stop him from achieving his goals. That includes playing football.
During the season, Isaiah dazzled. He loves making tackles and forcing opponents to drop the ball. The coaches made Isaiah one of the team captains.
A coach affectionately nicknamed Isaiah “Vision.” He said he chose the name because Isaiah has a clear vision for what he wants out of life. That nickname has stuck with him ever since. He now plays for the Lions at Red Lion Christian Academy.
“Vision is better than sight,” says Isaiah. “I see things differently than other people, but I can do anything.”
“Vision is better than sight,” says Isaiah. “I see things differently than other people. But I can do anything.”
Why are variables helpful when there is an unknown number in an equation?
What to Do
An equation is a mathematical statement that shows two things are equal using an equal sign. Equations can help you solve word problems. But sometimes a value in an equation is unknown. A variable, often shown as a letter or symbol, can represent the unknown value.
Example
A football player scores 9 points total in a game. He earns these points only by kicking field goals. How many field goals did he score? In football, different plays have different point values. The chart below shows the value of each play.
PLAY POINTS
Touchdown 6 points
Extra-point kick 1 point
Two-point conversion 2 points
Field goal 3 points
Safety 2 points
KNOWN VALUE(S): • Number of total points scored: 9 • Points earned for each field goal: 3 (see chart above)
UNKNOWN VALUE(S): • Number of field goals scored
Turn the information into an equation. Use the variable f to represent the unknown number.
3 points per field goal × f field goals = 9 points total 3 × f = 9 f = 3
So the player scored 3 field goals.
Now You Try It
Isaiah wrote the following questions based on scoring from his games. Use the chart on the left to answer them.
In a game, my team, the Lions, scored a number of touchdowns and 2 extra-point kicks. We scored 14 points total. How many touchdowns did my team score?
Write and solve an equation.
In the first half of a playoff game, the Lions were down 9 points. I caused an opponent to fumble. That gave us the ball and a chance to score. Just before halftime, we scored a touchdown and an extra-point kick! Our opponents’ score hadn’t changed. How many points were we down at halftime?
In a game against the Saints, the Lions scored a total of 16 points by making 2 ouchdowns, 2 extra-point kicks, and 1 other play. What is one possible play it could have been?
In a different game, the Lions scored 1 touchdown and 1 extra-point kick. I scored some safeties as well. In total, the team earned 13 points. How many safeties did I score?
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