American Baseball: Reflection on Society
for 3rd Grade
Libby Facha
Clearwater Valley Elementary, Kooskia, Idaho
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Top | Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Teacher Information | Credits
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American Baseball: Reflection on Society
for 3rd Grade
Libby Facha
Clearwater Valley Elementary, Kooskia, Idaho
Introduction
This activity encompasses a thematic unit on Baseball in America taught during the World Series. Other areas of the unit include activities where students choose a major league team to research and use statistics from Major League Baseball playoffs for math lessons.
The following lessons investigate how Major League Baseball has historically evolved from a segregated sport into a more inclusive American past-time. These lessons specifically focus on past segregation in baseball both by race and gender and how the modern game includes everyone.
Big Question:
How was society's segregation reflected by Major League Baseball and how did it evolve into a game everyone can play?
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Students will be able to:
Research Major League Baseball, The Negro League, The All-American Girls Baseball League
Describe how baseball reflected the social structure of the time
Other Cross Curricular Activities:
Research a current major league team, create a map of major league cities, and describe the area where they play
Utilize baseball statistics from the World Series playoffs with math lessons on graphing, probability, and computations
Play "wiffle-ball" during P.E.
Design their own baseball uniforms, mascots, and promotional advertisements
For this project students will demonstrate computer skills on powerpoint and present their research orally with use of a projector.
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Overivew
Students will use various resources to research Major Leage Baseball and the impact it has on American culture, how minority groups have been affected, and how the current league adapted to include everyone.
During the following lessons each student, along with a partner, will conduct teacher guided research on the internet. They will complete worksheets to coincide with selected websites. This research will then be published onto a powerpoint presentation. To assist students with organization they will each have a manilla folder to keep their research.
The following lessons focus on the historical significance of baseball. Other acitivities of the baseball unit will be conducted during other class times. For example, students will complete graphs following all the major league playoff games on hits, runs, and errors.
Day One
Complete whole class KWL on baseball.
Present Eyewitness: Baseball through whole group instruction.
Proceed to the computer lab where students will begin research on a major league baseball team through the Major League Baseball website.
Students individually will complete a worksheet on their team. This worksheet will be used during other classroom activities and along with the Major League Baseball Playoffs.
During the social studies class period, students will begin a mapping activitiy where they map all of the major league citites.
Day Two
1. Students will participate in a whole-class discussion on the differences of two baseball players. One player from the 1920s and a current player. The teacher will provide two photos of players and students will create a Venn Diagram on the similarities and differences of the physical appearance.
2. Teacher will read the book, When Willard Met Babe Ruth by Donald Hall and discuss sports heros. Ask students to name any famous baseball players.
3. Proceed to the computer lab where teacher will lead a whole class exploration of Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame. Here the teacher will examine areas of the site focusing on uniforms and real time video of famous baseball players.
Day Three
1. Teacher reads a content area book highlighting the racial segregation before the civil rights act. Students are asked what they think sports were like in that era.
2. Introduce the Negro League by reading, Coming Home: a True Story of Josh Gibson, Baseball's Greatest Homerun Hitter, by Nanette Mellage. Begin a breif discussion of why African-Americans were not included in professional baseball during that time period and how they might feel about not being included.
3. Proceed to computer lab where the teacher can teach whole group instruction of the hall of fame's website focusing on Josh Gibson (video included) and the Negro Leagues. Now students will be assigned a partner and conduct research the Negro Leauge and Josh Gibson through the websites Black Baseball and Negro Leagues. Students will complete a worksheet to accompany the websites.
4. In the classroom, discuss whether the students think it was fair to segregate African-Americans from professional baseball and how it was similar to how African-Americans were treated in regular society.The teacher should connect how the African-American players were segregated with not including everyone in a game at recess. Also, the teacher may wish to read Negro Leagues by Lisa Driscoll at this time.
Day Four
1. Teacher introduces and reads Teammates, by Peter Golenbock and Paul Bacon. Discussion is held about the influences of Jackie Robison integrating professional baseball.
2. Students research Jackie Robinson on the official website and complete accompanied worksheet on the subject.
Day Five
1. Teacher will pose the question: Do you think professional sports included women? What sports do women play today? Discuss any famous female sports stars and the girls sports that are played locally. Now read Girl Wonder: A Baseball Story in Nine Innings by Degorah Hopkinson and Terry Widener. This will stimulate discussion on the historic role of women in sports. After discussion of the book show a clip from A League of Their Own.
Day Six
1. Lesson begins with the teacher reading Players in Pigtails by Shana Corey.
2. Proceed to computer lab to conduct research on the role of women during the era of World War II. This research may include an introduction and exploration of the Rosie the Riveter website. After discussion of women's roles during WWII students will research women's baseball and complete worksheet on The All-American Girls Baseball League. Websites utilized include: AAGPBL 
website and an Artifact website. Students will keep the worksheet for later use.
Day Seven
1. Students will begin creating their powerpoint. They will first create a written rough draft before creating a powerpoint. Each group will present their powerpoint after they have finished.
2. The written rough draft will have five topics.
Resources
Major League Baseball/Baseball History
Negro League Baseball/Jackie Robinson
Books-although not every book is mentioned in a lesson plan, I included books that can be introduced during the duration of the unit.
Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888 by Ernest Lawerce Thayer, te al
Coming Home: A True Story of Josh Gibson Baseball's Greatest Home Run Hitter by Nanette Mellage
Dirt on Their Skirts by Doreen Rappaport and Lyndall Callan
Eyewitness: Baseball by James E. Kelley
Girl Wonder: A Baseball Story in Nine Innings by Deborah Hopkinson and Terry Widener
H is for Home Run : A Baseball Alphabet (Sleeping Bear Press Alphabet Books_ by Brad Herzog and Melanie Rose-Popp
My Baseball Book by Gail Gibbons
Negro Leagues by Lisa Driscoll
Players in Pigtails by Shana Corey
Skinnybones by Barbara Park
Teamates (A Voyager/Hbj Book) by Peter Golenbock and Paul Bacon
This is Baseball by Margaret Blackstone
When Willard Met Babe Ruth by Donald Hall
World Series (Eyewitness Books) by James Jr. Buckley
Organization
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Evaluation of students will include assessing the completion and accuracy of research on their topics. The powerpoint presentation will hold the most weight of the assessment of the unit. Students will complete a powerpoint presentation and give a oral report to coincide with their computer project.
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Developing
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Accomplished
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Exemplary
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Score | |
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Completion of Internet Research
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Students do not complete their guided research worksheets or behave inappropriatly in the computer lab. |
Students attempt to complete their worksheet and demonstate appropriate behavior in the computer lab. |
Students fully complete their guided research worksheets and demonstate appropriate behavior in the computer lab.. |
Students will thoughtfully research their subject and fully complete their guided worksheets and demonstate exemplary behavior in the computer lab.. |
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Powerpoint answer of the big question.
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Students completed 3 or fewer slides or never answered why each group was excluded from professional baseball. |
Students completed 4 slides while answering why each group was excluded from professional baseball. |
Students completed all five slides while answering why each group was excluded from professional baseball. |
Students completed at least five slides while answering why each group was excluded from professional baseball. |
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Oral Presentation
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Students spoke clearly and read all of their presentation. |
Students spoke very articulate about their subject and gave more information than what was on their presentation. |
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Individual performance in group setting
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Student did not assist with the completion of the internet research or powerpoint presentation. Student was off task. |
Student occasionally stayed on task and assisted with internet research and powerpoint presentation. |
Student stayed on task and assisted with internet research and powerpoint presentation. |
Student stayed on task and worked especially well with internet research and powerpoint presentation. |
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Overall group performance |
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Group mostly stayed on task with all assignments and completed most research and their powerpoint presentation. |
Group stayed on task with all assignments and completed all given research and their powerpoint presentation. |
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During the course of this baseball unit students will encounter bigotry, racism, and how all Americans overcame their differences to create an inclusive society. By researching the origins of "America's Game" students will gain appreciation and knowledge how we can all come together and play together.
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Grade Level(s): Intended for third grade but may adapt for any use
Subject(s): Social Studies, History, computer science, writing, and reading
Length of project:2-3 weeks
Teaching models used: Cause and Effect model
Extensions to additional grades and subjects: Any
Prior knowledge/critical skills needed (either for students or teachers):
Learning Outcomes/Curriculum Standards:
Students will gain appreciation for the modern sports era where anyone regardless of race or gender can play their favorite sport. They will also demonstrate knowledge of how Major Leage Baseball has adapted and modified their restrictions to enable all skilled players a chance to play.
Students will develop empathy towards others and tolerance to people other than their own race and gender. They will utilize these skills in their daily lives by, perhaps, allowing everyone to play in a game at recess.
Idaho State Standards for third grade
Here's a link to the Idaho State Board of Education website for standards.
Other Information:
The preceeding lessons were written with the assuptions that all students can work semi-independently in the computer lab. If students do not have the necessary background experience with the internet or powerpoint the instructor may modify the lessons.
Variations/Adaptions
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Photos
Internet information
Major League Baseball/Baseball History
Negro League Baseball/Jackie Robinson
Video
A League of Their Own
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Based on a template from The WebQuest Page