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Teacher's Guide for APPLESEEDS Jackie RobinsonFebruary 2000
This guide was prepared by Barbara Burt, co-editor of APPLESEEDS.
Where in Time?
- Create a timeline with the following dates:
- 1845, first official baseball rules adopted
- 1865, the Civil War ends
- 1876, National League formed
- 1920, Negro National League formed
- 1958, Brooklyn Dodgers move to California
- 1962, Jackie Robinson is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
- Ask students to find out and place the year of Jackie Robinson's first appearance with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1947) in the correct spot on the timeline.
- Invite them to explain how this event relates to the others listed.
Questions for Discussion
- Was Jackie Robinson a hero? If so, what makes him a hero?
- What do you think was the hardest challenge Jackie Robinson had to face?
- What would you like to ask Jackie Robinson, if he were here today?
- Are all sports stars heroes? Why or why not?
- Why do you think the Jackie Robinson Foundation helps students become scholars, not athletes?
- How has baseball changed since Jackie Robinson's day?
Geography
Have students locate the major league team closest to their community, using the map on pages 18 and 19.
Vocabulary
segregation * integrated * racist * mentor * scholar * sportswriter * spectators
Math
- Students can work in cooperative groups to solve the problems in "By the Numbers" on pages 28 and 29.
- Invite student groups to create new word problems based on the information in "By the Numbers".
- Encourage students to explain their thinking out loud as they solve the "Jumbled Jerseys" Brainteaser on page 31.
Writing
Read the newspaper article from the Pittsburgh Courier with students, helping them understand the meaning of phrases such as "made the turnstile click" and "a spring training tilt." Discuss the reasons for writing newspaper articles. Then invite students to write their own newspaper articles. Here are some suggested topics:
- Imagined first-person account of Jackie Robinson's first appearance with the Brooklyn Dodgers
- Account of an actual sports contest seen in person or on television
- Imagined interview with Jackie Robinson
- Prediction for the coming season of a particular baseball team or league
- Article about other students' interest (or lack of) in the game of baseball
- Article about collecting baseball cards
Projects
- Students can create a word puzzle using the names of baseball players found in the Jackie Robinson articles. Refer them to the puzzle in "Fun Stuff" on page 20 for ideas.
- Students can produce a "documentary" that gives the details of Jackie Robinson's life. Encourage them to use skits, interviews, sports reports, and other formats in their presentations.
- Students can poll and collect data on their schoolmates' favorite sports and sports heroes.
- Students can research and then create posters commemorating the achievements of Jackie Robinson and other African American heroes.
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