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Teacher's Guide for FOOTSTEPS World Class AthletesMay 2005
Teacher Guide prepared by: Celestine Smith Candida.
Objectives:
- To place in a historical context the role of African Americans in sports
- To describe the obstacles African American athletes faced in accomplishing their goal
Divide the articles in this issue into 11 sports categories: Baseball Basketball Boxing Cycling Fencing Football Golf Horseracing Swimming Tennis Track
Assign students to a group. Have students choose one person to lead the discussions and another to write down the group's responses. Assign the appropriate articles for each group to read. Each student should take their own notes while reading the article(s). After they have finished reading the article(s), have students discuss the following questions: What role did discrimination play in their sport? How did the athletes overcome this discrimination? Were women treated differently than men? What would you have done differently if you were in their place? Has anything changed today?
(Allow 30 to 45 minutes for the group discussion.) Have each group present their findings. Allow five to 10 minutes per presentation. Ask for final comments after the presentations.
Why did African tribesmen run? What "field" events did early African Americans compete in at holiday celebrations? When did the breakthrough finally happen for African Americans in track? Who was the first African American track and field star? Who was John Baxter Taylor? What impact did Jesses Owens' victories at the 1936 Berlin Olympics have on track and field?
"Batting Against the Odds" (16-19) Why was there a need to form all-black baseball teams and leagues? Who was Rube Foster and why was he important? Name some of the teams and players in the Negro Leagues. What signaled the end of the Negro Leagues?
"Master Basketball Coach" & "The Game that Made History" (28-31) Explain: four corners offense shot-clock rule fast break
What were Coach McLendon and his North Carolina College teams known for? Why couldn't Duke University Medical School and the North Carolina College for Negroes play together in public? What happened after the two schools finished the "historic" game?
Activities:
Have students: Create an African American Sports Encyclopedia. Have each group look through the assigned articles and write down all the names that are mentioned. Use this issue as the basis for their research. When the encyclopedia is completed present it to your school library. Use butcher block paper, markers, and copies of the photographs in this issue to make an illustrated timeline. Begin in the 1830s with Francis Smith being considered the best "walker" in the country and end with 2002 when Serena Williams defeated her sister, Venus, at the U.S. Open. Pick an athlete from this issue and create a poster highlighting his or her achievements. Choose an athlete from the 1830s to the early 1900s and write a journal entry about a day in their life. Create posters explaining the sports of fencing, golf, swimming, and tennis.
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