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Microsoft Word files:
Sunshining Lesson Plan
(includes Rubric, Student Handout, Resources for Diverse Learners Student Handout,
& Answer Keys)
Adobe PDF file:
Sunshining Lesson Plan
(includes Rubric, Student Handout, Resources for Diverse Learners Student Handout,
& Answer Keys)
Lesson Summary:
This lesson chronicles the history of Negro Leagues baseball by using rare historical footage and interviews with Black baseball greats. Students will also learn to work in groups to use online resources to reinforce information learned from the video "There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace."
Key Features of Powerful Teaching and Learning:
(National Council for the Social Studies. “A Vision of Powerful Teaching and Learning in the Social Studies: Building Social Understanding and Civic Efficacy.”
http://www.socialstudies.org/positions/powerful/)
Meaningful: Emphasizes social issues of the 20th century by emphasizing the experiences of black baseball players.
Value-Based: Promotes critical observation, listening, and information literacy skills.
Challenging: Students will be given the opportunity to learn about the Negro Baseball Leagues through interviews, pictures, and narrative.
Active: Students will work individually and cooperatively in groups to address the key issues addressed on the lesson worksheet.
Purpose/Rationale/Introduction:
This lesson chronicles the history of Negro Leagues baseball by using rare historical footage and interviews with Black baseball greats. Students will also learn to work in groups to use online resources to reinforce information learned from the video There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace.
Objectives:
1. Students will learn personal stories about Negro Leagues players and life in the Negro Leagues.
2. Students will learn about Black organizations and how they were sustained.
3. Students will be given the opportunity to learn about the Negro Baseball Leagues through interviews, pictures, and narrative.
4. Students will work individually and cooperatively in groups to address the key issues addressed on the lesson worksheet.
Materials/Primary Resources:
Video:
There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace: Life in the Negro Baseball Leagues,(58 minutes), Refocus Films, 1984
Handout:
There was Always Sun Shining Someplace Worksheet
Answer Key:
There was Always Sun Shining Someplace Worksheet
Diverse Learners:
There was Always Sun Shining Someplace Worksheet II
Diverse Learners Answer Key:
There was Always Sun Shining Someplace Worksheet II
Procedures and Activities:
Day 1:
Show the film There was Always Sun Shining Someplace:
Life in the Negro Baseball Leagues (58 minutes) to the class.
The film will give students and understanding of the history of the Negro Leagues as well as the major players involved in the leagues. Students will be given a worksheet of questions to answer based on the film’s content. Students can fill out the worksheet while watching the film (see: There was Always Sun Shining Someplace Worksheet).
Day 2:
Students will get into groups of 2-3 and work collaboratively for approximately 20 minutes on answering any questions from the worksheet they missed while viewing the film. Students will be permitted to use the online resources to find the answers to their worksheet questions. The teacher will then use the worksheet questions as a guide to discuss the major points of the film.
Online Resources:
A Look at Life in the Negro Leagues
http://coe.k-state.edu/nlbm/
Black Baseball’s Negro Baseball Leagues
http://www.blackbaseball.com/
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
http://www.nlbm.com/
Assessment
Use the student handout and class discussion to assess students’ learning.
Rubric:
Analyzing Information from There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace
Please see link at top left to download.
Student Handout:
There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace Worksheet
1. Moses Fleetwood Walker was the last player to play baseball with white players during the late 1800’s. What pushed Black Americans out of the game in 1887?
2. Why couldn’t teams in the Negro Leagues sustain a 152 game schedule?
3. Ted Page describes the hardships that players faced on the road. What were some of these hardships?
4. Why was the Latin American experience a crucial event for the Negro Leagues players?
5. Abe and Effa Manley supported their baseball team by racketeering. What is racketeering and why did the Manleys choose this method to financially support their baseball team?
6. The following quote is mentioned in the film: “If he’s good enough for the Navy, he’s good enough for the majors.”
What did this mean?
7. Why was Jackie Robinson considered by many to be the ideal person to break into the Major Leagues?
8. What is the significance of the title The Sun Was Always Shining Someplace?
9. What was this video about?
Student Worksheet Answer Key:
There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace
1. Moses Fleetwood Walker was the last player to play baseball with white players during the late 1800’s. What pushed Black Americans out of the game in 1887?
Growing racial hostility following the failure of reconstruction pushed Black Americans out of the game.
2. Why couldn’t teams in the Negro Leagues sustain a 152 game schedule?
Negro Leagues teams were no longer permitted to play white teams. White teams felt they had nothing to gain from playing Negro Leagues teams.
3. Ted Page describes the hardships that players faced on the road. What were some of these hardships?
• Two or three people sharing one bed
• Players crammed into private homes
• Rooming houses were full of bed bugs, therefore, they slept with the lights on to keep the bugs away
• Cafés wouldn’t sell the players anything but allowed them to drink out of the well behind the building. The café workers then broke the gourd from which the players drank.
• One hotel thought the Homestead Grays where a white team and took their reservation. When the team arrived, the hotel would not let them stay.
4. Why was the Latin American experience a crucial event for the Negro Leagues players?
• Gave players the opportunity to earn good salaries
• They played in an integrated environment
• Were able to play against some of their white Major League counterparts
5. Abe and Effa Manley supported their baseball team by racketeering. What is racketeering and why did the Manleys choose this method to financially support their baseball team?
Racketeering means carrying on a dishonest or illegal scheme in order to make money (Such an enterprise is called a racket). It ranges from transporting liquor across state lines to avoid excise taxes to bribing a jockey in a horse race.
The Manleys used racketeering to finance their baseball team because profits made from baseball were not enough to sustain the team.
6. The following quote is mentioned in the film: “If he’s good enough for the Navy, he’s good enough for the majors”.
What did this mean?
It meant that if a person was good enough to fight in a war for democracy, they shouldn’t have to return home to a country where baseball is segregated.
7. Why was Jackie Robinson considered by many to be the ideal person to break into the Major Leagues?
Some of the reasons given for Robinson:
• He had the right temperament
• He played with whites in college
• He was a fair, intelligent man
• Wasn’t necessarily because he was the most talented person in the Negro Leagues
8. What is the significance of the title The Sun Was Always Shining Someplace?
Player recounted that playing in the Negro Leagues provided him with memories we will never forget. They used to have a lot of fun, there were some sad days too, but there was always sun shining someplace and they looked forward to those days.
Resources for Diverse Learners:
The same assessment as above, except teachers can use the following student worksheet:
Resources for Diverse Learners:
There was Always Sun Shining Someplace Student Worksheet II
1. What year were Black Americans first pushed out of the game of baseball?
2. What were the names of the two Negro Baseball Leagues?
3. What was the East-West Classic?
4. Ted Page describes some of the hardships that players faced on the road. What were some of these hardships?
5. Were people in the North racist towards the baseball players?
If so, how?
6. What was “Cool Papa” Bell best known for?
7. What year was Jackie Robinson selected by Branch Rickey to re-integrate baseball? What team was Robinson signed to?
Year:
Team:
8. Why do you think the title of this movie is The Sun Was Always Shining Someplace?
Resources for Diverse Learners:
Thare Was Always Sun Shining Someplace
Student Worksheet II Answer Key
1. What year were Black Americans first pushed out of the game of baseball?
1887
2. What were the names of the two Negro Baseball Leagues?
Negro National League and Negro American League
3. What was the East-West Classic?
The Negro Leagues All Star game played annually at Comiskey Park.
4. Ted Page describes some of the hardships that players faced on the road. What were these hardships?
• Two or three people sharing one bed
• Players crammed into private homes
• Rooming houses were full of bed bugs, therefore, they slept with the lights on to keep the bugs away
• Café wouldn’t sell the players anything but allowed them to drink out of the well behind the building. The café workers then broke the gourd from which the players drank.
• One hotel thought the Homestead Grays where a white team and took their reservation. When the team arrived, the hotel would not let them stay.
5. Were people in the North racist towards the baseball players?
If so, how?
Yes. People in the north called the players names on the field.
6. What was “Cool Papa” Bell best known for?
Bell was known for being the fastest player at running around the bases.
7. What year was Jackie Robinson selected by Branch Rickey to re-integrate baseball? What team was Robinson signed to?
1945 – Brooklyn Dodgers
8. Why do you think the title of this movie is The Sun Was Always Shining Someplace?
Player recounted that playing in the Negro Leagues provided him with memories we will never forget. They used to have a lot of fun, there were some sad days too, but there was always sun shining someplace and they looked forward to those days.