Lesson Plan: A Whole New Ball Game

A step-by-step guide to teaching this article in your classroom

KEY STANDARDS

RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.2, RI.6-8.3

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

• Integrate this article into a women’s history unit.

• Use this article to spark a discussion about gender equality in sports.

Before Reading

1. BUILDING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
(5 MINUTES)

Before reading the article, have students watch the video “When Women Took the Field,” clips from a 1940s newsreel showing the South Bend Blue Sox and Racine Belles of the women’s professional baseball league.

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Read & Analyze

2. INDEPENDENT READING
(20 MINUTES)

Have students read the article on their own, writing down any comments or questions.

3. CLOSE-READING QUESTIONS
(10 MINUTES)

Have students write their answers to each question, or use these prompts to guide a discussion.

  • ANALYZING DETAILS: What prompted the creation of the first women’s professional baseball league?
    (It was created to keep Americans interested in baseball while many major-league ballplayers were fighting in World War II.)

  • CITING TEXTUAL EVIDENCE: What were some of the rules the female ballplayers had to follow?
    (to act “ladylike,” be accompanied by a team chaperone, wear “feminine attire” at all times, and attend charm school)

  • DRAWING CONCLUSIONS: What was a lasting effect of the women’s baseball league?
    (It planted the idea of women as professional ballplayers and led to growing acceptance of female athletes in all sports.)

Extend & Assess

4. TEST COMPREHENSION
Find out how well students understood the article by assigning the skills sheet Know the News—A Whole New Ball Game. Go over the answers as a class.

DIFFERENTIATING

Lower Level Have students look for examples of cause and effect in the article.

Higher Level Have students research and write a report on a famous female athlete or professional women’s team.

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