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