April 11

- May 1

0 2013

E n r i c h m E n t G u i d E

Sponsored By: Media sponsors:

Proud Cornerstone member of:

JAcKiE And mE

Dear Parents and Educators,

Jackie Robinson is more than a legend in baseball; he left his legacy as an activist for civil rights. Jackie Robinson demonstrated courage, teamwork, determination, persistence, integrity, citizenship, justice, commitment and excellence, both on and off the field. Embark on the uplifting journey of JACKIE AND ME that forever changes a young boy’s definition of courage, and unites generations through the history and enthusiasm for America’s pastime.

Enclosed in this enrichment guide is a range of materials and activities intended to help you discover connections within the play through the curricula. It isour hope that you will use the experience of attending the theater and seeing JACKIE AND ME with your students as a teaching tool. As educators and parents, you know best the needs and abilities of your students. Use this guide to best serve your children—pick and choose, or adapt, any of these suggestions for discussions or activities. We encourage you to take advantage or the enclosed student worksheets— please feel free to photocopy the sheets for your students, or the entire guide for the benefit of other teachers.Enjoy the show!

Julia MagnascoEducation Director(414) 267-2971Julia@firststage.org

SEttinG thE StAGEpreparing for the play

Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–4About the Playwrite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Recommended Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Pre-Show Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

For tEAchErSCurriculum connectionsbefore or after the play

CoMMoN CoRE StANDARDS and Wisconsin Model Academic Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

SCIENCEthe Science in Baseball: Finding the Sweet Spot . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

ELAJackie Robinson: Breaking Barriers in Sports, in Life; An Essay Contest . . . . . . . . . . . 12

SoCIAL StUDIESJackie Robinson: Athlete and Activist . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9–10Jackie’s Nine Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11the Negro League: A Collection of Baseball Cards . . . . . . 13Building Community through Baseball: A Survey . . . . . .14–15

MAthBaseball Math: Graphing Statistics . . . . 17

curtAin cAllPost-Show Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Who Said It? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Who Said it? (ANSWERS) . . . . . . . . . 19

First Stage Policies• the use of recording equipment and cameras are not permitted during the performance.• Food, drink, candy and gum are not permitted during the performance.• Electronic devices are not permitted in the theater space.• Should a student become ill, suffer an injury or have another problem, please escort him or her

out of the theater space.• In the unlikely event of a general emergency, the theater lights will go on and the stage manager will come on stage to inform the audience of the problem. Remain in your seats, visually locate the nearest exit and wait for the stage manager to guide your group from the theater.

Seating for people with special needs: If you have special seating needs for any student(s) and did not indicate your need when you ordered your tickets, please call our School Sales Specialist at (414) 267-2962. our knowledge of your needs will enable us to serve you better upon your arrival to the theater.

INSIDE thE GUIDEA Note to teachers and Parents

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the play begins in darkness with the star spangled banner playing softly in the background. Lights come up on a groundskeeper tending to a baseball f ield. then Joey, a 10 year old boy, tells the audience he has a secret power. he tells them that when he holds an old baseball card it becomes a time machine, and he can make wishes to travel to the time of that baseball card.

the scene cuts to Joey and his team in the middle of a Little League baseball game. Joey is up to bat. It's two outs and two men on base. Joey’s coach is rooting him on, while boys from the other team taunt and tease him. he recalls his mother telling him not to lose his temper but he can’t hold it in any longer, when the boys make fun of his Polish heritage. his temper gets the best of him and he gets into a physical f ight with the boys from the other team. Joey’s team loses the game and his coach tells him he cannot play in the Little League until he has solved his anger problem.

Back at Joey’s mother’s house, Joey’s mom and dad are discussing the day’s events. Joey enters and his father asks him what he would like to do when he sees him on the upcoming weekend. Joey offers a sug-gestion and the topic of money being tight for all of them comes up. his father leaves and Joey and his mother continue talking about Joey unable to play baseball unless he can control his temper.

In school the next day, Joey’s teacher announces that for Black history Month they will be doing oral reports on an influential African American, and the best and most prepared for report will win three passes to the Wild thunder theme park. Joey decides to do his report on Jackie Robinson and heads to Flip’s Fan Club, the local card shop looking for the perfect baseball card–a 1947 Jackie Robinson rookie card–but it doesn’t exist. When he cannot afford to buy the card he finds, Flip allows him to borrow one for the report he will be giving.

he returns back home to tell his mother about his plan to time travel back to 1947. She is aware of his special time traveling skills. his father comes to the door and suggests he visit the time of Babe Ruth, but Joey has other plans. his father gives him a suitcase and suggests he fill with baseball cards from the past to bring back to the future to help with the family's financial struggles. Joey packs up his things and sets off for 1947.

nEW YorK 1947 - Joey awakes on the floor of an off ice disori-ented and realizes he is back in 1947. Joey meets Branch Rickey, who confuses him about his appearance. Joey’s appearance to the audience in the theater will remain the same, but to Branch, Joey is an African American kid from 1947. Joey realizes his wish was to see what it was like for Jackie Robinson, and that’s why he was now, to the people around him in 1947, an African American child.

Jackie Robinson enters for a meeting with Branch Rickey. Joey is stunned by his appearance, and is asked to leave by Branch, but Jackie says he can stay. Branch and Jackie discuss what it would be like for Jackie to join the Brooklyn Dodgers as the first African American player, and the challenges that may cause. We learn that Jackie also has an anger problem and has trouble controlling his temper. Jackie seems

to be hesitant, but agrees to join the Dodgers. We also learn that the manager of the team, Leo Durocher, is in support of the decision to have Jackie play despite other players' complaints. the scene ends with Branch and Joey discussing the addition of Jackie to the Dodgers.

Joey leaves, hoping to f ind Ebbets Field, and encounters a number of people on the street who are rude to him. one woman even spits on him, reminding him that he appears African American to them. Rachel Robinson, Jackie’s wife, f inds Joey and reminds him that they must pick and choose their battles. Jackie enters returning to Rachel from his meeting with Branch Rickey, and recognizes Joey, and they invite him to their apartment for the night, as he has nowhere to stay.

At the apartment Joey can’t sleep. he is still a bit confused about his transformation. Jackie is also awake and the two of them discuss their role models. they continue their conversation outside where they play a game of catch together.

the following day, opening Day at Ebbets Field, the crowd was f illed with people there in support of Jackie. Inside the Dodgers' clubhouse, Joey and Jackie meet Ant, the clubhouse boy. he puts Joey to work helping out while he tells him about the players who are in the club-house with them. Ant speaks to Joey in a bit of a demeaning way, which starts to f lare Joey’s temper, but Jackie calms him down. Jackie addresses the other players, but is given a cold shoulder, and he leaves the clubhouse. the other players continue to pass around and sign a piece of paper, but not all players decide to sign it. the game begins as Jackie enters the field and we learn that the paper the players were signing was a request by the players to be “traded or released rather than be forced to take the field with a colored man.”

After the game, the Dodger players want to go out for a celebratory meal, but do not invite Jackie to go with them. Ant enters telling Jackie that there are a lot of people who want to see Jackie, and they are gathered at the back door, so that they don’t make a scene out front. Ant again treats Joey with the disrespect he has been taught to show towards African Americans.

the following day Joey encounters some other kids on the streets, who also treat him disrespectfully, and tell him to leave. We learn that one of these kids is Flip, the future owner of the baseball card shop, when Joey recognizes the game they are playing with the cards and hears the name of the boy. Joey, knowing what happens to Flip in the future, gives him a bit of advice.

Looking for baseball cards to buy, Joey ends up at a corner grocery store. he meets Mrs. herskowitz, who treats him with kindness, regardless of the color of his skin. he asked if she sells cards in the store, but learns that she just gives them away, and Mrs. herskowitz gives Joey the cards she has for him to take as many as he would like. A delivery man brings in cards that are to be given away with purchase, and Joey recognizes them to be very valuable in the future. he asks for more sets of the cards. the delivery man tells Joey to be back at the store the next morning, and he will bring him more.

Setting the Stage Synopsis

4

Setting the Stage SynopsisBack in Jackie and Rachel Robinson's apartment they are opening mail; some good, and some that seems to be threatening to them. When Joey enters, the Robinsons are confused as to why they couldn’t find his mother and tell her about his whereabouts. he tells them the truth about him being from the future and being able to time travel. Rachel suggests they call a doctor and exits. Jackie is intrigued by Joey’s story, and asks him some more questions. Joey shows Jackie a baseball card from the future. they talk about the disappearance of the Negro Leagues, and how anybody could play on any team in the future, and about those players who followed in Jackie’s footsteps. Jackie tells Joey about some of the threatening letters he has hidden from his wife so she will not be worried, including one that is a death threat and uses the word “nigger,” which shocks Joey. they talk about how they will fight this racism that is being show towards him. Should they “Fight with their fists or something more?” Joey tries to comfort Jackie with positive events in the future, including the mention of the first African American president. All the events Joey says will come true but Jackie has a hard time believing it.

the following day the Dodgers are going to Philadelphia for their next game, Joey picks up the baseball cards from the delivery man, and has a plan to watch Jackie play, say goodbye, and then return home to the future with the baseball cards.

In Philadelphia, the man who ran the Phillies told them they were not ready to have a black man on their f ield, and that the players on the team would not take the field if Jackie was playing. Jackie and Rachel Robinson are treated poorly at the hotel, and are not allowed in with the other players. Branch Rickey states to the press that he and his team will never stay at that hotel. In the visitor’s clubhouse of the Phillies stadium Joey gets settled and talks with Dixie Walker, a teammate of Jackie’s. Joey learns that the players on the team are just used to “the way it’s always been” when it comes to integration. their southern upbringing causes internal conflict for them. the baseball game against the Phillies was Jackie’s f irst game on the road, and it was bad. Joey tells the audience about the players from the Phillies taunting him, physically hurt him, and threw intentional pitches trying to hit him with the ball. Even the fans joined in chanting. A turning point happens when Pee Wee Reese, a white team mate of Jackie’s, stands up for him and shows the Phillies and their fans he supports Jackie.

the taunting and physical violence attempts continue for the rest of the game, even after the confrontation between the two teams. We learn about Jackie’s near impossible, but successful base stealing to tie the game and eventually lead to the Dodgers’ victory against the Phillies.

Back in the club house after the game, Joey and Ant have a confronta-tion about the items Ant has taken out of Joey’s satchel (a game boy, a baseball card from the future, his Nike tennis shoes). Ant causes Joey’s temper to f lare up. Ant has burned the baseball card Joey was going to take back to the future and will not give back the card Joey needs to time travel back home. Joey uses information about the future to hold Ant’s attention, and gets the baseball card away from Ant when he reaches for a bat, possibly to attack Joey, but Joey runs away.

Joey tells us about his experience of running away from Ant and the police. In a frenzy of lights, sounds, and sirens Joey reaches for the

baseball card in his pocket and wishes to go home. he wakes up to realize he is still in 1947, but now in New York City.

he realizes that Ant had switched the cards and he was in New York on the day of Game one of the World

Series, and Jackie Robinson is playing in the game. he goes to the Yankee Stadium Visitor’s club-

house to find Jackie, and the baseball card that would send him home. he encoun-

ters Ant, and trades him the game boy for the baseball card. Joey

f inds Rachel in the stands and sits with her for a moment

taking in all of the sites of a World Series game. Rachel points out Babe

Ruth in the stands watching the game and Joey goes down

and asks Babe Ruth to autograph a baseball card for his father, who was a

huge fan of Babe Ruth’s.

Joey uses his baseball card to time travel back home, and was returned to his old self again. his

mother greets him and rushes him along to get ready for school. When his dad comes in, Joey tries to give

the autographed Babe Ruth card to him. Not realizing it is signed he refuses it. Joey insists he take a look at it. his dad

is speechless.

At school Joey gives his report on Jackie Robinson for his class, and wins the passes to Wild Mountain.

Joey’s mom allowed him to rejoin the Little League baseball team. Joey’s team makes it into the playoffs and he on third base, during the final inning of the game. the pitcher from the other team starts to taunt and tease Joey. Bobby begins to pitch and Joey takes off of third base sprinting for home, just like he had seen Jackie Robinson do. “SAFE,” calls the umpire, and the crowd celebrates. the player from the other team approaches Joey with instructions from his coach to say “Good Game” and Joey extends a hand to shake but the other player refuses and walks away. Jackie appears and shakes Joey’s hand. Rachel and Branch appear to Joey one final time, and the lights and music fade out.

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About the Playwright: Steven Dietz

Steven Dietz is one of America's most widely-produced and published contemporary playwrights. Since 1983, his thirty-plus plays have been seen at over one hundred regional theatres in the United States, as well as off-Broadway. International productions have been seen in England, Japan, Germany, France, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Austria, Russia, Italy, Slovenia, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Greece, Singapore, thailand and South Africa. his work has been translated into ten languages.

Mr. Dietz is a two-time winner of the Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays Award, for FICtIoN (produced by Roundabout theatre Company, off-Broadway), and StILL LIFE WIth IRIS; as well as a two-time finalist for the Steinberg New Play Award, for LASt oF thE BoYS (produced by Steppenwolf theatre, Chicago), and BECKY'S NEW CAR. he received the PEN USA West Award in Drama for LoNELY PLANEt; the 2007 Edgar Award® for Drama for his widely-produced ShERLoCK hoLMES: thE FINAL ADVENtURE; and the Yomuiri Shimbun Award (the Japanese "tony") for his adaptation of Shusaku Endo's novel Silence. his acclaimed conspiracy thriller, YANKEE tAVERN, was a National New Play Network featured play. Mr. Dietz was the 2011-12 Ingram New Works Fellow at tennessee Repertory theatre, following previous recipients David Auburn and John Patrick Shanley. he has received new play commissions from the Guthrie theater, Steppenwolf theater, Actor's theatre of Louisville, McCarter theatre (Princeton), ACt theatre (Seattle), Arizona theatre Company, Milwaukee Repertory theater, and the Denver Center theatre Company, among others.

other widely produced plays include ShootING StAR, INVENtING VAN GoGh, GoD'S CoUNtRY, PRIVAtE EYES, thE NINA VARIAtIoNS, tRUSt, RoCKEt MAN, hALCYoN DAYS, tEN NoVEMBER, FooLIN' ARoUND WIth INFINItY and MoRE FUN thAN BoWLING. other award-winning stage adaptations include FoRCE oF NAtURE (from Goethe), oVER thE MooN (from P.G. Wodehouse), thE REMEMBERER (from Joyce Simmons Cheeka), PARAGoN SPRINGS (from Ibsen), DRACULA (from Bram Stoker), Go, DoG. Go! (with Allison Gregory, from P.D. Eastman), and two of Dan Gutman’s baseball card adventures – JACKIE AND ME, and hoNUS AND ME.

Mr. Dietz's work as a director has been seen at many of America's leading regional theatres. he has directed premiere productions of new plays at Actors theatre of Louisville's humana Festival, Seattle Repertory theatre, Denver Center theatre Company, Northlight theatre (Chicago), ACt theatre (Seattle), San Jose Repertory theatre, City theatre Company (Pittsburgh), Westside Arts (off-Broadway), and the Sundance Institute, among many others. he was a resident director for ten years at the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis, where he also served as artistic director of Midwest PlayLabs. In Austin, he regularly directs at ZACh theatre.

Mr. Dietz’s widely-reprinted articles – most of which were first seen in American theatre Magazine – include Doom Eager: Writing What We Need to Know, Developed to Death, An Audience Manifesto, and A Modest Proposal: On Training Directors for the New Century.

Recent work includes A YEAR WIthoUt SUMMER, commissioned and developed by the Guthrie theater (Minneapolis); RANCho MIRAGE, developed at trinity Rep (Providence), City theatre (Pittsburgh) and tennessee Repertory theatre; and MAD BEAt hIP & GoNE (commis-sioned by Ut's College of Fine Arts) — which will premiere in ZACh theatre's new topfer theatre in April 2013.

Taken Directly From: http://www.utexas.edu/finearts/tad/people/dietz-steven

https://www.google.com/search?q=steven+dietz&hl=en&tbo=d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=0OwjUZDsBZLV0gHT44GoBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1455&bih=1024#imgrc=_

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About the Author: Dan GutmanAN INtERVIEW WIth DAN GUtMAN: MY StoRY (AND I'M StICKING WIth It!)

"I was born in New York City on october 19, 1955. When I was about a year old, my family moved to Newark, New Jersey, where I spent my childhood. It was pretty uneventful until June 1, 1968, when I came home from a Little League game and found that my dad had suddenly abandoned my mom, my sister Lucy, and me. It was pretty traumatic, as you can imagine, but we all survived.

"I attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, graduat-ing in 1977 with a degree in psychology. After spending a few unhappy years in graduate school, I decided that psychology was not for me. What I really wanted to do, I decided, was to be a writer.

"I wanted to write humor, like Art Buchwald and Erma Bombeck. So I moved to New York City in 1980 (where all starving writers go) and began cranking out "humorous essays."

"My essays weren't all that funny, though I did publish some in a Staten Island newspaper, The Advance. My first check (for $15) is on the wall over my desk as I write this. I also had some of my photos published in the children's humor magazines Cracked and Crazy.

"I tried writing magazine articles, with little success. I wrote a few screenplays, but never sold them. I thought I had some good book ideas, but publishers weren't interested. I received hundreds of rejec-tion letters. It was very frustrating, but I was very determined and per-sistent. I felt that I had some ability as a writer, but I didn't know where to direct it.

"In 1982 the video game Pac-Man was a huge craze, and I started a video games magazine called Video Games Player. this was the first (and only) job I ever had. the magazine sold pretty well, and two years later it was renamed Computer Games. Most importantly, I met my future wife Nina while working on the magazine. She was working as an illustrator, and we hired her to draw game screens. We got married in 1983.

"Whether I deserved it or not, I became known as a "computer expert." this was astonishing to me, because I knew next to nothing about comput-ers (I still don't). But being the editor of Computer Games enabled me to write articles on the subject. I even wrote a newspaper column that was syndicated in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Miami Herald, and many other papers. I felt like a fraud the whole time.

"When Computer Games went out of business in 1985, I decided to take a gamble and become a full time freelance writer. At first I wrote about computers, but gradually I started tackling other topics. Eventually, my writing creeped into Esquire, Newsweek, Science Digest, Writer's Digest, Success, Psychology Today, New Woman, USA Today, and The Village Voice. I was gaining confidence as a writer, but I still hadn't found the type of writing I really wanted to do.

"In 1987, I decided to try my hand at writing about something I always loved - sports. I sold an ar ticle to Discover Magazine about the science behind the spitball, scuffball, and corked bats. this led to my f irst adult baseball book (It Ain't Cheatin' If You Don't Get Caught). It sold pretty well, and I wrote several more baseball books for adults. None of them were big sellers, but it was a lot more fun than writing about computers.

"In 1992, when my son, Sam, was 2 years old, I decid-ed to try writing for children. I wrote a few base-ball books, then branched out to other sports–ice skating and gym-nastics.

"Up until this point, all my books were non-fiction. I never thought I would be any good at creating a story, but in 1994, I decided to give fiction a try. Surprisingly, I sold the first novel I wrote (They Came From Centerf ield). It was fun to write, kids loved it, and I discovered how incredibly rewarding it is to take a blank page and turn it into a WoRLD.

"Finally, after 15 years, I figured out what my career should be— writing fiction for kids. For the first time, I felt that I was doing something I was good at, something that was fun, creatively rewarding, and appreciated by an audience.

"Kids often tell me that my books make them laugh. this is funny to me, because writing humor was what I wanted to do when I got started back in 1980! It just took me a while to f igure out the best way to do it.

"I am a member of SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) and SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators). I live in haddonfield, New Jersey with my wife Nina and our children Sam and Emma.

Taken directly from: http://www.dangutman.com/pages/about.html

http://media.northjersey.com/images/DanGutman_120811_mt_tif_.jpg

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common corE StAtE StAndArdS—EnGliSh lAnGuAGE ArtS

ccSS.ElA-Literacy.RI.4.3 Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

ccSS.ElA-Literacy.RI.4.5 Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.

ccSS.ElA-Literacy.RI.5.3 Explain the relationships or interac-tions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific infor-mation in the text.

ccSS.ElA-Literacy.W.4.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

•CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1a Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped to support the writer’s purpose.

•CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1b Provide reasons that are sup-ported by facts and details.

•CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1c Link opinion and reasons using words and phrases (e.g., for instance, in order to, in addition).

•CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.1d Provide a concluding state-ment or section related to the opinion presented.

ccSS.ElA-Literacy.W.5.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

•CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.1a Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer’s purpose.

•CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.1b Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details.

•CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.1c Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically).

•CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.1d Provide a concluding state-ment or section related to the opinion presented.

ccSS.ElA-Literacy.SL.4.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

WiSconSin modEl AcAdEmic StAndArdS—SociAl StudiES, hiStorY PErFormAncE StAndArdS

B.4.1 Identify and examine various sources of information that are used for constructing an understanding of the past, such as artifacts, documents, letters, diaries, maps, textbooks, photos, paintings, architecture, oral presentations, graphs, and charts

B.4.3 Examine biographies, stories, narratives, and folk tales to understand the lives of ordinary and extraordinary people, place them in time and context, and explain their relationship to important historical events

B.4.4 Compare and contrast changes in contemporary life with life in the past by looking at social, economic, political, and cultural roles played by individuals and groups

B.4.5 Identify the historical background and meaning of impor-tant political values such as freedom, democracy, and justice

WiSconSin modEl AcAdEmic StAndArdS—SciEncE, PhYSicAl SciEncE PErFormAncE StAndArdS

d.4.1 Understand that objects are made of more than one sub-stance, by observing, describing and measuring the properties of earth materials, including properties of size, weight, shape, color, temperature, and the ability to react with other substances

d.4.7 observe and describe physical events involving objects and develop record-keeping systems to follow these events by mea-suring and describing changes in their properties, including:

• position relative to another object • motion over time• and position due to forces

WiSconSin modEl AcAdEmic StAndArdS—SociAl StudiES PoliticAl SciEncE And citizEnShiP PErFormAncE StAndArdS

c.4.1 Identify and explain the individual's responsibilities to fam-ily, peers, and the community, including the need for civility and respect for diversity

c.4.3 Explain how families, schools, and other groups develop, enforce, and change rules of behavior and explain how various behaviors promote or hinder cooperation

BelowisalistoftheCommonCoreStandardsandWisconsinModelAcademicStandardsaddressedintheactivitiesthroughouttheJACKIEANDMEEnrichmentGuide.

Common Core Standards and Wisconsin Model Academic Standards

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1. In the show JACKIE AND ME, Joey can time travel to any time by holding a baseball card in his hand. he decides to do a book report on Jackie Robinson, his idol, and travels back to 1947 to meet him. If you could time travel, who would you want to meet and why?

2. JACKIE AND ME, is a blend of two literary genres: science fiction (time travel) and historical fiction (based on historical events of 1947 and Jackie Robinson’s life). Can you think of examples of other books that blend two literary genres?

3. Like many sports, baseball creates a community from its fans. What defines community? Discuss the communities that you are a part of: school, neighborhood, sports. how is community created? What are the benefits of being part of a community?

4. Jackie Robinson’s nine values helped him to achieve his goals and overcome adversity. these values include: Courage, Determination, Persistence, teamwork, Integrity, Justice, Commitment, Justice, and Excellence. When have you seen these values demonstrated in school and in your community. how have you demonstrated these values?

5. the play, JACKIE AND ME, will feature scenes from baseball games. how do you think the games will look on the stage? how will the set design team create the look and feel of a baseball game through the set, lights, and sound?

Pre-Show Questions

Babe & Me (Baseball Card Adventures) by Dan Gutman

Honus & Me (Baseball Card Adventures) by Dan Gutman

Best of the Best (Baseball Great) by Mike Lupica

The Batboy by Tim Green

Who Was Jackie Robinson? (Who Was...?) by Gail Herman

Heat by Mike Lupica

I Never Had It Made: An Autobiography of Jackie Robinson by Jackie Robinson and Alfred Duckett

Time For Kids: Jackie Robinson: Strong Inside and Out (Time for Kids Biographies) by Editors of TIME For Kids

Stealing Home: The Story Of Jackie Robinson (Scholastic Biography) by Barry Denenberg

The Story of Jackie Robinson: Bravest Man in Baseball (Dell Yearling Biography) by Margaret Davidson

Recommended Reading

Jackie Robinson: Athlete and Activist SoCIAL StUDIES CLASSRooM INFoRMAtIoN

Jack Roosevelt Robinson (1919-72), the first black man to "off icially" play in the big leagues in the 20th century, possessed enormous physical talent and a f ierce determination to succeed. In the course of a distinguished 10-year career beginning in 1947, Robinson led the Brooklyn Dodgers to six National League titles and one victorious World Series. Beyond his many and stellar baseball feats, Jackie Robinson went on to champion the cause of civil rights when he retired from the game.

the National Archives and Records Administration holds numerous records relating to Jackie Robinson, many of which pertain to his period of civil rights advocacy. Several belonging to that time have been reproduced here for educators teaching courses that involve civil rights events and issues, character education, and effective citizenship skills.

Robinson, proud of being black, challenged racial pretensions throughout his life. As a child he fought with rocks against taunting neighbors; as an adolescent he went to jail for a traff ic altercation involving a white motorist; and as a college star in four sports, he took no guff from race-baiting competitors. As an Army lieutenant, he so resisted effor ts to make him move to the back of a southern bus that he eventually faced court-martial proceedings (where he was found innocent); and as a ball player, he railed against teams and individuals he believed to be racist. this vigilance against racial wrongdoing was a legacy he wanted to pass on to his children–to be willing to stand up for what they believed and to lawfully press for their rights as full-f ledged Americans who happened to be black.

Taken Directly From: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. “Teaching with Documents: Beyond the Playing Field—Jackie Robinson, Civil Rights Advocate.” http://www.archives.gov/education/les-

sons/jackie-robinson/, http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/jackie-robinson/dc-march-1963.html.

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http://www.hdwallpaperspk.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Jackie_Robinson_Biography.jpg

Photograph: Jackie Robinson and son (David) being interviewed at the March on Washington. August 28, 1963. National Archives

and Records Administration. Records of the United States Information Agency Record Group 306.

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Jackie Robinson: Athelete and ActivistSoCIAL StUDIES CLASS INFoRMAtIoN

Jackie Robinsonno. 42 on the Brooklyn dodgers

Born: Jan. 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia, grandson of slavesdied: oct. 24, 1972 of heart attack in his home at Stamford, Connecticutmajor league debut: April 15, 1947 with Brooklyn DodgersPosition: Started for the Brooklyn Dodgers at 1st Base but later returned to 2nd, his pri-

mary spot. he threw right and batted right, and stole like crazy (29 bases alone his first season!).

hitting: Won the National League batting title in 1949 with .342 average; lifetime average .311Sports Awards: Rookie of the Year, 1947; All Star, six times (1949-54); National League MVP 1949;

Inducted into hall of Fame 1962u.S. national Awards: Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded posthumously to him by President

Ronald Regan 1984, see: http://www.medaloffreedom.com/JackieRobinson.htm. Congressional Gold Medal awarded posthumously to him by President George W. Bush 2006

AchiEvEmEntS BEYond BASEBAll• Opened men’s clothing store in Harlem (1952-58)• First African American to hold executive post with major radio or TV station—he was director of Community

Activities for WNBC and WNBt in New York, influencing programming, public relations, and merchandising• Ran radio show for children on WMCA, where he interviewed famous people• Was executive of Chock Full O’Nuts stores, vice president of personnel 1957, worked for improvement of

workers’ lives: extensive training, promotions, better pay for service employees• Wrote a syndicated newspaper column• Wrote a children’s book on baseball and his autobiography• Served as active board member of the NAACP, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People• Served as chairman of the million dollar drive for the NAACP’s civil rights Freedom Fund Drive• Received honorary degrees from University of Maryland, Franklin Pierce College, Sacred Heart University,

Pace University and howard University• Was given the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal and the PUSH (People United to Serve Humanity) Humanitarian

Award. After death, was awarded National Medal of Freedom from President Regan and National Medal of honor from President George W. Bush

• Became one of six national directors of Governor Nelson Rockefeller’s run for president• Picketed and marched in Civil Rights protests; participated in war on drugs events• Organized “Afternoon of Jazz” events with his wife at their home to raise money for bail for imprisoned Civil

Rights workers• helped found and served as chairman of the board of the Freedom National Bank in harlem and to spur eco-

nomic activity among African Americans; created branches in Brooklyn, Bedfored–Stuyvesant, and Flatbush.• Established the Jackie Robinson Construction Company to build housing for families with low to moderate

incomes. After his death, this became the Jackie Robinson Development Corporation.• Worked for peace among all people, and against racism, anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance and disrespect.

Taken directly from: Marybeth Lorbiecki. BEYOND BASEBALL with JACKIE ROBINSON: A Lesson Plan that can be adapted—2nd to 8th graders. http://www.marybethlorbiecki.com/pdf/tg_jrobinson.pdf

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Jackie’s Nine ValuesSoCIAL StUDIES CLASSRooM ACtIVItY

ActivitY1. Begin with a class discussion. Ask students what they think the word barrier means. Guide them to define

barrier as: a problem or obstacle that stops you from moving forward.a. Continue by discussing how barriers can be physical or conceptual. Explain that a physical barrier is

something you see, such as a fence; allow students to come up with additional examples of physical bar-riers. A conceptual barrier is something that you can’t see, such as being afraid of something.

2. Brainstorm as a class different barriers that people face. Ask students to explain why each barrier prevents people from moving forward or accomplishing something. Create a list of suggested barriers on the board.

3. Place students into partners. With their partner, have them choose one of the conceptual barriers listed on the board and discuss how a person may overcome this barrier in their life. Students should record their ideas on paper.

a. After allowing students to explore overcoming barriers with their partner, have a few students share their ideas with the class.

4. Next, had out the short biography of Jackie Robinson, “About My Father,” (http://www.scholastic.com/con-tent/collateral_resources/pdf/m/mlb_09r1_about_father.pdf) and read this out loud as a class.

a. Ask students to identify the barriers Jackie Robinson faced, and ways in which he overcame these barriers.5. List Jackie Robinson’s Nine Values on the board: Courage, Teamwork, Determination, Persistence,

Integrity, Citizenship, Justice, Commitment, Excellence. Explain to students that Jackie Robinson’s Nine Values can be useful in facing barriers today.

6. Divide students into nine small groups, and assign each group one of Jackie Robinson’s Nine Values. 7. Instruct each group to create a poster board illustrating and explaining the importance of the Value they’ve

been assigned and how it can be used to face a barrier.a. on their poster board, students must include their definition of the Value they have been assigned, pic-

tures of historical figures who exemplify their Value, examples of their Value in action, and how young people can exemplify this Value on a daily basis.

8. once the posters are completed, ask for each group to present their Value and their poster with the class, explaining what they chose to include on their poster, and why. Afterwards, hang these Nine Values posters throughout your classroom.

9. to conclude this lesson, hare the quote with students: “A life is not important except for the impact it has on other lives,” by Jackie Robinson. Ask students how Jackie Robinson impacted the lives of others. then, ask students what this quote means to them; how can they impact the lives of others?

Taken from: Scholastic. Breaking Barriers in Sports, in Life. http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3751127, http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3751131

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Jackie Robinson: Breaking Barriers in Sports, in Life; An Essay Contest ELA CLASSRooM ACtIVItY

Scholastic’s Essay contest for students in grades 4-8contest deadline: march 14, 2013

the Breaking Barriers Essay contest is a chance for students in grades 4-8 to share their personal stories and how they use Jackie Robinson’s values to face their own barriers.

StudEnt ESSAY rEquirEmEntS1. Write an essay about a barrier that you have faced.

Explain how you faced this barrier by using one or more of Jackie Robinson’s Nine Values:• Courage• Persistence• Justice• Determination• Integrity• Commitment• Teamwork• Excellence• Citizenship

2. on each entry, include the following information:• student’s name• school name• student’s grade• school city/state• teacher's name

3. Each essay should be at least 200 words long and not exceed 700 words in length. Limit one entry per student. All essays must be factual and based on the student's real-life experience. Fictional stories will be disqualif ied.

official Rules, terms of Use and Privacy Policy, and more information about the essay contest can be found at: http://www.scholastic.com/breakingbarriers/kids/

Taken directly from: Scholastic: http://www.scholastic.com/breakingbarriers/kids/.

http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/jackie-robinson-01.jpg

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the Negro League: A Collection of Baseball Cards SoCIAL StUDIES CLASSRooM ACtIVItY

ActivitY1. Begin by reading together as a class Scholastic’s article, About the Negro Leagues, found at: http://www.scholas-

tic.com/breakingbarriers/pdfs/negro_leagues.pdf.2. After finishing the narrative, hold a classroom discussion to reinforce key facts about the Negro Leagues:

a. Why were the Negro Leagues formed? What was life like for players in the Negro Leagues? how good were the players and who were some of the great ones? What barriers did African-Americans have to overcome to play baseball?

3. Players in the Negro League accomplished great feats, both on and off the field. to learn more about the sig-nificant players in the Negro League, and remember their accomplishments, students will be creating baseball cards for Negro League baseball players.

4. Place students into pairs, and assign each pair a different Negro League baseball player. Notable players include:

a. oscar Charleston, Leroy Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, John henry “Pop” Lloyd, Jackie Robinson, hank Aaron, Jim Armstead, Monte Irvin, Wilber “Bullet” Rogan, Andrew Rube Foster, John W. Bud Fowler, Moses Fleetwood, Frank Grant;

5. Baseball cards can be created on blank index cards, and must include a picture of the baseball player on front side, and the following stats on the backside:

name:Birth date:Position:teams played for:date of career: Batting Average:honors:Why remembered:

6. Students can find information about their Negro League player by searching the following sites:

a. Negro League Baseball: http://www.negroleaguebaseball.com/players/Bell.htmlNegro League Baseball Players Association: http://www.nlbpa.com/the-athletesNegro League Database:http://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/index.php

7. once the cards are complete, bring the pairs together and allow them to “trade” cards, to learn more about the other Negro League baseball players.

Taken from: Scholastic. Jackie Robinson: Breaking Barriers in Sports, in Life. http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3756695.

Negro League Baseball. http://www.negroleaguebaseball.com/players/players_index.html

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vocabulary camaraderie: A good feeling existing between friends.

closed-ended question: A question that results in a fixed, often single word, response such as "yes" or "no."

diversity: the condition of having or being composed of differing elements, especially the inclusion of different types of people in a group or organization.

open-ended question: A question that cannot be answered with a fixed response such as "yes", "no", or "don't know."

respondent: A person who responds to a poll.

Survey: A data collection tool used to gather information about individuals.

ActivitY1. As a class, discuss the theme "community". the word "community" actually has many meanings. According to the Merriam-

Webster Dictionary, community could refer to:a. "the people with common interests living in a particular area"b. "an interacting population of various kinds of individuals in a common location"c. "a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society"

2. Share with students that the place in which you live is a community made up of many different. people. Everyone has a different background, different skills, and different interests. When people of similar backgrounds, skills, or interests get together, they also form communities - even though they may not live in the same place.

3. Discuss that some communities to which students belong are the same. All of the students in your class attend the same school and live in the same geographic area. however, students also belong to many different communities based on their interests. Perhaps your class includes students who belong to the soccer-fan community, or the cheese pizza-lovers community.

4. Continue by asking if there are any students who belong to the baseball fan community.a. Discuss that baseball is a game that brings people together. the ballpark is a meeting ground for people of all backgrounds

and the game unites fans. Explain that you would like to find out more about the baseball fan community. For example:i. how often do they watch baseball?ii. Why is baseball important to them?iii. Do they give anything back to the game?

b. Ask students, "how could I find this information?" As a class, brainstorm a list of ways that more information could be gathered about fans. Some suggested responses may include:

i. Read a fan's blog or visit a fan's website.ii. Do a survey.iii. Interview someone who watches baseball.

5. Explain that one of the best ways to find out this sort of information is to do a survey. Discuss that surveys are used to find out all sorts of information including what tV shows are popular, who people plan to vote for in an election, and what brand of break-fast cereal they like best.

Building Community through Baseball: A Survey SoCIAL StUDIES CLASSRooM ACtIVItY

Taken directly from: National Baseball Hall of Fame. School Programs: Curriculum. Cultural Diversity: Diversity in the Dugout - Level 2. http://baseballhall.org/sites/default/files/all/Education/CulturalDiversity/

diversity_2.1.2012.pdf.

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6. As a class, brainstorm a list of questions that might be useful for a survey of baseball fans. Record student ideas on the board or on a sheet of chart paper. Possible questions include:

a. how long have you been a fan?Do you watch games on tV?Do you attend live games?Do you fill out a score card at a live game?Do you own a baseball jersey or cap?Does anyone in your family play baseball?Do you participate in fantasy baseball?

7. there are two different kinds of questions, each has a different purpose. open-ended questions are meant to invite the other person to offer more information, or tell stories. open-ended questions are commonly used in interviews.

a. Work with the class to develop a list of open-ended questions. Record student ideas. Some examples include:i. how did you become a baseball fan?

Which team is your favorite and why?What do you think of today's game compared to the way the game was when you were a child?Can you describe your favorite experience as a baseball fan?

8. Explain that even though the questions may seem suitable, open questions may not be very useful in a survey, because they take a long time to record and they may be harder to analyze. Discuss that sometimes, offering multiple choice answers to an open-ended question is more useful. For example,

a. What is the best aspect of being a baseball fan?i. the feeling of pride in your teamii. Being in the stadium with other fansiii. Following the team throughout the season

9. Closed-ended questions are questions resulting in a 'yes' or 'no' or other simple answer. Using closed-ended questions can often result in short, quick answers that are useful in a survey.

a. Work with the class to develop a list of closed-ended questions for the survey. Record student ideas. Some examples include:

i. how often do you attend a baseball game?have you ever played baseball?What team(s) do you support?how many years have you been a fan?

10. Review all student ideas for survey questions recorded on the board. then have students vote to select 10-15 questions to use for their survey.

11. have students practice taking the survey prior to interviewing others to familiarize themselves with the questions, and to make sure they understand each question.

12. Discuss who students will survey, how students plan to access their respondents, and any additional options such as conducting the surveys by phone, e-mail, or U.S. mail.

13. Give students one week to survey five people. offer students five points for each completed survey they turn in.

14. When all surveys have been returned, tally the results. As a class, determine the most effective way of showing the survey results in graph form. Graph the survey results accordingly.

15. to conclude this lesson, have students write a journal entry in response to the following questions: Who makes up the wide range of people that are baseball fans? What are some things that fans have in common with one another? What are some of their differences? how does diversity among fans benefit everyone? Discuss the importance of camaraderie among baseball fans.

Building Community through Baseball: A Survey (CoNtINUED)

Taken directly from: National Baseball Hall of Fame. School Programs: Curriculum. Cultural Diversity: Diversity in the Dugout - Level 2. http://baseballhall.org/sites/default/files/all/Education/CulturalDiversity/

diversity_2.1.2012.pdf.

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the Science in Baseball: Finding the Sweet Spot SCIENCE CLASSRooM ACtIVItY

Using a wooden bat and hammer, you can find one of the "sweet spots" on a baseball bat.

mAtEriAlSA batA hammerA friend (optional)

to find one of the "sweet spots" on a baseball bat, hold the bat, hanging down, loosely between your thumb and index finger, just below the knob on the bat's handle. have a friend tap the bat gen-tly with a hammer, starting at the fat end and moving toward the handle. (You can also do it yourself, although it's easier and more fun with a friend.) You should feel a vibration in your fingers when-ever the bat is struck, except when the "node" is hit; then you'll feel nothing. You may also notice a slightly different sound when the node is struck.

What’s Happening?When you hit a ball just right, you've hit it on one of the three "sweet spots" of the bat. one of these sweet spots relates to vibra-tion. Whenever an object is struck, it vibrates in response. these vibrations travel in waves up and down the length of the object. At one point, called "the node," the waves always cancel each other out. If you hit the ball on the bat's node, the vibrations from the impact will cancel out, and you won't feel any stinging or shaking in your hand. Since little of the bat's energy is lost to vibrations when this spot is hit, more can go to the ball. the node sweet spot differs from the "center of percussion" sweet spot. When a ball hits the node, you don't feel any vibration in your hand. When it hits the center of percussion, your hand doesn't feel any force pushing against it.

Go outside and...hit the ball on its sweet spot• With a friend, practice hitting the ball at different positions on a bat.• Can you find the node or sweet spot? What reaction does that have on the ball? Is it easier to hit the ball or

harder? how does the bat vibrate when you hit the ball in different places on the bat?

Experiment with…Designing your own bat• After reading the Web site below, design your own bat and explain your reasoning behind your design.• Would you make it out of wood or aluminum? Why?• How do nodes and vibrations affect your design?• http://www.kettering.edu/~drussell/bats.html

http://www.exploratorium.edu/baseball/sweetspot.html. KQED Education Network: Quest. Out of the Park: The Physics of Baseball. http://laserpablo.com/baseball/112a_physicsofbaseball.pdf.

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Baseball Math: Graphing StatisticsMAth CLASSRooM StUDENt WoRKShEEt

Graphs are useful for displaying data. A bar graph compares different categories of data by showing each cat-egory as a bar whose length is proportional to the number it represents.

Below is a chart that lists the top 10 Active Career hit Leaders at the end of the 2012 season. Use the infor-mation in the chart below to create a bar graph illustrating the top 10 Active Career hit Leaders.

rAnK PlAYEr hitS1. DerekJeter 33042. AlexRodriguez 29013. OmarVizquel 28774. JohnnyDamon 27695. ChipperJones 27266. IchiroSuzuki 26067. VladimirGuerrero 25908. MannyRamirez 25749. BobbyAbreu 243710. ToddHelton 2420

StEPS in thE ProcESS1. Decide on a title for your graph (MLB Active Career hit Leaders).

2. Draw the vertical and horizontal axes.

3. Label the horizontal axes (Player).

4. Write the names of baseball players where the bars will be (Jeter, Rodriguez, and so on).

5. Label the vertical axes (Number of hits).

6. Decide on the scale. You should consider the least and the greatest number shown on the graph. Decide what range of numbers should be shown on this bar graph (Begin at 1,000 and count by 50s).

7. Draw a bar to show the total for each item.

Taken from: TeacherVision: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/lesson-plan/group-work/48535.html#ixzz2Jgbv5LBF. Scholastic. Jackie Robinson: Breaking Barriers in Sports, in Life. http://www.scholastic.com/con-

tent/collateral_resources/pdf/m/mlb_repro4.pdf.

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1. You can’t let it get to you, Joey. You’ve got to turn the other cheek.2. You could have killed him with that bat.3. You cannot write about a ball player again. You always do that… 4. After the war, paper and ink were scarce. So there’s no Jackie Robinson rookie card at all.5. this can be my birthday and my Christmas present, okay?6. Look at that boy, Joey. there in the window. See that reflection? that’s a boy that loves baseball.7. Baseball won’t be America’s game until all Americans can play.8. You want a man who’s afraid to fight back?9. All he knew was that my skin was black. And what I saw in his eyes…was hate.10. You and me—we’ve got to be smart about the fights we pick. Stay brave—but be smart about it.11. I don’t care if you like me or not. I only want your respect.12. I wanna be able to see my shiny white teeth in the toes of those cleats.13. there’s only one kind of people I don’t serve. Yankee fans. You’re not one of them are ya?14. I’d want to find that guy. Find out where he lives and go up there and hit him—hit him so hard!15. Sometimes I think I can block it all out with my back. If I can’t stand between these people and Jack—I

believe I can stop him from hearing all those words.16. Why don’t you pick on someone that can fight back?!17. You’re the trickster here—but now I’ve got it all figured out!18. My baseball days are long, long gone.19. And I believe that society can remain good only as long as we are able to fight for it.20. My Coach says I’m supposed to tell you “good game.”

Who SAID It?

1. What significant change does Joey go through when he travels back to 1947? Why is this important to his jour-ney and the story?

2. What are the similarities between Joey and Jackie? In what ways do they differ? Compare and contrast their actions and personalities.

3. In the beginning of the play, Joey gets into a physical fight when Bobby continually makes fun of him. In situa-tions like these, it takes a lot of courage and self control to make a stronger choice. Instead of getting into a fight, what could Joey have done when he noticed that he was starting to lose his temper with Bobby?

4. Rachel Robinson says, “You and me—we’ve got to be smart about the fights we pick. Stay brave—but be smart about it.” What does she mean when she says this to Joey? Which fights are worth “picking”?

5. What happens during the Phillies game that makes the crowd go silent? Why did that moment have an affect like that? this prompts Jackie to say to Joey, “…we have to put our fight in the game.” What does that mean?

6. Which characters are supportive to Jackie during the season? how do they show their support? how was this a brave choice to make at that time? What would you have done if you were a Brooklyn Dodger playing with Jackie at that time?

7. how did Jackie, Pee Wee Reese, and Joey demonstrate any of Jackie’s nine values for achieving success?

Post-Show Questions

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1. You can’t let it get to you, Joey. You’ve got to turn the other cheek. MoM2. You could have killed him with that bat. CoACh3. You cannot write about a ball player again. You always do that… MS. LEVItt4. After the war, paper and ink were scarce. So there’s no Jackie Robinson rookie card at all. FLIP5. this can be my birthday and my Christmas present, okay? JoEY6. Look at that boy, Joey. there in the window. See that reflection? that’s a boy that loves baseball.

BRANCh RICKEY7. Baseball won’t be America’s game until all Americans can play. BRANCh RICKEY8. You want a man who’s afraid to fight back? JACKIE9. All he knew was that my skin was black. And what I saw in his eyes…was hate. JoEY10. You and me—we’ve got to be smart about the fights we pick.

Stay brave—but be smart about it. RAChEL11. I don’t care if you like me or not. I only want your respect. JACKIE12. I wanna be able to see my shiny white teeth in the toes of those cleats. ANt13. there’s only one kind of people I don’t serve. Yankee fans. You’re not one of them are ya?

MRS. hERSKoWItZ14. I’d want to find that guy. Find out where he lives and go up there and hit him—hit him so hard! JoEY15. Sometimes I think I can block it all out with my back. If I can’t stand between these people and Jack—I believe

I can stop him from hearing all those words. RAChEL16. Why don’t you pick on someone that can fight back?! PEE WEE REESE17. You’re the trickster here—but now I’ve got it all figured out! ANt18. My baseball days are long, long gone. BABE RUth19. And I believe that society can remain good only as long as we are able to fight for it. JACKIE20. My Coach says I’m supposed to tell you “good game.” BoBBY FULLER

Who SAID It? ANSWERS