A guide for using our resources

Students will discover the hardships Jackie Robinson faced on his way to becoming a baseball hero.

Vocabulary: athlete, color barrier, autograph, World Series, equal opportunities

Social Studies Focus: Black History Month

CCSS (and states that have similar standards): RI.1.1 key details; RF.1.3 irregularly spelled words; RI.1.5 text features; RI.1.10 read and discuss first-grade texts

Simple, spectacular ideas to boost your lessons.

Paired Text: The Story of Jackie Robinson by Andrea Thorpe

  • This chapter book follows the life and legacy of Jackie Robinson. With various text features to explore, including bolded vocabulary words, maps, and timelines, there are so many ways to discover interesting facts about this baseball hero.

High-Frequency Word Find: were, him, his

  • Students look back in the issue to find and underline these high-frequency words.

Syllables Game: How many parts in each word?

  • Use words from the article to play a syllable game.
  • Say words aloud and have students listen for the parts in each word. If there are three or more syllables in a word, students can clap it out and yell, “home run!”
  • Words include: Jackie, baseball, autograph, brave, barrier, Brooklyn, hero, major.

Hands-On Activity: My Baseball Card

Skills: self-identity, writing

Materials: My Baseball Card skill sheets, scissors, glue, pencils, markers

  • With this activity, students will think about what makes them special and unique.
  • Have students use the prompts on the card to write down facts about themselves. Then they can draw a picture and decorate.
  • Students can cut out the sheet and fold it in half. They can glue it together to have their very own baseball card!
  • To display the cards, you may wish to make a “Hall of Fame” or “Class Team” wall to show off your students’ work.