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Go Yankees |
“He seemed to be doing everything wrong, yet everything came out right.
He stopped everything behind the plate, and he hit everything in front of it.”
Met Ott, Giants Manager on Yogi Berra- quote located by William, class 6-105
Yogi Berra baseball card designed by William
The trading of baseball cards is a favorite pastime for children of all ages. Designing, creating, and publishing your own baseball cards is even more fun. During this activity students will create, publish, and share baseball cards as they create their own classroom “Hall of Fame”. Students will use Microsoft Publisher-postcard, their fact sheet from Activity One, and information and graphics obtained from additional research on the Internet. In the process students will be asked to evaluate and justify the facts and highlights included on their cards. Opportunities for making creative decisions will be unlimited. My fifth grade students were so excited by this activity; they suggested creating cards for different gods and goddesses during our study of mythology.
Calendar of Home Games:
A
Timeline
Depending on student skill a suggested time line is three 50 minutes periods.
One period is needed for each side of the card and one period for enhancing the
graphics and the printing or the cards. Additional time may be needed for
students not familiar with Microsoft Publisher and its various applications.
Completed fact sheets from Activity One, list of appropriate web sites for additional information and graphics, student rubric for the creation and assessment of the baseball care, knowledge of Microsoft Word and Microsoft Publisher.
Facts sheets from Activity One, Internet access for additional information and graphics, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher-postcards, printer, heavy stock paper, laminator (optional) and a scanner (optional). Please note if your students do not have Microsoft Publisher this activity can still be done on Microsoft Word. Care must be taken with the layout and printing. With creativity it is possible, as a matter fact the first time I did this activity I used Microsoft Word. Additional resources can include almanacs, encyclopedias, newspapers, magazines, and New York Yankee Programs.
Getting On Base:
Use the vocabulary chart developed in Activity One. Be sure your students understand the abbreviations for any statistics included on their cards such as RBI and ERA.
http://library.thinkquest.org/11902/cgi-bin/allterms.html
Complete listing of baseball terms
http://library.thinkquest.org/11902/cgi-bin/search.cgi
Baseball and physics dictionary
http://baseball-almanac.com/rule2.shtml
Rules and regulations great listing of baseball terms vocabulary
Hitting for the Cycle:
Procedures
Display and discuss baseball cards. Use actual store brought cards and samples of student cards from MVP:
Brainstorm ideas with your students to create a rubric for the baseball card. One idea is to place personal information on the front and professional statistics on the back. Decide with your students what other information and graphics should be included. One of my students suggested adding pertinent quotes about the players on the front of the card. This idea inspired the Grand Slam Quotes: Student Work
Students begin work on the front of the card. Encourage students to go online to obtain the “perfect” picture, additional graphics and additional interesting facts/ http://nj.com/yankees/galleries/gallery.ssf?/njo/images/981/index.html Photo gallery- New York Yankees
Allow students working in small groups to explore and select creative backgrounds, borders, font, and other design elements. Students can share ideas and also help each other to explore the many applications of Microsoft Publisher. Be sure to request that no two cards look alike.
Students begin work on the back of the card. Professional statistics added here should be ones the students understand and have perhaps calculated. Limit the number of statistics to be included. This prevents students from simply copying a chart of statistics and pasting it to the card.
Students discuss and share their ideas and first drafts. Students can also share the interesting sites and sources of information they have found.
Students revise their drafts, adding missing information or graphics and perhaps including new information outside the required rubric. For example one of my students created a border made up of multiple pictures of her player, another added information about a player's famous father.
Publish the work. Print the cards on heavy stock paper and if possible laminate them.
Students present and share their work.
MVP:
Student Work
Grand Slam Quotes:
The Scoreboard:
5 |
Grand Slam |
Goes Beyond Expectations-all requirements are met and additional information, quotes, pictures and other graphics are included. Work is neat and very well organized. Student demonstrates outstanding team spirit.
|
4 |
Home Run |
Meets all Expectations- all requirements are met. The work is neat and very well organized Student demonstrates excellent team spirit..
|
3 |
Triple |
Meets Most Expectations: One major requirement is missing. Two or three minor requirements are missing. Work is neat and organized. Student demonstrates good team spirit.
|
2 |
Double |
Meets Some Expectations: Two or more major requirements are missing. Three or four minor requirements are missing. Format/organization needs work. Student demonstrates good team spirit.
|
1 |
Single |
Falls Below Expectations: Three or more major requirements are missing. Five or more minor requirements are missing. Work lacks organization. Student does not always demonstrate good team spirit.
|
0 |
Strike Out |
No attempt is made. Student does not demonstrate good team spirit. |
Comments and Suggestions: ______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Additional Assessment Ideas:
List and record all the items the students have decided should be included on the card. Use this list as an assessment rubric and also to record additional information included on the card.
Class observation and anecdotal notes
Create a rubric for student oral presentations
Create a student self-evaluation rubric for the baseball cards and for the demonstration of team spirit
Add an additional playing year to the statistics and ask students to recalculate the mean (average)
Batting Practice and Extra
Identify the player’s quote you have chosen for your baseball card and write a paragraph defending your choice
Students calculate the mean, median, mode, and range of their players statistics, or statistics you provide.
Students predict future performance for their players and recalculate their statistics using these predictions.
Students interpret the statistics listing on their cards.
Students to chart, graph, and interpret the statistics of two or three players.
Students will research and present record breaking statistics.
Students discuss and defend the importance of keeping professional statistics.
Lead the students in a discussion and exploration of how statistics can be misleading or unreliable
Students create posters or power point presentation based on their cards.
The Seventh Inning Stretch:
Many New York Yankees have their own web sites. Check these sites first and provide web addresses for your students. It is best for you to check all sites the students visit
Actively monitor your students as they use the Internet
Have students share information by posting interesting web sites they discover on the chalkboard for all to share. This also serves to develop team spirit
Providing students with a fact sheet helps them to record and organize the information they locate
Allowing students the time to explore the many application of Microsoft Publisher will lead to greater variety and creativity in the final products.
Have students sign their cards: Designed by: student name, class
Remind students that while additional information may enhance their cards too much information can be a distraction.
If possible laminate the cards
Cover paper is inexpensive and can be used for the printing of the cards. Providing different color paper can enhance student work.
All the activities offered in Go Yankees can be done using another team or sport. Being a Yankee fan, please don’t email me to announce you have selected the Boston Red Sox. Just kidding!
Post-Game Locker Room Interview:
During this activity my students became very adept at using Microsoft Word and Microsoft Publisher. The mathematics of finding mean, median, mode, and range became fun and was quickly mastered. Students learn math best when they can connect it to a real life application. Students new to professional baseball enjoyed learning the jargon. Hitting a home run, a grand slam, or talking to the coach became part of our classroom vocabulary. Using such words and expression brought the class closer together and made us all feel special.
The Home Plate Umpire:
Students will:
Read and comprehend informational materials
Use information to support or enhance a projectProduce a display of information
Create an organized structure appropriate to purpose and audience
Exclude extraneous facts and details
Participate in group discussion
Collect, organize, interpret, and evaluates information
Collect, organize, interpret, and evaluates statistics
Communicate mathematically
Connect mathematics to real life situations
Create, read, and interpret charts and graphs
Use and evaluate a range of resources
Cite resources
Employ appropriate forms of technology efficiently and effectively
Develop written and oral presentation skills
Develop listening skills
Analyze and subsequently revise work to improve clarity and effectiveness
Publish a final document
Manage time appropriately to meet deadlines
Appreciate the significance of baseball literally, figuratively, and metaphorically both "on and off" the field
Demonstrate team spirit and sportsmanship