| I. Introduction
II. Objectives
III. Preparing the Students
IV. Presentation
V. Enrichment and Assessment Activities
VI. Additional Resources
VII. Relevant National Learning Standards
VIII. Planning a Videoconference?
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The electrifying crack of the bat, the pop of the ball,
the roar of the crowd - it's going, going, gone! Experience
the drama of recreating a moment in baseball history
through the simulation of an old-time radio broadcast.
Students of all ages are there for an unforgettable
moment in baseball history by reliving the roles of
announcers, commentators, spectators and sound effect
producers just as broadcasters did in an earlier era
when the National Pastime was, as Phil Hirsch of the
Chicago Tribune said, "the only game you could
see on radio."
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A. Examine the history and popularity of radio as a
mass medium in the early 20th century by experiencing
communication techniques, such as dramatic role playing,
improvisation, interpretation and special effects.
B. Utilize the art and language of communication through
a hands-on, interactive study of various environmental
sounds one might hear in the recreation and delivery
of a baseball broadcast.
C. Appreciate, through teamwork and collective effort,
the social experience of baseball made possible by the
creativity, spontaneity and ingenuity of early pioneers
in radio broadcasting.
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A. Background
With the introduction of radio in the 1920s, fans could
finally hear baseball action without attending a game.
In the early days, however, many radio stations often
did not have the budgets or technology to broadcast
games live from the park. A telegraph operator would
transmit information back to the studio where broadcasters
and engineers would recreate game action from the ticker
tape. Crowd noise, the crack of the bat, the umpire
on the field and other sounds of the game were all manufactured
in the studio as the game was being played live elsewhere.
The number of times these recreations were broadcast
is relatively small, but their early creativity and
ingenuity continue to capture the imagination of modern-day
fans accustomed to live baseball action on radio, television
and the Internet.
B. Vocabulary
Announcer
Audio
Broadcast
Color commentary
Commentator
Communication
Decipher
Improvisation
Ingenuity
Inscription
Mass communication
Mass media
Morse code
Pioneer
Play-by play
Realism
Simulated
Sound effects
Sponsor
Spontaneity
Station identification
Technology
Telegraph
Ticker tape
C. Suggested Pre-Program Activities
1) Acquaint students with the concept of using ready-made
items to produce the different sound effects that represent
baseball game noises, which are necessary to complete
the following lesson. Possibly pair students for this
pre-program activity; emphasize creativity, simplicity
and ingenuity.
2) Provide an example of the baseball
codebook that was used in the days of simulated
radio broadcasts. Depending on the students' ability
or grade level, ask students to decipher a coded message
to create a vocabulary list or a brief play-by-play
account.
3) Discuss H.G. Wells' radio play, The War of the Worlds.
Show how the sound effects of the 1934 radio broadcast
impacted the behavior and emotions of a national listening
audience. Compare and contrast this famous radio dramatization
with simulated baseball broadcasts of the same era.
4) Find a well-known radio play, such as Twelve Angry
Men. As a class, re-enact the drama with the appropriate
reading emotion, articulation and expression.
5) Create a timeline showing the emergence of entertainment
and information media, such as the telegraph, radio,
television and movie theaters. Discuss the influence
of advertising, sponsorships and developing technologies
on the flow of mass communication in various historical
periods.
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If you are participating in a school visit or videoconference
please do not review this section with your students.
It will be taught as part of the presentation.
A. Opening
1) Ask students how they experience a baseball game
today. Possible answers might include television, radio,
newspapers, attending an actual game, the Internet,
etc. Discuss their basic understanding of technology's
evolution and the history of mass communication.
2) Show a photograph of a manual
scoreboard from the 1920s that allowed fans to follow
the action of a game without the benefit of sound or
pictures. Compare and contrast this example to current
technology, such as mlb.com, that provides a modern
version of the old-time play-by-play board. Emphasize
that technology has changed, but interest in experiencing
the moment-by-moment details about a game has not.
3) Using audio examples from an actual baseball broadcast,
discuss how radio was not only auditory, but also used
words to create an interpretive visual medium in the
early 20th century before the advent of television.
INSTRUCTOR NOTE: Use only the audio of a televised baseball
broadcast. Point out how students "saw" the
action in their minds through the description of the
game.
B. Lesson*
1) Discuss sounds students heard in the aforementioned
recording. List the sounds and analyze ways in which
those effects could be recreated in a simulated broadcast.
2) Without showing their source, give actual examples
of sound effects that could be associated with a baseball
game. Ask students, "What game sound did I just
make?" Then reveal to students how the sound was
actually produced.
3) Using a photograph of broadcasters
recreating a baseball game in the 1930s, emphasize
that a game such as the one the students just heard
could have been dramatized in the early days of radio.
Point out the longtime dependence on ticker tape game
reports that were specially coded for broadcast purposes.
4) Using the suggested script
(PDF) for this lesson, discuss the previously assigned
roles, speaking parts and sound effects for each student.
Briefly practice the timing and coordination of those
effects in conjunction with the action of the game.
Provide appropriate feedback. INSTRUCTOR NOTE: Stress
that realistic game sounds are not as dependent on volume
as they are on consistency and pertinence to the action.
In other words, some sounds may fluctuate in their volume
and intensity depending on the moment.
5) Direct students through a performance of the suggested
script (PDF).
Using a cassette player, preferably with one or more
microphones, record the simulated broadcast for playback
afterwards. If possible, position individual microphones
to amplify and/or record those with specific speaking
parts.
*NOTE: Instructor Notes are facilitated by the Hall
of Fame during its videoconference and on-site education
programs.
C. Conclusion
1) Play back the recording of the students' simulated
broadcast.
2) Ask students to evaluate their own execution of the
script according to the realism, enthusiasm and accuracy
of the group performance.
3) Use the students' recording to emphasize the imaginative
baseball experience that resulted from their teamwork,
creativity and collaboration.
4) Compare and contrast the students' production with
the approach of the three broadcasters in the earlier
photograph. Using the ticker tape as an example of a
static game report, show how sound effects and color
commentary transform play-by-play details into an effective
and entertaining form of communication.
If you are participating in a school visit or videoconference
please do not review this section with your students.
It will be taught as part of the presentation.
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A. Have students write, create and produce their own
radio play or baseball broadcast using sound effects.
B. Locate a video of a sporting event. Using no audio,
ask students to provide the play-by-play, color commentary
and sound effects for the broadcast.
C. Encourage students to use their humor and creativity
in adding sound effects and narration to home movies
or excerpts from videos of televised sporting events.
D. Create scripts of other radio broadcasts depicting
famous moments in baseball history. Ask students to
re-enact the production using appropriate characterization
and sound effects.
E. Research and write paragraph-length biographies of
well-known sportscasters, such as those recognized with
the Baseball
Hall of Fame's Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting.
F. Construct a manual scoreboard similar to those used
in the early days of baseball when telegraph operators
relayed game action for display before large crowds
in public places. The project can be as simple as a
shoebox diorama or as detailed as a working scoreboard
with lights, bells and baserunners. Have students present
and explain their project to the class.
G. Record an excerpt of a baseball broadcast. After
listening to the action, ask students to draw or paint
a picture that captures the moment, and to describe
the game using colorful language, active verbs and a
variety of adjectives.
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A. Literature
Garner, Joe. And the Crowd Goes Wild. Sourcebooks Trade,
2002.
Garner, Joe. And the Fans Roared. Sourcebooks Trade,
2000.
Jackson, Shirley. The Lottery and Other Stories. Noonday
Press, 1991.
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Baseball
As America. National Geographic Books, 2002.
Patterson, Ted. The Golden Voices of Baseball. Sports
Publishing, 2002.
Rose, Reginald. Twelve Angry Men. Dramatic Pub. Co.,
1983
Thayer, Ernest (Author), Payne, C.F. (Illustrator).
Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the
Year 1888. Simon & Schuster, 2003.
Wells, H.G. The War of the Worlds. Tor Books, 1998.
B. Web Links
baseballhalloffame.org
Official site of the National Baseball Hall of Fame
and Museum
http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/about
A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor
genericradio.com/waroftheworlds.htm
Transcript of the Mercury Theatre adaptation of War
of the Worlds
http://simplyscripts.com/radio.html
Links to radio scripts from the Golden Age of Radio
C. Multi-Media Gallery
Photographs and video of Mark
McGwire and the ensuing celebration following his
62nd home run in 1998
Photographs and video of Joe
Carter and the ensuing celebration following his
World Series-winning home run in 1993
Photograph of three
broadcasters recreating a baseball game in early
days of radio
Photograph of telegraph machine
Photograph of radio pioneer Harold
Arlin
Excerpts of baseball
codebook from 1930s radio broadcast
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A. U.S. History
1) Explain how principles of scientific management and
technological innovations, including assembly lines,
rapid transit, household appliances and radio, continued
to transform production, work and daily life.
2) Examine the changes in the modern corporation, including
labor policies and the advent of mass advertising and
sales techniques.
3) Analyze how radio, movies, newspapers and popular
magazines created mass culture.
4) Assess how increased leisure time promoted the growth
of professional sports, amusement parks and national
parks.
5) Explore the influence of popular culture and analyze
the role of the mass media in homogenizing American
culture.
6) Examine how American technology ushered in the communications
revolution and assess its global influence.
7) Explain the influence of media on contemporary American
culture.
8) Explain the reasons for the increased popularity
of professional sports and examine the influence of
spectator sports on popular culture.
B. Language Arts
1) Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend,
interpret, evaluate and appreciate texts. They draw
on their prior experience, their interactions with other
readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning
and of other texts, their word identification strategies
and their understanding of textual features.
2) Students adjust their use of spoken, written and
visual language to communicate effectively with a variety
of audiences and for different purposes.
3) Students employ a wide range of strategies as they
write and use different writing process elements appropriately
to communicate with different audiences fir a variety
of purposes.
4) Students apply knowledge of language structure, language
conventions, media techniques, figurative language and
genre to create, critique and discuss print and non-print
texts.
5) Students use a variety of technological and information
resources to gather and synthesize information and to
create and communicate knowledge.
6) Students use spoken, written and visual language
to accomplish their own purposes (e.g. for learning,
enjoyment, persuasion and the exchange of information).
C. Fine Arts (Theatre)
1) Students individually and in groups, create characters,
environments and actions that create tension and suspense.
2) Students refine and record dialogue and action.
3) Students analyze descriptions, dialogue, and actions
to discover, articulate and justify character motivation
and invent character behaviors based on the observation
of interactions, ethical choices and emotional responses
of people.
4) Students demonstrate acting skills (such as sensory
recall, concentration, breath control, diction, body
alignment, control of isolated body parts) to develop
characterizations that suggest artistic choices.
5) Students in an ensemble, interact as the invented
characters.
6) Students explain the functions and interrelated nature
of scenery, properties, lighting, sound, costumes and
makeup in creating an environment appropriate for the
drama.
7) Students analyze improvised and scripted scenes for
technical requirements.
8) Students develop focused ideas for the environment
using visual elements (line, texture, color, space),
visual principles (repetition, balance, emphasis, contrast,
unity) and aural qualities (pitch, rhythm, dynamics,
tempo, expression) from traditional and nontraditional
sources.
9) Students work collaboratively and safely to select
and create elements of scenery, properties, lighting
and sound to signify environments, and costumes and
makeup to suggest character.
10) Students lead small groups in planning visual and
aural elements and in rehearsing improvised and scripted
scenes, demonstrating social, group and consensus skills.
11) Students apply research from print and non-print
sources to script writing, acting, design and directing
choices.
12) Students describe characteristics and compare the
presentation of characters, environments and actions
in theatre, musical theatre, dramatic media, dance and
visual arts.
13) Students describe and analyze the effect of publicity,
study guides, programs and physical environments on
audience response and appreciation of dramatic performances.
14) Students articulate and support the meanings constructed
from their and others' dramatic performances. Students
use articulated criteria to describe, analyze and constructively
evaluate the perceived effectiveness of artistic choices
found in dramatic performances.
15) Students describe and evaluate the perceived effectiveness
of students' contributions to the collaborative process
of developing improvised and scripted scenes.
16) Students describe and compare universal characters
and situations in dramas from and about various cultures
and historical periods, illustrate in improvised and
scripted scenes, and discuss how theatre reflects a
culture.
17) Students explain the knowledge, skills, and discipline
needed to pursue careers and avocational opportunities
in theatre, film, television, and electronic media.
18) Students analyze the emotional and social impact
of dramatic events in their lives, in the community
and in other cultures.
19) Students explain how culture affects the content
and production values of dramatic performances.
20) Students explain how social concepts such as cooperation,
communication, collaboration, consensus, self-esteem,
risk taking, sympathy and empathy apply in theatre and
daily life.
D. Technology
1) Students demonstrate a sound understanding of the
nature and operation of technology systems.
2) Students understand technology to locate, evaluate
and collect information from a variety of sources.
3) Students use technology to understand the ethical,
cultural and societal issues related to technology.
4) Students develop positive attitudes toward technology
uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration,
personal pursuits and productivity.
5) Students use technology tools to enhance learning,
increase productivity and promote creativity.
6) Students use productivity tools to collaborate in
constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications
and produce other creative works.
7) Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish,
and interact with peers, experts and other audiences.
8) Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate
information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.
9) Students use tools to process data and report results.
10) Students based on the appropriateness for specific
tasks.
11) Students use technology resources for solving problems
and making informed decisions. Evaluate and select new
information resources and technological innovations
E. Science
1) Identify appropriate problems for technological design.
Students should develop their abilities by identifying
a specified need, considering its various aspects and
talking to different potential users or beneficiaries.
They should appreciate that for some needs, the cultural
backgrounds and beliefs of different groups can affect
the criteria for a suitable product.
2) Design a solution or product. Students should make
and compare different proposals in the light of the
criteria they have selected. They must consider constraints--such
as cost, time, trade-offs and materials needed--and
communicate ideas with drawings and simple models.
3) Implement a proposed design. Students should organize
materials and other resources, plan their work, make
good use of group collaboration where appropriate, choose
suitable tools and techniques and work with appropriate
measurement methods to ensure adequate accuracy.
4) Evaluate completed technological designs or products.
Students should use criteria relevant to the original
purpose or need, consider a variety of factors that
might affect acceptability and suitability for intended
users or beneficiaries and develop measures of quality
with respect to such criteria and factors; they should
also suggest improvements and, for their own products,
try proposed modifications.
5) Communicate the process of technological design.
Students should review and describe any completed piece
of work and identify the stages of problem identification,
solution design, implementation and evaluation.
A. Videoconference
Checklist (PDF)
B. Materials
1) Directions
1. Please print out the script
(PDF). You will need to print out at least one copy
for each of the roles so students chosen to read those
parts will have a copy of the script to read.
2. Make sure for each copy you print out you highlight
the role each time it occurs in the script so the student
clearly knows which part he/she is reading. You may
want to also put the role name on the top of the script
for easy reference.
3. You may want to assign roles in advance so students
can become familiar with pronunciation of words and
names.
4. To successfully perform the simulated broadcast in
your classroom you will need a cassette player, preferably
with one or more microphones, to record the simulated
broadcast for playback afterwards. If possible, position
individual microphones to amplify and/or record those
with specific speaking parts, particularly Play By Play
and Color roles.
5. Refer to the Necessary Props below for a list of
items you will need to use during the videoconference
to simulate the sounds of a ballgame.
2) Necessary Props
Please find props to simulate the following sounds:
Pop of the ball in the mitt: a mitt and a ball; or a
mitt on one hand and the other hand punching the mitt
Crack of the bat: two wooden surfaces, for example:
block of wood, a mini bat
Cleats knocked together: two shoes or cleats banged
together
Chimes: a toy chime with mallet; or triangle
Crowd: students without speaking parts can become the
crowd
Vendors: students without speaking parts can become
vendors
3)
Script
(PDF)
|
Communication
Arts: 