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Communication Arts: Going, Going, Gone!
I. Introduction - rationale, goals, target
audience
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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II. Objectives - in completing
this lesson, students will:
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.
III. Preparing the Students
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.
IV. Presentation
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.
V. Enrichment and Assessment Activities
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.
VI. Additional Resources
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
VII. Relevant National Learning
Standards
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.
VIII. Planning a Videoconference?
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 miny
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)