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Special Abilities: To the Best of Their Ability

I. Introduction - rationale, goals, target audience
Although less than 1 percent of boys and girls in Little League will ever reach the major leagues, every student has something at which they can excel. Some ballplayers, however, face a particular challenge – physical, personal, medical, social, educational or otherwise – that makes their path to success even more difficult. From “Dummy” Hoy who overcame his deafness in the 19th century, to later heroes “Three-Finger” Brown, Ron Santo, Jim Eisenreich , Jim Abbott and Joe Torre, their inspiring stories illustrate how they beat the odds to develop the beating heart of a champion. Each person on or off the field has their own adversities and hardships. Yet, everyone has unique talents and special abilities that enable them to overcome their obstacles to achieve great things. The expectations and opportunities for those who are differently abled should be the same as for those who do not have special needs. Learning from baseball lore, students can develop awareness, understanding and empathy, enabling those who deserve a chance to adapt and be strengthened by the risks and rewards of competition. Join an inclusive circle of friends where an appreciation for perseverance and acceptance allows all students to achieve to the best of their ability.

II. Objectives - in completing this lesson, students will:
A. Examine profiles and testimonials of historical figures who overcame various challenges, relying on museum and library collections, video and film, biographies and Web sites.

B. Analyze public perspectives, attitudes and changes in terminology that transcend prejudices and stigma to reflect how those with special needs are accepted and included in society.

C. Understand, through dialogue and discussion, how challenges can be viewed as obstacles or opportunities to achievement, including the way choices and reactions often influence the ultimate outcome of a person’s plight in life.

III. Preparing the Students
A. Background
Awareness, sensitivity and empathy are not normally considered important in the game of baseball. In the game of life, however, students who bring their respective challenges to the educational process each long to be understood and appreciated. Learning disorders, medical conditions and issues at home are accompanied by stereotypes and assumptions that may adversely impact a young person throughout his or her formative years. This lesson attempts to engender respect for the unique obstacles and various solutions that can help or hinder students from reaching their full potential. By discussing a range of substantive issues, such as birth defects, diabetes, epilepsy, domestic violence, alcoholism, asthma, Tourette’s syndrome and others, students can gain a greater understanding of adversities both seen and unseen. In baseball, teammates must be aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses. More importantly, they must support each other on the field of play. Using the game as a metaphor and citing actual stories from its history, students will gain a greater awareness of differing abilities that form a mosaic of talents and skills.

B. Vocabulary
Ability
Abuse
Acceptance
Achievement
Alcoholism
Appendage
Asthma
Attitude
Birth defect
Challenge
Communication
Conflict
Deaf and dumb
Decision making
Depression
Diabetes
Disability
Diversity
Dyslexia
Empathy
Epilepsy
Expectations
Handicap
Hindrance
Inclusion
Learning disabled
Opportunity
Overcome
Paralysis
Perseverance
Prejudice
Prosthesis
Tolerance
Tourette’s syndrome

C. Suggested Pre-Program Activities
1. Simulate various disabilities to exhibit how a person must compensate and adapt. Ask students to brainstorm a range of possible activities. These might include: covering one eye to affect depth perception then tossing a ball back and forth; taping the thumb to the hand then trying to button a jacket or complete a writing assignment; navigating a wheelchair; giving verbal directions to a student who is blindfolded; plugging the ears with cotton balls or wearing earmuffs to impair hearing; writing with the opposite hand; wearing sunglasses with at least one lens that has been taped or distorted; working with one arm tied behind the back;

2. Play the game of charades to illustrate how a deaf person would need to rely on non-verbal hand signals and demonstrative actions to communicate more effectively.

3. Discuss with students what disabilities are represented in their school, community or among friends and members of their families. Ask students to express the impact these issues have on their lives, their homes and their school.

4. Talk with students about the differences between empathy, sympathy and apathy. Ask them to give examples of when they have felt or demonstrated each of these sentiments.

5. Invite a member of the community who has an obvious disability to visit with the students. Facilitate a discussion between the guest and students that allows them to discover new facts and increase understanding of the personal challenges that accompany a physical hardship.

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) Gather photographs of the following figures from baseball history, waiting to disclose the hardships they faced in their careers:

a) Jim Abbott (birth defect - missing hand)
b) Jeremy Bonderman (dyslexia)
c) Mordecai Brown (severed fingers)
d) Roy Campanella (paralysis)
e) Dennis Eckersley (alcoholism)
f) Jim Eisenreich (Tourette's syndrome)
g) Bob Gibson (asthma)
h) Pete Gray (missing limb)
i) William Hoy (hearing impaired)
j) Curtis Pride
k) Jackie Robinson (diabetes)
l) Ron Santo (diabetes)
m) Burt Shepard (prosthesis)
n) Joe Torre (domestic violence)

2) In the above selection of photographs, intersperse photos of well-known figures who live or lived with some sort of infirmity. These might include Christopher Reeve (paralysis), Franklin D. Roosevelt (polio), Lance Armstrong (cancer), Michael J. Fox (Parkinson's disease), Stevie Wonder (blindness) and Jackie Joyner Kersey (asthma).

3) Include in this and above photos additional pictures of "everyday" students, some of whom may have a concealed condition - such as diabetes, cancer or a learning disability. These could be photos of youth who serve as spokespersons for charitable organizations, such as the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Juvenile Diabetes, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, etc.

4) Ask students to compare and contrast the photos of baseball players with those of celebrities, prominent figures and typical children. Based upon the students' familiarity with those pictured, discuss what they know about them and what the individuals have in common.

5) Highlighting the various challenges they share, show how these individuals each battled certain hardships, yet they did not allow their lives to be defined by their respective disabilities - nor is every condition necessarily visible to the casual observer.

6) Distribute word cards of the various terms that will be discussed during the lesson. Ask students what they know about each of the terms: (ability, abuse, alcoholism, asthma, birth defect, deaf & dumb, depression, diabetes, disability, domestic violence, dyslexia, epilepsy, handicap, paralysis, prosthesis, Tourette's syndrome.) Indicate that we will be using these cards throughout the lesson.

7) Distribute photographs of the various individuals who we will be discussing throughout the lesson. (Jim Abbott, Jeremy Bonderman, Mordecai Brown, Roy Campanella, Dennis Eckersley, Jim Eisenreich, Bob Gibson, Pete Gray, William Hoy, Jason Johnson, Curtis, Pride, Jackie Robinson, Ron Santo, Burt Shepard, Joe Torre.) Ask students if they can match a disability or handicapping condition with any of the people pictured. If so, put these linkages on the board.

8) As the lesson unfolds, match the disabilities with the individual on the board.

B. Lesson
1) Discuss the adversities faced by Hall of Fame pitcher Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown. Talk about his background as a child of land laborers growing up in the late 1800s, when three fingers on his throwing hand were permanently impaired in two separate farming accidents.

2) Reveal that Brown went on to have an accomplished major league baseball career in the early 20th century. Ask students to speculate what position Brown played, explaining he was a pitcher - the central-most position in every inning of every game. Share how his impairment allowed him to throw a devastating curve ball - later earning him a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

3) Display a photograph of Brown's pitching hand. Pass a baseball, tennis ball or another type of soft, round ball among the students and ask them to grip it using the same fingers Brown was able to utilize on his right hand. Allow them to lightly toss the ball back and forth. Discuss the difficulty of this task, compared with the accuracy and velocity Brown had to command as a major league pitcher.

4) Emphasize Brown's achievements as a pitcher in spite of his seemingly disabled right hand. Initiate a discussion about how people can still excel in many aspects of life by overcoming their obstacles and compensate for physical challenges.

5) Like Mordecai Brown, another example of a modern-day player with a physical deformity is Jim Abbott, a standout pitcher for the Angels and Yankees who threw a no-hitter in 1992 and pitched in the Olympics prior to his major league career. Abbott, a lefthander, was born without a right hand. Select two student volunteers to demonstrate the type of glove exchange maneuver that Jim Abbott would have to complete to catch and then throw the baseball. Compare Jim Abbott with Pete Gray and Burt Shepard.

6) Explain that, while Abbott, Brown, Gray and Shepard were missing appendages, Torre was missing a relationship with his abusive father. Torre dealt with his own adversities, which were not as physically apparent as Abbott's but just as challenging. Discuss how Torre defied the cycle of domestic violence to become an All-Star major league player and manager of the World Champion New York Yankees. Today, Torre leads the Joe Torre "Safe At Home" Foundation to support and protect those who live with domestic abuse.

7) Discuss how, when Torre arrived in the big leagues in the late 1960s, he played against Ron Santo of the Chicago Cubs - another All-Star third baseman. Explain that, just as Torre lived with the secret of domestic violence, Santo kept his diabetes a secret, fearing his teammates would stigmatize the condition as a weakness.

8) Carefully select a student to simulate a diabetic seizure by asking him/her to place his/her forehead on the knob of a baseball bat or yardstick - with the opposite end placed on the floor - and spinning around it four to five times. The dizziness, disorientation, light nausea and sweats that result from this activity are similar to what Santo and other diabetics may experience with low blood sugar. Santo often experienced this sensation unexpectedly while playing a game - which could have been resolved by quickly eating a candy bar or drinking orange juice - but he chose to ignore the symptoms for fear of being labeled a handicapped player. Because he let the disease progress mostly untreated for so many years, both of his legs were later amputated due to severe diabetes (Santo is now a popular broadcaster for the Cubs and wears a double prosthesis). Current technology now allows Detroit Tigers pitcher Jason Johnson to wear an insulin pump during the game to maintain his blood sugar at a normal level.

9) Another great player who battled diabetes was Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson. After retiring from baseball in the late 1950s, Robinson died in 1972 due to complications stemming from his diabetic condition. Robinson is most famous for enduring extreme prejudice and breaking baseball's color-barrier in 1947 when he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers. While Robinson had to turn a deaf ear to the insults, criticisms, catcalls and racial tirades, William "Dummy" Hoy was a successful deaf player in the late 1800's who was physically unable to hear the jeers and taunts of the crowd.

10) Discuss why Hoy was nicknamed "Dummy." Ask students to comment on whether such a nickname would be acceptable in baseball or society today. Talk about the impact a nickname can have on a person's confidence and self-esteem.

11) Have students hypothesize how Hoy had to adapt for his physical limitations when playing baseball. Explain that the current practice of giving hand signals to hitters and pitchers began with Hoy who could only communicate through sign language. Hoy adapted the "out" and "safe" signals from American Sign Language. Demonstrate some of the "hand signals" that are used. Discuss the similarities and differences that Curtis Pride might have experienced as he dealt with deafness in baseball in the 1990's.

12) Another player who has had to compensate for his deficiencies is current Detroit Tigers pitcher Jeremy Bonderman, who has dyslexia. Ask students to discuss what dyslexia is, or to indicate if they or someone they know has dyslexia. Recount the story of how Bonderman was traded from the Oakland A's to the Tigers. Oakland's owner allegedly said he made the trade because he was hesitant to give big money to a "kid who couldn't read or write." Ask students to suggest whether this remark was fair or insensitive, and why.

13) To foster empathy and understanding, simulate for students what a dyslexic person might see when trying to read. Select two or three students to read the dyslexic reading simulation. Discuss their reaction to this exercise.

14) While Bonderman's difficulty is educational or learning related, another major leaguer faced a neurological disorder known as Tourette's syndrome. Jim Eisenreich distinguished himself as an All-Star outfielder for five teams in the 1980s and '90s, including two trips to the World Series.

15) Despite Eisenreich's talent, his performance was impacted by the effects of Tourette's syndrome. His physical symptoms (frequent bodily jerks and facial tics) were sometimes derided by insensitive fans. After a brief start to his career, Eisenreich left baseball to cope with Tourette's syndrome and regain his self- belief.

16) Following a hiatus from baseball lasting nearly three seasons, Eisenreich resurrected his career and abilities after his first team essentially gave up on him. Returning to the major leagues, Eisenreich re-established himself as a valuable player who contributed to several competitive teams over more than a decade; including the 1997 World Champion Florida Marlins. He now leads a productive life, directing the Jim Eisenreich Foundation to raise awareness of Tourette's syndrome.

C. Conclusion
1) Eisenreich was a contemporary of another eventual Hall of Famer, Dennis Eckersley. As a pitcher and a dominant competitor who achieved great success in the 1970s and 1980s, Eckersley saw his career teeter on the brink of self- destruction when he nearly succumbed to a debilitating condition that affected his judgment and abilities.

2) Show an excerpt of Eckersley's 2004 speech when he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Discuss the circumstances he acknowledged in his remarks, paying particular attention to the role of supportive friends and family he thanked for assisting in his recovery.

3) Explore the meaning of Eckersley's story: how each person may encounter challenges in life but also can arrive at a level of achievement and individual potential, although often with a high degree of hard work and personal sacrifice. While most people will never reach the Hall of Fame as Eckersley and few others have done, each can attain a measure of accomplishment that reflects overcoming obstacles and persevering to realize the best of their ability.

V. Enrichment and Assessment Activities
A. Assign students individual interviews with a person of choice who must live with a disability. Discuss with the person how he/she adapts to and deals with stereotypes that accompany his/her condition. Present the findings of the interview to the class.

B. List situations or scenarios and ask students to choose a disability for which they must invent an adaptive strategy or device. An example might be a child in a wheelchair who wants to play baseball or hockey. What would enable this student to participate? The variation might be as simple as a rule change or as complex as a piece of modified equipment. Ask students to demonstrate their invention or enlist all students in a cooperative exhibition of the game using the altered rules and equipment.

C. Arrange community service opportunities for students where they can interact with individuals or agencies that assist those with various disabilities. Have students present their experiences while volunteering with their selected organization.

D. Require students to research other baseball players, athletes or historical figures who overcame a disability of some sort. From baseball, these might include Pete Gray, Red Ruffing, Tony Lazzeri, Monty Stratton, Roy Campanella, Lou Brissie, Burt Shepard, Red Schoendienst and Jim "Catfish" Hunter. Students should produce a biographical essay or PowerPoint presentation on their selected player.

E. Isabel "Lefty" Alvarez came to the United States from Cuba to play in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1943 to 1954. As a 14-year-old traveling away from home for the first time, discuss how the gender, language and cultural barriers she faced might be considered a type of disability.

F. Invite a person from the community whose disability is inconspicuous or less obvious. Discuss and contrast this person's situation to the circumstances of the person who was invited to the classroom interview as part of the pre-lesson activities. Afterwards, ask students to compare the measure of empathy they felt for the two individuals both before and after the lesson.

G. Ask students to engage in a creative writing activity where they envision themselves with a particular disability. In the writing, they should address how they react to stereotypes, treatments and learning modifications - depicting themselves from an empathetic and personal point of view.

H. Research and report on current laws that pertain to those with disabilities, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Public Law 94-142.

I. View the movie "Winners Never Quit" about one-armed Major League Baseball player Pete Gray. Discuss with students what stereotypes and challenges are represented in the depiction. Are these characterizations inaccurate or insightful when compared to the real-life challenges faced by those with similar disabilities?

J. Research depression as an affliction that affects millions of people and report on its potential effect on both baseball players and non-players alike.

VI. Additional Resources
A. Literature
Aaseng, Nathan. Winners never quit : athletes who beat the odds. Learner Publications, Minneapolis, 1980

Bernotas, Bob. Nothing to prove: the Jim Abbott story. Kodansha International, New York, 1995.

Emerson White, Ellen. Jim Abbott against all odds. Scholastic Press, New York, 1992.

Gavron, Susan J. Disability and sport. Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL, 1995.

Gutman, Bill. Jim Abbott: Star Pitcher. Millbrook Press, Brookfield, CT. 1992.

Kramer, Jon. Jim Abbott. Raintree Steck-Vaughn, Austin, 1996.

Reiser, Howard. Jim Abbott: All-American pitcher. Childrens Press, Chicago, 1993.

Rolfe, John. Jim Abbott. Warner Juvenile Books, New York, 1991.

Ross, John. Felling Sports. Minerva Press, London/Atlanta, 1998.

Savage, Jeff. Sports Great Jim Abbott. Enslow Publishers, Springfield, NJ, 1993.

Shapiro, Joseph P. No pity: People with disabilities forging a new civil rights movement. Random House, New York, 1993.

Sports, everyone! Recreation and sports for the physically challenged of all ages. Conway Green Pub. Co., Cleveland, 1995.

Stewart, David A. Deaf sport: The impact of sports within the deaf community. Gallaudet University Press, Washington, D.C., 1991.

Swaine, Rick. Beating the breaks: Major league ballplayers who overcame disabilities. McFarland Press, Jefferson, NC, 2004.

Uhlberg, Myron. Dad, Jackie and Me. Peachtree Press, Atlanta, GA, 2004.

B. Web Links
baseballhalloffame.org
Official site of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

mlb.com
Official site of Major League Baseball

tourettes.org
Official site of The Jim Eisenreich Foundation

joetorre.org
Official site of the Joe Torre "Safe At Home" Foundation

ldonline.org
Information on learning disabilities for parents, teachers, and other professionals

ncld.org
The National Center for Learning Disabilities

ldanatl.org
Learning Disabilities Association of America

nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/disabilities.html
Directory on disabilities by the National Library of Medicine and National Institute of Health

lungusa.org
National Lung Association

diabetes.org
American Diabetes Association

niaaa.nih.gov
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

aesnet.org
American Epilepsy Society

ninds.nih.gov/disorders/epilepsy/epilepsy.htm
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

ncadv.org
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

usdeafsports.org/sports.html
USA Deaf Sports Federation

aaasp.org
American Association of Adapted Sports Programs

americasathletes.org
America's Athletes with Disabilities

dsusa.org
Disabled Sports USA

C. Multi-Media Gallery
1) Recommended Movies for In-Class Viewing
a) The Loretta Claiborne Story, an ABC television movie about a mentally handicapped athlete.

b) Fear Strikes Out, a powerful true story about Jimmy Piersall's career and his fight with mental illness.

c) Winners Never Quit (1986, 105 minutes) The Pete Gray Story

d) The Stratton Story (1949, 106 minutes)

e) It's Good to Be Alive (1974, 100 minutes) The story of Roy Campanella

2) Photographs available at baseballhalloffame.org
a) Jim Abbott (birth defect - missing hand)
b) Jeremy Bonderman (dyslexia)
c) Mordecai Brown (severed fingers)
d) Roy Campanella (paralysis)
e) Dennis Eckersley (alcoholism)
f) Jim Eisenreich (Tourette's syndrome)
g) Bob Gibson (asthma)
h) Pete Gray ( missing limb)
i) William Hoy (hearing impaired)
j) Curtis Pride (hearing impaired)
k) Jackie Robinson (diabetes)
l) Ron Santo (diabetes)
m) Burt Shepard (prosthesis)
n) Joe Torre (domestic violence)

VII. Relevant National Learning Standards
A. Behavioral Studies
1) Understands that people can learn about others in many different ways (e.g., direct experience, mass communications media, conversations with others about their work and lives)

2) Understands that people might feel uncomfortable around other people who dress, talk, or act very differently from themselves

3) Understands that various factors (e.g., interests, capabilities, values) contribute to the shaping of a person's identity

4) Understands that the way a person views an incident reflects personal beliefs, experiences, and attitudes

5) Understands that various factors (e.g., wants and needs, talents, interests, influence of family and peers and media) affect decisions that individuals make

6) Understands that people often like or dislike other people because of membership in or exclusion from a particular social group

7) Understands that members of a group and even people in a crowd sometimes do and say things, good or bad, that they would not do or say on their own

8) Understands that different groups, societies, and cultures may have different ways of meeting similar wants and needs

9) Understands that there are similarities and differences within groups as well as among groups.

10) Understands that people sometimes react to all members of a group as though they were the same and perceive in their behavior only those qualities that fit preconceptions of the group (i.e., stereotyping) which leads to uncritical judgments (e.g., showing blind respect for members of some groups and equally blind disrespect for members of other groups)

11) Understands that there are similarities and differences within groups as well as among groups

12) Understands that a variety of factors (e.g., belief systems, learned behavior patterns) contribute to the ways in which groups respond differently to their physical and social environments and to the wants and needs of their members

13) Knows that human beings have different interests, motivations, skills, and talents

14) Understands that human beings can use the memory of their past experiences to make judgments about new situations

15) Understands that many skills can be practiced until they become automatic, and that if the right skills are practiced, performance may improve

16) Understands that as roles vary depending on expectations and changing conditions (e.g., worker, parent, volunteer, student), behavior, attitudes, and goals change

17) Understands that the level of skill a person can reach in any particular activity depends on a variety of factors (e.g., innate abilities, amount of practice, the use of appropriate learning technologies)

18) Understands that expectations, moods, and prior experiences of human beings can affect how they interpret new perceptions or ideas

19) Understands that people sometimes react to all members of a group as though they were the same and perceive in their behavior only those qualities that fit preconceptions of the group (i.e., stereotyping) which leads to uncritical judgments (e.g., showing blind respect for members of some groups and equally blind disrespect for members of other groups

20) Understands that beliefs and customs held by certain groups can help or hinder people as they strive to use their talents and that sometimes individuals can change those beliefs and customs in ways that will help people to succeed more easily in the future

B. Health
1) Knows how the family influences personal health (e.g., physical, psychological, social)

2) Knows how health-related problems impact the whole family

3) Knows strategies for coping with and overcoming feelings of rejection, social isolation, and other forms of stress

4) Knows techniques for seeking help and support through appropriate resources

5) Knows appropriate ways to build and maintain positive relationships with peers, parents, and other adults (e.g., interpersonal communication)

6) Knows characteristics and conditions associated with positive self-esteem

7) Knows behaviors that communicate care, consideration, and respect of self and others (including those with disabilities or handicapping conditions)

8) Understands how one responds to the behavior of others and how one's behavior may evoke responses in others

9) Understands the impact of personal health behaviors on the functioning of body systems

10) Knows how personal behaviors relate to health and well-being and how these behaviors can be modified if necessary to promote achievement of health goals throughout life (e.g., following a personal nutrition plan to reduce the risk of disease, periodically self-assessing physical fitness)

11) Knows that making health-related decisions and setting health goals sometimes requires asking for assistance

12) Knows common health problems that should be detected and treated early

13) Knows behaviors that are safe, risky, or harmful to self and others

14) Knows factors involved in the development of a drug dependency and the early, observable signs and symptoms (e.g., tolerance level, drug-seeking behavior, loss of control, denial)

15) Knows the short- and long-term consequences of the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (e.g., physical consequences such as shortness of breath, cirrhosis, lung cancer, emphysema; psychological consequences such as low self-esteem, paranoia, depression, apathy; social consequences such as crime, domestic violence, loss of friends)

16) Understands that alcohol, tobacco, and other drug dependencies are treatable diseases/conditions

17) Understands the social, economic, and political effects of disease on individuals, families, and communities

18) Understands how lifestyle, pathogens, family history, and other risk factors are related to the cause or prevention of disease and other health problems

19) Understands personal rights and responsibilities involved in the treatment of disease (e.g., proper use of medication; the influence of family and culture on the treatment of disease)

20) Knows the benefits of early detection and treatment of disease

C. Language Arts
1) Gathers data for research topics from interviews (e.g., prepares and asks relevant questions, makes notes of responses, compiles responses)

2) Uses a variety of print and electronic sources to gather information for research topics (e.g., news sources such as magazines, radio, television, newspapers; government publications; microfiche; telephone information services; databases; field studies; speeches; technical documents; periodicals; Internet)

3) Uses a variety of primary sources to gather information for research topics

4) Understands the main ideas and supporting details in spoken texts (e.g., presentations by peers or quest speakers, a current affairs report on the radio)

5) Asks questions to seek elaboration and clarification of ideas

6) Listens in order to understand topic, purpose, and perspective in spoken texts (e.g., of a guest speaker, of an informational video, of a televised interview, of radio news programs)

7) Conveys a clear main point when speaking to others and stays on the topic being discussed

8) Makes oral presentations to the class (e.g., uses notes and outlines; uses organizational pattern that includes preview, introduction, body, transitions, conclusion; and point of view; uses evidence and arguments to support opinions; uses visual media)

9) Uses appropriate verbal and nonverbal techniques for oral presentations (e.g., modulation of voice, inflection, tempo, word choice, grammar, feeling, expression, tone, volume, enunciation, physical gestures, body movement, eye contact, posture)

10) Responds to questions and feedback about own presentations (e.g., clarifies and defends ideas, expands on a topic, uses logical arguments, modifies organization, evaluates effectiveness, sets goals for future presentations)

11) Understands reasons for own reactions to spoken texts (e.g., emotional appeals)

D. Fine and Visual Arts
1) Students, individually and in groups, create characters, environments and actions that create tension and suspense.

2) 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.

3) Students, in an ensemble, interact as the invented characters.

4) Students lead small groups in planning visual and aural elements and in rehearsing improvised and scripted scenes, demonstrating social, group and consensus skills.

5) Students apply research from print and non-print sources, as well as cultural and historical information, to script writing, acting, design and directing choices.

6) Students articulate and support the meanings constructed from their and others' dramatic performances.

7) Students describe and evaluate the perceived effectiveness of their contributions to the collaborative process of developing improvised and scripted scenes.

8) Students integrate visual, spatial and temporal concepts with content to communicate intended meaning in their artworks.

9) Students use subjects, themes and symbols that demonstrate knowledge of contexts, values and aesthetics to communicate intended meaning in artworks.

E. Civics
1) Knows the historical and contemporary role of various organized groups in local, state, and national politics (e.g., unions; professional organizations; religious, charitable, service, and civic groups)

2) Knows alternative ideas about the purposes and functions of law (e.g., regulating relationships among people and between people and their government; providing order, predictability, security, and established procedures for the management of conflict; regulating social and economic relationships in civil society)

3) Knows ways in which Americans have attempted to make the values and principles of the Constitution a reality

4) Understands issues that involve conflicts among fundamental values and principles such as the conflict between liberty and authority

5) Knows how the rights of organized labor and the role of government in regulating business have created political conflict

6) Knows instances in which political conflict in the United States has been divisive and reasons for this division (e.g., the Civil War, labor unrest, civil rights struggles, opposition to the war in Vietnam)

7) Knows important economic rights (e.g., the right to own property, choose one's work, change employment, join a labor union, establish a business), and knows statements of economic rights in the United States Constitution (e.g., requirement of just compensation, contracts, copyright, patents)

8) Understands the importance to individuals and society of such economic rights as the right to acquire, use, transfer, and dispose of property; choose one's work and change employment; join labor unions and professional associations; establish and operate a business; copyright and patent; and enter into lawful contracts

9) Understands basic contemporary issues involving personal, political, and economic rights (e.g., personal rights issues such as dress codes, curfews, sexual harassment; political rights issues such as hate speech, fair trial, free press; economic rights issues such as welfare, minimum wage, health care, equal pay for equal work)

10) Understands the importance to individuals and to society of personal rights such as freedom of thought and conscience, privacy and personal autonomy, and the right to due process of law and equal protection of the law

11) Understands the relationship between political rights and the economic right to acquire, use, transfer, and dispose of property

12) Understands the relationship of political rights to economic rights such as the right to choose one's work, to change employment, and to join a labor union and other lawful associations

13) Knows historical and contemporary examples of citizen movements seeking to promote individual rights and the common good (e.g., abolition, suffrage, labor and civil rights movements)

F. Thinking and Reasoning
1) Uses a decision-making grid or matrix to make or study decisions involving a relatively limited number of alternatives and criteria

2) Secures factual information needed to evaluate alternatives

3) Makes decisions based on the data obtained and the criteria identified

4) Analyzes decisions that were major turning points in history and describes how things would have been different if other alternatives had been selected

5) Makes basic distinctions between information that is based on fact and information that is based on opinion

6) Analyzes personal decisions in terms of the options that were considered

7) Compares different sources of information for the same topic in terms of basic similarities and differences

8) Uses a comparison table to compare multiple items on multiple abstract characteristics

9) Examines different options for solving problems of historical importance and determines why specific courses of action were taken

10) Evaluates the feasibility of various solutions to problems; recommends and defends a solution

11) Analyzes the impact of decisions on self and others and takes respponsibilty for consequences and outcomes.

G. Historical Understanding
1) Knows how to construct and interpret multiple tier time lines (e.g., a time line that contains important social, economic, and political developments …)

2) Understands patterns of change and continuity in the historical succession of related events

3) Knows how to periodize events of the nation into broadly defined eras

4) Understands historical continuity and change related to a particular development or theme

5) Analyzes the values held by specific people who influenced history and the role their values played in influencing history

6) Analyzes the influences specific ideas and beliefs had on a period of history and specifies how events might have been different in the absence of those ideas and beliefs

7) Analyzes the effects that specific "chance events" had on history and specifies how things might have been different in the absence of those events

8) Analyzes the effects specific decisions had on history and studies how things might have been different in the absence of those decisions

9) Understands that the consequences of human intentions are influenced by the means of carrying them out

10) Understands that change and continuity are equally probable and natural

11) Knows how to avoid seizing upon particular lessons of history as cures for present ills

12) Analyzes how specific historical events would be interpreted differently based on newly uncovered records and/or information

13) Understands how the past affects our private lives and society in general

14) Knows how to perceive past events with historical empathy

15) Knows how to evaluate the credibility and authenticity of historical sources

16) Evaluates the validity and credibility of different historical interpretations

17) Uses historical maps to understand the relationship between historical events and geography

VIII. Planning a Videoconference?
A. Videoconference Checklist

B. Teachers: You will need the following items for use during the videoconference.
1) A tennis ball or baseball
2) A baseball glove
3) A baseball bat or yardstick