| 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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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.
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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.
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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.
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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) 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.
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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.
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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)
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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
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
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