Introduction
The role of baseball, in both reality and from a metaphorical perspective, as it is explained in Fences, is critical. Troy Maxson, the main character and protagonist of the play, struggles with his past as a scorned baseball player. The discrimination he felt in this regard is undeniable. This Webquest will ask you to research, analyze, and reflect on the Negro Baseball League-a historical allusion that is critical to truly understanding and closely reading this text-by creating a baseball card and determining this player's role in U.S. history.
Task
Because the play Fences makes many references to specific players in the Negro Baseball League and the league overall, you will create a baseball card for ONE player in the Negro Baseball League. It will contain:
- A real photograph of the actual player
- Biographical information (Name, Date of Birth, Hometown, Negro League Team/s)
- Position played
- Relevant stats
- Five significant facts about the player
After completing the card, you will also attach a 3 paragraph written piece that answers the following (one answer per paragraph):
- Why is this player an important part of African American history? What did he contribute to African Americans of that time and of today?
- How might professional sports in 2016 be different if it were not for your chosen player?
- What choices, similar to or different from, would you have made had you been in his position during his time in the Negro Baseball League?
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Picture of Player Team/s |
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Process
Step 1: You will research a Negro League player. As you do, you will jot down important notes about your player.
Step 2: You will then create a baseball card for your player. You will need to collect the following information:
- A picture of the author
- Position played
- Relevant stats
- Five significant facts about the player
Step 4: Write reflective essay as stated above, also in Word.
Some helpful websites to learn about your player and the League:
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/8732301/negro-league-players-worthy-espn-hall-100
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/firsts/first8.shtml
http://www.negroleaguebaseball.com/players/players_index.html
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/history/mlb_negro_leagues.jsp
Evaluation
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Beginning 1 |
Developing 2 |
Accomplished 3 |
Exemplary 4 |
Score |
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Research a player
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Identify a player within the selected team and identify research sources |
Take the research sources and compile necessary and significant data |
From the data collected, write the description for the player |
Using the data compiled during research, write content in same voice and tone as other baseball cards. |
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Save a picture from the web onto a local drive
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Identify a picture of the player within the selected team and identify research source (i.e. web, picture gallery, etc.) |
Save the picture to a local drive or location |
Find the picture on the local drive and insert it into the document |
Adjust the size and the properties of the picture |
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Use Microsoft Word to create the baseball card
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Locate the Microsoft Word program and open a new file to create baseball card |
Enter in the content by typing the language and saving the document |
Insert a picture saved on the local drive |
Format the entire baseball card including both the content and the picture |
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Reflect on chosen player |
Reflect at a basic level |
Reflect showing thought and emotion behind the reflection |
Reflect showing sincere thought and emotion to explain opinions well |
Reflect showing stellar thought and emotion to explain opinions completely and fully |
Conclusion
It is the hope that now you are better able to understand the significance of the Negro Baseball League to the world of today's sports and the the African American community as a whole, specifically to the athletes of today's American society.
Credits
Ms Daniels- English II web quest