The Negro League: Baltimore Elite Giants
Summary
In this lesson, students will understand the origin of the Negro League: The Baltimore Elite Giants and the segregation of Black players. They will understand the impact of the Negro League contributions as it relates to baseball and consider the disproportionate effects that Major League Baseball (MLB) had on Black Americans.
Rube Foster, 1924, NNL League President, Source: Wikipedia
Grades
Middle School (6-8)
Topics
Race & Ethnicity
Sports
Time Period
1900-1999
Overview
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MARYLAND COLLEGE AND CAREER READY STANDARD(S):
Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
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Students will demonstrate comprehension of a text with after reading strategies by:
explaining the central ideas
identifying what is directly stated in the text
drawing inferences
drawing conclusions
verifying or adjusting predictions
making new predictions
paraphrasing and summarizing (See MD SLM 6-8 4A2.b.)
making connections between the text and oneself and Black American History (both historical and modern).
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ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
What prior knowledge do you have about segregation in baseball’s history
What are the dangers of freezing our heroes in the moment that made them famous?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
How did the MLB decision to make some Negro League players statistics part of the MLB history?
How many Black Americans are there currently playing on our local baseball team (the Baltimore Orioles)?
UNDERSTANDINGS
Students will understand the origin of the Negro League: The Baltimore Elite Giants and the segregation of Black players.
Students will reflect on their opinions about the Major League Baseball decisions to make some Negro League player statistics part of.
Students will understand the impact of the Negro League contributions as it relates to baseball.
Students will understand the disproportionate effects that Major League Baseball (MLB) had on Black Americans.
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LESSON RESOURCES
Baltimore Orioles Roster 2022
“Baseball is finally addressing its racist past, but its work can’t end there”
“Baseball Rights a Wrong by Adding Negro Leagues to Official Records”
Negro League Baseball
“The Negro Leagues: Baltimore Elite Giants”
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The aim of the Baltimore Story lesson plans is to provide teachers and their students with historical figures and/or events that include representation connecting to Baltimore which have historically been missing in K-12 curriculum.
Teachers using this/these lesson(s) should modify it to bring cultural relevancy to their own classrooms through the insertion of current topical events and/or relevant revisions that link more closely to their particular student population or context.
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Students will utilize their knowledge from the warm-up and activity sets to complete the related lesson student choice assessment.
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BALTIMORE CONNECTIONS
Before these Giants were elite in Baltimore, they were merely standard in Nashville. Beginning operation as the Nashville Standard Giants in 1921, they became the Elite Giants in 1929 as an independent ball club (still in Nashville). In six years time, they would move to Ohio in six years, becoming the Columbus Elite Giants before migrating again only a year later, this time to Washington D.C. After two years in the nation’s capital, the team would take root in Baltimore in 1938, and when it did get there, everything seemed to click into place with some newfound stability.
The Baltimore Elite Giants would go on to win two league championships, the first coming in 1939. Still relatively new to Baltimore, they defeated an absolutely loaded Homestead Grays team, which boasted future National Baseball Hall of Famers Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard. They would do it again a decade later, sweeping the Chicago American Giants to win the title of league champions in a restructured Negro American League.
THE BALTIMORE STORY CONNECTION
History: 1900-1999: A New Divide
Learning Plan
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Students will create a K-W-L chart and fill in the first two columns of the K-W-L chart with prior knowledge about the history and impact of negro baseball leagues using 7-10 sentences.
What Do You Know ?
What You Want To Know?
What You Learned?
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Students will read a small article about the “Baltimore Elite Giants” to analyze and explain the central idea of the article by providing evidence and drawing an inference between the past and modern day baseball leagues. Students will also research the history of the Baltimore Orioles roster to determine the statistic/ratio of negroes played/recruited annually.
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Students will list 7-10 sentences in the “What You Learned” column. Students will turn and talk to a peer to have a brief conversation with a peer after recording their responses.
Partner 1 will respond to the following prompts while Partner 2 listens for 3-4 minutes each:
What prior knowledge do you have about segregation in baseball’s history?
How did the MLB decision to make some Negro League players statistics part of the MLB history?
How many Black Americans are there currently playing on our local baseball team (the Baltimore Orioles)?
Once Partner 1 is done, the roles will change and Partner 2 will respond to the above prompts while Partner 1 listens. Students will paraphrase and summarize additional knowledge from the perception of their peers.
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Student-Led, whole group discussions will occur with getting two to three students becoming the “discussion leaders” to start off the whole-group discussion.
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EXIT TICKET
Students will make a new prediction for Black Americans seeking to play baseball in Baltimore providing evidence from various literature.
Learners
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Warm-Up: Developing learners will work in a whole-group along with the teacher to complete the first two columns of the K-W-L chart while the teacher jot down the students' ideas.
Activity/Step 1: Developing learners will have the “Baltimore Elite Giants ” text given and read to them by the teacher. Developing learners will conduct group research (teacher led) on the Baltimore Orioles and the impact of MLB as it relates to Black Americans. Once students have completed the research the teacher will record and share the students’ responses and contributions.
Activity/Step 2: Developing learners will review “Baltimore Elite Giants” and jot down a few student answers related to the article’s Essential Questions in the “What I Learned” column.
Activity/Step 3: Developing learners will discuss ideas from their K-W-L chart.
Activity/Step 4: Developing learners will recall ideas from their K-W-L chart.
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Warm-Up: Proficient learners will work in groups of four to complete the first two columns of the K-W-L chart.
Activity/Step 1: Proficient learners will have the “Baltimore Elite Giants” text given to them so they can read it independently. Proficient learners will conduct research in pairs on the Baltimore Orioles and the impact of MLB as it relates to Black Americans. Once students have completed the research the students will record and share their responses and contributions.
Activity/Step 2: Proficient learners will review the “Baltimore Elite Giants”. In pairs, students will collaborate to answer the article’s Essential Questions and record their responses in the “What I Learned” column.
Activity/Step 3: Proficient learners will discuss ideas from their K-W-L chart.
Activity/Step 4: Proficient learners will recall ideas from their K-W-L chart.
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Warm-Up: Highly effective learners will independently complete the first two columns of the K-W-L chart.
Activity/Step 1: Highly effective learners will have the “Baltimore Elite Giants” text given to them so they can read it independently. Highly effective learners will conduct research independently on the Baltimore Orioles and the impact of MLB as it relates to Black Americans. Once students have completed the research the students will record and share their responses and contributions.
Activity/Step 2: Highly effective learners will review the “Baltimore Elite Giants” and answer the article’s Essential Questions and record their responses in the “What I Learned” column independently.
Activity/Step 3: Highly effective learners will discuss ideas from their K-W-L chart.
Activity/Step 4: Highly effective learners will recall ideas from their K-W-L chart.
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Preferential seating/strategic seating to encourage focus, Graphic organizers to increase engagement and improve understanding, Monitor/encourage work initiation and completion, Provide extended time if needed (monitor need for extended time, set limits to prevent getting behind in instruction), Graphic organizers, frequent breaks, Chunking of assignments, Science Constructed Response to Speech, Human Signer, and Science Constructed Response External Assistive Technology Device