All Around the Baseball Field

Lesson Overview:

In this lesson students will explore the sport of baseball as they construct a mock baseball field using an assortment of materials including pattern blocks, tiles and a variety of geometric shapes. Students will then work in small collaborative groups to examine baseball through art, movement and sound. They may choose to enact a skit showing the physical movements used in baseball, to create a picture or a painting about the sport of baseball, or to create an audiotape capturing the sounds of the game. Students will share with the entire class what they learned in their individual group work through oral presentations.

Length of Lesson:

Six 45-minute periods

Notes:

This lesson is particularly suited to grades 3-4.

Instructional Objectives:

Students will:

• Create a spatial representation of a baseball field using pattern blocks, tiles, wood blocks, manipulatives, tape, paper, and other assorted materials
• Explain the connection between geometric shapes and real world examples
• Write a descriptive paragraph explaining their problem-solving process
• Create an oral presentation
• Create an audiotape using bats, balls, gloves, etc. that incorporates the sounds, rhythms, and words that capture the game of baseball
• Create an artistic rendering (i.e., a drawing, collage, or painting) of a baseball field
• Enact the movements used in the game of baseball
• Respond to writing prompts and participate in small-group and whole-class discussion

Supplies:

• Chart paper
• LCD Projector
• Computer with Internet access (You may need to book computer lab time to complete the lesson activities if a computer is not available in your classroom.)
• Tape recorder and recording tapes
• Pattern blocks and/or tiles, wooden blocks in varied shapes, manipulatives, marbles, small balls
• Pencils, rulers, yardsticks, graph paper
• Drawing paper
• Paint, pens, markers, crayons, colored pencils
• Video recorder (if possible) and recording tapes
• An assortment of baseball-related costume supplies and props

Instructional Plan:

Warm Up

1. Tell the students that they are going to brainstorm ideas about the sport of baseball. Write the word "baseball" in the center of a circle on a piece of chart paper. Post the circle where the students can see it. Ask your students to brainstorm ideas about this sport. Record and discuss each student’s response. Your goal is to help students activate their background knowledge about baseball so that they can make connections between what they already know about baseball and the new knowledge they will gain as they continue with the lesson activities.
   
   
2. As a class, visit the following website that contains background information about the sport of baseball:
   
   Baseball: The Game and Beyond
   
   You should use an LCD projector so that the class can view the website. You must read the information on how to connect your particular LCD model to your computer. It is important to check the LCD projector you are using with the specific computer you are using to ensure that the text and graphics are clear and visible. The way that websites appear on the projection screen can vary greatly. General instructions for how to set up an LCD projector and a laptop computer can be found at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls Information Technology website at Setting up a laptop computer and LCD projector.
   
   
3. Tell the students that they are going to create a baseball field using different materials that may include pattern blocks, tiles, wooden blocks, drawing paper, tape, manipulatives, and marbles. Explain to the class that they are going to build the field and then give a presentation explaining their work to their classmates. Tell them that they will also have an opportunity to reflect on what they have learned at the end of the lesson activities.
   
   Give the students a copy of the "Presentation Rubric." Explain each part of the rubric, and clarify any questions the students might have prior to beginning the project.
   
   
4. Divide the class into small groups of four or five students. Give each group a copy of the handout entitled "Build a Field." Proceed to Step 5, which explains how to use the handout with your students.
   
   
5. Read the handout aloud with the class to make sure that your students understand the tasks they are required to complete. First, tell the students that a design plan will help them think about how they will build their baseball field. Next, tell the students that they are going to visit websites that show examples of what baseball fields look like. You can visit the websites listed below as a class, and then students can return to them if they want additional time to explore as they create their design:
   
   • Ballparks of Baseball
   • X-treme Baseball
   
   The final point to emphasize to your students is that the goal of this activity is not to build a perfect baseball field. Instead, it is to help students become active problem solvers as they experiment with shape and symmetry, make mistakes, make changes and modifications, think about real world applications of geometric properties, and explore basic geometric properties.
   
   Tell the students that they are going to problem solve to build their baseball field. Your goal is to help them in this process, not to give them all the directions. Encourage the students to experiment. For example, if they build a baseball field with 10 tiles between home plate and first base, and then use 15 tiles to represent the space between first base and second base, ask them if their field looks the same as the ones they saw on the websites or baseball fields that they have seen in their life experiences. Encourage them to figure out what is wrong. Do not complete the task for them.
   
   Tell the students that there is no one correct way to accomplish this task, but that their goal is to be good problem solvers who try, make mistakes, and make changes to their field. Give each group rulers, drawing paper, and scissors. Tell the students that they can use these materials to figure out how to build their fields. Tell the class that some students may choose to plan their fields on paper first, while others might want to experiment with tiles and blocks. Others may choose to combine paper, drawing and geometric shapes to create the baseball field. Be aware that this can be a difficult task for some students who may be concerned with only doing things one way.
   
   When the students have completed their baseball field design, tell them that they must write a paragraph describing how they built their baseball fields. Tell the students that their paragraph should explain how they went about solving the problem of how to build a baseball field.
   
   
6. Provide time for each group to share its presentation with the entire class. Ask the class to provide feedback on each group’s presentation.
   
   
7. The next part of the lesson plan is designed to help students learn more about an additional aspect of baseball. The goal of these activities is to help students see that you can learn about a topic by exploring diverse perspectives. Tell the students that you are going to provide them with questions to answer in a reflective journal after they have completed the activities. Their reflections will be an important component of the "Think-Pair-Share" closing activity.
   
   
8. Tell the students that they may choose to work on one of the following three projects:
   
   • Baseball Art: Create a picture or a painting of a baseball field. (Students who choose this option will work individually.)
   • Baseball Sounds: Create an audiotape of the sounds of baseball. (Students who choose this option will work in small groups of no more than four students.)
   • Baseball Moves: Create a skit that shows the movements used in baseball. (Students who choose this option will work in small groups of no more than four students.)
   
   Give each group or individual the appropriate handout based on students’ project selections. You will need to visit with the student groups (or individuals) to explain and/or clarify the handout directions. Make sure that you provide time for students to use computers as they complete their project tasks.
   
   Give the students who selected the "Baseball Art" project drawing paper, markers, crayons, paint, and any additional art supplies you have available.
   
   Give the students who selected the "Baseball Sounds" project props such as a baseball glove, a baseball bat, baseball helmets and caps, and a baseball. (You can also give them small musical instruments if they are available in the classroom.) Also provide them with a blank tape and a tape recorder. Make sure that the students know how to operate the tape recorder prior to their beginning the project.
   
   Give the students who selected the "Baseball Moves" project props such as a baseball glove, a baseball bat, baseballs, helmets, baseball caps, etc. This group will need adequate space to move in as they develop their skit. If possible, provide students with a video recorder and a blank tape. Make sure that the students know how to operate the video recorder prior to their beginning the project.
   

1. Tell the students that they are going to participate in a "Think-Pair-Share" reflective journal writing activity. Use the following steps for this activity. First, ask the students to respond as individuals to a series of question in a reflective writing journal. This is the "think" portion of the activity. Use the questions listed below:
   
   • What did you learn about baseball in this lesson?
   • What did you learn about baseball from your classmates’ presentations?
   • What can you learn from looking at a painting or a picture?
   • What can you learn from listening to an audiotape?
   • What can you learn from viewing a videotape?
   • What can you learn from viewing a skit?
   
   
2. The second part of the "Think-Pair-Share" activity is to "pair" the students. Divide the group into pairs and tell them to discuss their responses to the reflective journal questions.
   
   
3. The final part of the activity is to "share." Ask for volunteers to share their thoughts with the entire group.
   
   Tell the students that a person can learn different things by exploring varied perspectives on a topic.
    

   Assessment:

   Use the "Presentation Rubric" to assess students' work.

    

   Extensions:

   As a class, create a design logo for an imaginary baseball team that incorporates different aspects of the sport. Tell the students to incorporate what they learned in the lesson activities as they create the logo.
   Internet Resources:
   

   • Baseball: The Game and Beyond
   • X-treme Baseball
   • University of Wisconsin-River Falls Information Technology
    

   Authors:

   • Maureen Carroll
     Bay Breeze Educational Resources, Inc.
     Pleasanton, CA