2013 EDUCATION DAYS At Wednesday, April 10th @ 10:05 am Monday, April 29th @ 10:05 am Wednesday, May 15th @ 10:05 am Curriculum Guide Including Kentucky’s Learning Goals and Academic Expectations IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ BEFORE CONTINUING This curriculum guide was created to provide you with a learning “compass” to help guide your students through a truly rewarding “out of class” experience. The ideas and lesson plans included within stand to serve as a guide to educators to create educational, appropriate ideas to assist in the “Education Day” at Whitaker Bank Ballpark. The curriculum has been designed by educators for educators. It is intended to help provide activities toward meeting Kentucky’s Learning Goals and Academic Expectations. For your convenience, the Learning Goals and Academic Expectations are listed within the curriculum. Regardless of the activity, the procedures and methods can easily be substituted to fit your appropriate grade level. This curriculum has been organized with the following in mind: . Educators tailor their lesson plans to meet the needs of their students. Educators may use bits and pieces of a lesson plan to create their own lesson plans. Educators have the flexibility to use this curriculum to integrate ideas into current studies. This curriculum guide has been divided into four basic areas of study: MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, SOCIAL STUDIES, and LANGUAGE ARTS. Within each of these four areas of study, we have further divided them into two distinct sub-headings: FOCUSED LESSON PLANS and EXTENDED IDEAS. Focused Lesson Plans: With at least three samples per section, these lesson plans have been designed as a complete, top-to-bottom lesson plan. Each focused lesson plan contains exercises to be dealt with in the classroom, at the “Education Day” games, and after the game has been completed as a follow-up or additional learning. Extended Ideas: Each section contains a number of ideas that have been designed to peak your interest. Should you find an extended idea applicable to your area of expertise, you are encouraged to develop the concept into a focused lesson plan for use within your classroom. Please do not hesitate to modify, add to, subtract from, or completely re-work these ideas for your own application. We sincerely appreciate your school’s/classroom’s participation and we truly hope that you find this event worthwhile, educational, and enjoyable. Additionally, we welcome any specific ideas or comments that would aid or improve the “Education Days” or the curriculum guide for future “Education Days.” . Was the guide easy to use? . Were there any errors? If so, please inform us so that we may correct them. Was there an activity that stood out from the rest – one that your students truly enjoyed? . Did you enhance any of the activities in ways that may interest others? . Were there any activities that “struck out” or should never have been placed in the guide? Just as in baseball, teaching only gets better with practice. So we’d like your ideas for future editions of this curriculum guide. Send your ideas or lesson plans to: Lexington Legends Education Day Whitaker Bank Ballpark 207 Legends Lane Lexington, KY 40505 Curriculum Development This curriculum was adapted from the Akron Aeros’ curriculum guide, which was developed by: Akron Public Schools Curriculum Specialists Cheryl Baker and Judi Bevly Downtown Primary School Sheri Leafgren University of Akron Janel Litzel Green Middle School Paula Jameson and Michael Curry Litchfield Middle School Ernie Sigler and Jennifer Bennett Akron Aeros Kurt Landes and Benjamin Tolchinsky Adapted for Kentucky by: Woodford County Middle School Greg Young Whitney Allison Gay Pease Lexington Legends Chelsea Hansing TABLE OF CONTENTS Language Arts Focused Lesson Plans Extended Ideas Mathematics Focused Lesson Plans Extended Ideas Science Focused Lesson Plans Extended Ideas Social Studies Focused Lesson Plans Extended Ideas Appendices Appendix A: Lexington Legends Statistics Appendix B: Statistics Worksheet Appendix C: Key Baseball Formulas Appendix D: Whitaker Bank Ballpark Costs Appendix E: Legends Roster Appendix F: Whitaker Bank Ballpark Diagram Appendix G: Whitaker Bank ballpark Diagram (2) Appendix H: South Atlantic League Map Appendix I: United States Map Appendix J: Lexington Map Appendix K: South Atlantic League Mileage Chart Appendix L: Legends Home Schedule Appendix M: Baseball Definitions Appendix N: Minor League Terms Appendix P: Legends History and Information Appendix Q: Legends Demographics Appendix R: “Casey at the Bat” Appendix S: Baseball Bat Sizes Appendix T: Baseball Scoring Sheet Appendix U: Legends Box Score Appendix V: Box Score Glossary Appendix W: Reading Baseball Statistics Appendix X: Baseball Books & Internet Web Sites Appendix Y: Kentucky Worksheets LANGUAGE ARTS Focused Lesson Plans Lesson Plan 1 “Investigative Reporting” Objective: Students will be able to write an informational piece using a prompt and utilize the writing process to make the writing activity clear for the intended audience. Students will also be able to identify significant individuals from the past and explain their contributions. Kentucky’s Learning Goals and Academic Expectations: (1.11) Students write using appropriate forms, conventions, and styles to communicate ideas and information for different purposes. Students use reference tools such as dictionaries, almanacs, encyclopedias, and computer reference programs and research tools such as interviews and surveys to find the information they need to meet specific demands, explore interests, or solve specific problems. (2.20) Students understand, analyze, and interpret historical events, conditions, trends, and issues to develop historical perspective. (3.4) Students demonstrate the ability to be resourceful and creative. (5.1) Students use critical thinking skills such as analyzing, prioritizing, categorizing, evaluating, and comparing to solve a variety of problems in real-life situations. (5.4) Students use a decision-making process to make informed decisions among options. (6.2) Students use what they already know to acquire new knowledge, develop new skills, or interpret new experiences. Materials: Reference guides, pencil, paper Before the Game: Have students choose from the following topics: Whitaker Bank Ballpark Minor League Baseball Lexington Legends 1. Create 20 questions that cover the topic of study. Include the answers. Compile the results and transform into a “Trivial Pursuit”-type game. 2. Create a timeline that shows both the dates and significant people within your topic. Include pictures if possible. 3. Write a news story about what you learned as if you are a news reporter. 4. List reasons why your topic should be studied in our schools. Develop a plan of study or events that the students could participate in that would make a difference in our society. 5. Describe in a story, poem, song format your topic. 6. Have students write a proposal as if they were the mayor of their community. This proposal should attempt to explain how your topic is important to the community and should be preserved. This proposal should include how the topic can be improved for families, entertainment, cultural areas, etc. At the Game: Collect evidence that supports your topic at “Education Day.” Beyond the Game: Mail your investigative findings to an appropriate individual within each category and follow up via mail to that individual to gather their comments and opinions. LANGUAGE ARTS Focused Lesson Plans Lesson Plan 2 “A Cat Has Nine Lives, Baseball Has Nine Innings” Objective: Write a fictional narrative using a prompt and utilize the writing process to make the writing activity clear for the intended audience. KERA Goal: (1.11) Students write using appropriate forms, conventions, and styles to communicate ideas and information for different purposes. (5.1) Students use critical thinking skills such as analyzing, prioritizing, categorizing, evaluating, and comparing to solve a variety of problems in real-life situations. (5.4) Students use a decision-making process to make informed decisions among options. (6.2) Students use what they already know to acquire new knowledge, develop new skills, or interpret new experiences. Materials: Paper, pencil, news articles of a recent Legends game, baseball (optional) Before the Game: 1. Show a baseball to the students. Discuss how a baseball feels during a baseball game. (Now may be a good time to discuss animate and inanimate objects.) 2. Pass the baseball around the class. As the students hold the ball, read the article. At the appropriate times during the article, ask students to stand, holding the ball, and describe how the ball felt when the action was occurring. 3. After the article is read, engage the students in dialogue concerning the types of writing found in the sports section of the newspaper. 4. Pass a copy of the article out to the students. Using the article, instruct students to write a fictional narrative describing the nine innings of life that a baseball lives, from the baseball’s perspective. At the Game: Record what happens to the baseball for one inning – where it’s thrown, if it’s hit, etc. Beyond the Game: 1. Students will use facts from “Education Day” to create other written works such as: . Exposition . Summary – summarize the events of one inning of the Legends players . Personal Experience Narrative – write about your trip to the stadium . Persuasive Writing – write one paragraph to convince your parents to bring you to another Legends