Hit a Home Run with Reading! • Keep ’em Reading • Grades by | Carol Thompson K–2, 3–5 Library Incentive Program and Party Join the World Series anticipation with this read- ing incentive and encourage your students to hit a home run. This month-long unit will prove to a fun learning experience. Objective: To get kids to read Incentive Summary This is a great incentive for October (World Series) or springtime incentive. Using the theme of base- ball, students are encouraged to hit a home run Activities and celebrate their favorite teams and players while • Read various baseball books. (Suggested learning about the history of America’s best-loved Resources on page 4.) sport. Readers keep up with their stats on a base- • Locate fan Web sites and have students write ball field record sheet and earn tickets to the com- a letter to a favorite player, manager, or coach. munity minor league baseball team on the school Teach and/or review proper form for friendly night. The school also hosts an old-fashioned hot letter. Letters can be e-mailed too. dog and apple pie cookout. • Act out the book Casey at the Bat or use it as a reader’s theater. • Have a favorite team dress-up day where stu- Bulletin Board dents wear their baseball/softball uniforms Here’s a sample of our “Hit a Home Run with (including hats which are normally against Reading!” bulletin board. Get creative. Baseball dress code so the kids love it!). bats and baseballs can create great letters. It also • Have the High School baseball or softball team looks good to use old book covers on this bulletin players or coaches come and read to classes board for a 3-D effect. during storytime. • Have a mock baseball game using library ques- tions (correct answers earn a base hit). • Print a shelf list of baseball-themed books, then categorize them. Using the call numbers, have teams locate as many as they can in a ten- minute period. • In groups write a new poem similar to Casey at Bat (upper grades), but title it Casey with his Book. • Research the Louisville Slugger Museum then take a virtual field trip. October 2008 Web Resources • LibrarySparks • 1 Keep ’em Reading find answers. Use your imagination with these. It is a great way to portray the importance of the library reference section. Here are some suggested questions: • In baseball, what does the term “southpaw” mean? (a left-handed pitcher) • Where is Wrigley Field located? (Chicago) • What is the term used to define a player who has only played for one season or less? (rookie) • What pitcher holds the all time record for most games won and also has a prestigious award named after him? (Cy Young) • Who was nicknamed the Iron Man and why? • Watch the video “How a Baseball Bat is (Cal Ripken, Jr. because he never missed a Made” then compare to the Louisville Slugger game in 2,632 games) Museum. • Where is The National Baseball Hall of Fame • Have a debate about the best baseball player and Museum located? (Cooperstown, New ever. Students must defend their opinions York) with facts based on research in almanacs or • How many Negro leaguers does the Baseball other reference books. Hall of Fame include? (35) • Have the school nurse or local college coach • Who were the two inductees to the 2007 Hall discuss steroids (upper grades). of Fame? (Cal Ripken, Jr. and Tony Gwynn) • Younger grades can learn the song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and act it out. The music teacher can also help with this activity. • Discussing reference sources, find the best option for researching Lou Gehrig’s disease. After reading his biography discuss the disease. • Rewrite “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” to a new version, “Take Me Out to the Library.” Perform it over closed circuit for advertise- ment. • Brainstorm baseball-related words. Using the Reading Certificate dictionary, copy the part of speech and defi- Baseball Jokes nition of each term on bats for display. Jokes are another good way to promote what • Label all the major league teams and stadi- is happening in the media center. It gets kids ums on a U.S. map. involved and curious. Morning announcements are an opportune time to reach out to the whole Reference Questions student population. Promotional advertisements Reference questions can be used in many ways. are always a good idea. One way is to have a question of the day on the • Why does it get hot after a baseball game? school intercom. Students can research answers Because all the fans leave. using various tools and turn in to media center • What takes longer, running from first base for prize drawings. Remind students to document to second base or from second base to third where they found the answer. Another option is base? Second base to third base because you have to have a grade-appropriate question displayed to go through a shortstop. during library time and teach students how to • Why did the baseball player take his bat to the library? Because his teacher told him to hit the books. 2 • LibrarySparks • October 2008 Web Resources Keep ’em Reading • Why did Cinderella get kicked off the baseball also helps the media specialist record who receives team? Because she ran away from the ball. invitations. For students to earn an invitation to • What do you get when you cross a tree with a this particular party, readers must score a homerun baseball player? Babe Root. by advancing to each base. The baseball diamond • Why did the baseball player get arrested dur- can also be changed to accommodate different ing the middle of the game? Because he got grade levels or individual needs. caught stealing second base. • How are pancakes and a baseball game simi- Party Food and Decorations lar? They both depend on the batter. For this incentive, we planned an old-fashioned • What has eighteen legs and catches flies? A cook-out tailgate party. The menu included hot- baseball team. dogs, chips, sodas, and apple pies. • Which baseball team also takes care of sick animals? The New York VETS. Homerun Incentive Party • Why didn’t the dog play baseball? Because he For each reader who earns their homerun, give was a BOXER. them a free ticket to a local baseball game. Try to plan a school night where everyone can be there Cafeteria Menu all together. If this doesn’t work out, try to give When the whole school participates in an event, tickets to the high school baseball game. Another it shows students that it must be important. Even option would be to have the readers play an the lunchroom can spread a positive atmosphere actual game of “wiffle ball” against the teachers. about the theme. Here are some suggestions: Whatever you decide, celebrating reading will • Baseball Burgers certainly be a hit! • First Base Franks • Second Base Spaghetti • Short Stop Shortbread Cookies • Catcher Corn Dogs • Pitcher Pizza • Fast Ball Fries • Double Play Pudding • Curve Ball Casserole • Home Run Ham • Knuckle Ball Nuggets Reading Record For every incentive there should be a record keep- ing tool. This is for motivation and organization. This helps the student track their progress, and it October 2008 Web Resources • LibrarySparks • 3 Keep ’em Reading A Grand Slam of Resources • The Magic School Bus Plays Ball: A Book About Forces by Joanna Cole. Scholastic, 1998. • Mama Played Baseball by David Adler. Gulliver Books Books, 2003. Books should always be available around the dis- • Mighty Jackie: The Strike-Out Queen by Marissa play for motivation and reference reasons. Students Moss. Simon & Schuster, 2004. should also be encouraged to venture outside the • Mudball (Tavares Baseball) by Matt Tavares. school library for further material. Here is a good Candlewick Press, 2005. start: • Out of the Ballpark by Alex Rodriguez. • The Babe & I by David Adler. Tandem Library, HarperCollins, 2007. 2004. • Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Paris. • The Babe & Me: A Baseball Card Adventure by HarperCollins, 1996. Dan Gutman. Avon Books, 2000. • Players in Pigtails by Shana Corey and Rebecca • Ballpark: the Story of America’s Baseball Fields by Gibbon. Reed Business, 2003. Lynn Curlee. Aladdin, 2008. • Baseball’s Brilliant Managers (The Sports Web Sites Heroes Library) by Nathan Aaseng. Lerner • Baseball Hall of Fame Publications, 1982. www.baseballhalloffame.org • The Bat Boy and His Violin (Aladdin Picture • Louisville Slugger Museum Books) by Gavin Curtis. Aladdin, 2001. www.sluggermuseum.org • Casey at the Bat by Ernest Thayer. Kids Can • Major League Baseball Kids’ Dugout Press, 2006. www.mlb.com • Casey Back at Bat by Dan Gutman. • PBS: Baseball History HarperCollins, 2007. www.pbs.org/kenburns/baseball • Diamond Life: Baseball Sights, Sounds, and Swings • Sports Illustrated for Kids by Charles Smith, Jr. Orchard Books, 2004. www.sikids.com • Grand-Slam Riddles by Joanne E. Bernstein and Paul Cohen. Albert Whitman, 1988. ❖ ❖ ❖ • H is for Home Run: A Baseball Alphabet by Brad Herzog. Sleeping Bear Press, 2004. Carol Thompson, a media specialist in Rockmart, • Hank Aaron by George Sullivan. Putnam, Georgia, shares her passion for literacy with her 1975. students and community at the same elementary • Home Run: The Story of Babe Ruth by Robert school in which she attended. Author of four books Burleigh. Silver Whistle Books, 1998. from the Mr. Wiggle series and countless magazine • Jackie Robinson (Trophy Chapter Book) by articles, Carol strives to make reading fun. Please Kenneth Rudeen. HarperTrophy, 1996. feel free to e-mail her at [email protected]. • Just a Baseball Game by Mercer Mayer and Gina Mayer. Golden Books, 2003. • Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man by David Adler.