Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America
LESSON PLAN 1: Debates and Controversies
Palatka vs. Menendez football game,
FL. Photo by Lindsay Wiles Gramana.
This is one of six lesson plans derived from Hometown Teams: How Sports
Shape America, a traveling exhibition organized by the Smithsonian Institution’s
Museum on Main Street program and brought to you by your state humanities
council. The materials and activities were compiled to help students observe,
encounter, participate, and learn about the importance of and impact of sports in
American communities.
The lesson plans that accompany Hometown Teams will help you create
meaningful and fun experiences for your students, based on current common
core standards for grades 6-10. All the lessons can be adapted for younger or
older audiences, so evaluate each lesson before selecting activities for your
students.
Help us gauge the effectiveness of the educational activities for Hometown
Teams: How Sports Shape America. Please take this short survey, and let us
know how you used these materials. Your input is much appreciated.
Sincerely, The Museum on Main Street Team
Hometown Teams is a Museum on Main Street exhibition organized by the Smithsonian
Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Funded by the U.S. Congress. Education
materials generously supported by the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 1: Debates and Controversies
1-1
LESSON PLAN 1:
Debates and Controversies
LESSON OVERVIEW
TOPIC: Controversial issues in sports
CORE QUESTION: What are the controversial issues surrounding
your favorite sport or team, and what can be done to make progress?
MISSION
Propose a solution
to a controversial
issue that exists in
your sport or team.
MISSION: Propose a solution to a controversial issue that exists in
your sport or team.
OBJECTIVES: Through various proposed activities, students may:
• Analyze primary sources and employ research
strategies to obtain primary data from
targeted collections of sources
• Pose historical and design questions after analyzing
and reflecting on primary sources
• Express original arguments in written and spoken
form
Women’s rowing team from Bates College,
ME, May 2012. Steve Johnson / MAAC.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
• Use subject-specific vocabulary in constructing an
argument
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 1: Debates and Controversies
1-2
COMMON CORE STANDARDS GRADES 6–8
SCIENCE
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or
conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text
distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.7 Integrate quantitative or technical
information expressed in words in a text with a version of that
information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model,
graph, or table).
HISTORY
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.7 Integrate
visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs,
photographs, videos, or maps) with other
information in print and digital texts.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2 Determine
the central ideas or information of a primary
or secondary source; provide an accurate
summary of the source distinct from prior
knowledge or opinions.
ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.1 Write arguments
to support claims with clear reasons and
relevant evidence.
Baseball star Satchel Paige, Library
of Congress, LOOK Magazine Collection.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2 Write informative/
explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts,
and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of
relevant content.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to
produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to
interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing
sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.7 Conduct short research projects to answer
a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional
related, focused questions for further research and investigation.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 1: Debates and Controversies
1-3
COMMON CORE STANDARDS GRADES 9–10
SCIENCE
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.2 Determine the central ideas or
conclusions of a text; trace the text’s explanation or depiction of a
complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate
summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.7 Translate quantitative or technical
information expressed in words in a text into visual form (e.g.,
a table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or
mathematically (e.g., in an equation) into words.
HISTORY
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.2 Determine the central ideas or
information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate
summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the
text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.7 Integrate quantitative or technical
analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in print
or digital text.
TRY IT!
Use technology, including
the Internet, to produce,
publish, and update
individual or shared
writing products.
ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1 Write arguments to support claims in
an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and
relevant and sufficient evidence.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to
examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly
and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and
analysis of content.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.6 Use technology, including the Internet,
to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing
products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other
information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.7 Conduct short as well as more
sustained research projects to answer a question (including a selfgenerated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the
inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject,
demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 1: Debates and Controversies
1-4
HOMETOWN TEAMS Exhibition Field Trip:
Suggested Activities
You might consider doing one or both of these activities when visiting
the Hometown Teams exhibit.
FIELD TRIP
Get in the game
by planning a visit
with your students
to the Hometown
Teams exhibit.
1. Divide students into small groups of 2–3, and have each group
view one stereoscope image of a sports stadium/arena in the
“Fields of Glory” section of the exhibit. Ask each group to
imagine themselves as fans at the time the stadium/arena was
opened, and write down some ideas of how the sport would have
looked different to a fan then vs. now.
2. Divide students into small groups of 2–3, and ask them to explore
the Hometown Teams exhibit. Assign each group a sport, and
ask them to find evidence in the exhibit (images, objects, text)
of controversial issues of any nature (race, gender, safety, health,
etc.). Ask each group to share the different controversial issues
that can be observed in the exhibit.
Discuss the following questions with the group:
• What could make your favorite sport or team even
better?
• Are there health and safety debates that dominate
discussions?
• Are there issues regarding who can play the sport?
• Are there issues about compensation of players, or
evaluation of players?
• Are there debates about the appropriateness of your
favorite team’s name or mascot?
• Are there any environmental issues that come as a
result of the sport?
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 1: Debates and Controversies
1-5
RESOURCES TO EXPLORE
EXPLORE!
IN THE COMMUNITY
• Hometown Teams exhibit
Find resources
both in local
communities and
online.
• Local museum or historical society
• School library or hall of fame
• Local parks/sports fields
• Sports equipment stores
• Local urban planning/parks departments
• Local or school health office/department
ONLINE
• Women’s Sports Foundation: http://
www.womenssportsfoundation.org/
• Performance-Enhancing Drugs Facts:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/
performance-enhancing-drugs/
HQ01105
• Timeline of Controversial Team
Names: http://www.motherjones.com/
politics/2013/10/timeline-historyoffensive-sports-mascots-redskinssnyder
• Stadium and Arena Sustainability:
http://www.athleticbusiness.
com/articles/article.
aspx?articleid=3551&zoneid=1
• National Sports Safety Organization:
http://www.nssousa.org/index.php
Players from Ohio’s Wellington and
Independence High Schools, 2011. Anna
Norris / Morning Journal, Lorain, OH.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 1: Debates and Controversies
1-6
ACTIVITIES FOR STUDENTS
You might choose to include all or some of the activities below in
lessons for the project.
RESEARCH archived newspapers,
yearbooks, websites, or other
collections to see how the issue has
evolved over time.
EXPLORE your school or town’s
sports fields or stadiums and do a
survey of the impact the stadium
has on the immediate environment.
MISSION
WATCH a game of your favorite
sport and determine which
activities or practices present a
potential health risk to players, and
how the body is affected by things
players do on and off the field.
DESIGN a system of compensation
for the players of the sport you’ve
chosen that would be considered
fair and just.
DESIGN an alternate logo
or mascot for a team with a
controversial name or mascot,
drawing on the history of the team
and its town.
INTERVIEW family and
community members to collect oral
histories about the controversial
issue you’ve selected. What do they
know about it, and what are their
opinions?
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 1: Debates and Controversies
1-7
GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS
• What will be the future impact on people or
environments if things go unchanged with your sport
or team?
• What resources or regulations would be needed to
address the issue at hand?
• Which organizations or people have the power to
make change on the issue?
• Is there popular knowledge of the issue? Does
awareness need to be raised?
• How can technology play a role in addressing the
issue?
Paralympic Games champion Tatyana
McFadden. Photo courtesy of Tatyana
McFadden.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
FINAL STEPS FOR STUDENTS: Choose a format (paper, website,
infographic, video recording/documentary, performance) appropriate
to discuss your proposed solution to the issue, and create talking
points so that you can present your ideas to others.
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 1: Debates and Controversies
1-8
SKILLS RUBRIC
Student demonstrated ability to collect and examine information about the community:
BEGINNING: Student returns from site visit with minimal evidence
DEVELOPING: Student returns from site visit with variety of evidence, but
much of it is not project-specific
ACCOMPLISHED: Student returns from site visit with variety of evidence,
and some of it is project-specific
EXEMPLARY: Student returns from site visit with thorough, project-specific
evidence
Student demonstrated ability to analyze primary sources and employ research strategies
to obtain primary data from targeted collections of sources:
BEGINNING: Student relies on one website to conduct research
DEVELOPING: Student relies on one website and one other source medium
(book, newspaper, interview)
ACCOMPLISHED: Student uses a variety of media to conduct research,
including more than one of each: website, book, news article, interview
EXEMPLARY: Student uses a variety of media to conduct research,
including more than one of each: website, book, news article, interview,
museum/historic society archives and/or objects
Student demonstrated ability to reflect on and revise work for project:
BEGINNING: Student’s work shows no evidence of incorporating feedback/
comments
DEVELOPING: Student completes several revisions of work, showing
evidence of incorporating feedback/comments, but changes made unwillingly
ACCOMPLISHED: Student shows desire to make changes and completes
several revisions of work, showing evidence of feedback/comments, but
changes made with significant facilitation
EXEMPLARY: Student is entirely self-directed, and completes several
revisions of work, showing evidence of incorporating feedback/comments
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 1: Debates and Controversies
1-9
SKILLS RUBRIC (continued)
Student demonstrated subject-specific vocabulary as relevant to the project
BEGINNING: Student rarely uses vocabulary beyond initial discussions
DEVELOPING: Student uses at least one relevant vocabulary term each
session
ACCOMPLISHED: Student uses at least two relevant vocabulary terms each
session
EXEMPLARY: Student uses at least three relevant vocabulary terms each
session
Student demonstrated initiative in activities of project:
BEGINNING: Student is off-task completely
DEVELOPING: Student is directed by teacher to revise work
ACCOMPLISHED: Student seeks facilitation from teacher and is then selfdirected
EXEMPLARY: Student is self-directed
FYI!
Five additional lessons
can be found on the
Museum on Main Street
website in both .pdf and
.ePub formats.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
A total of six Hometown Teams lesson plans are available free of
charge as both .pdf files and a downloadable .ePub for mobile devices
at the Museum on Main Street website.
Don’t forget to take a few moments to help us improve our
educational materials by taking a quick survey. Thanks in advance.
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 1: Debates and Controversies
1-10
Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America
LESSON PLAN 2: Fields of Glory
“Hometown Glory” by Brenda Read
Photography.
This is one of six lesson plans derived from Hometown Teams: How Sports
Shape America, a traveling exhibition organized by the Smithsonian Institution’s
Museum on Main Street program and brought to you by your state humanities
council. The materials and activities were compiled to help students observe,
encounter, participate, and learn about the importance of and impact of sports in
American communities.
The lesson plans that accompany Hometown Teams will help you create
meaningful and fun experiences for your students, based on current common
core standards for grades 6-10. All the lessons can be adapted for younger or
older audiences, so evaluate each lesson before selecting activities for your
students.
Help us gauge the effectiveness of the educational activities for Hometown
Teams: How Sports Shape America. Please take this short survey, and let us
know how you used these materials. Your input is much appreciated.
Sincerely, The Museum on Main Street Team
Hometown Teams is a Museum on Main Street exhibition organized by the Smithsonian
Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Funded by the U.S. Congress. Education
materials generously supported by the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 2: Fields of Glory
2-1
LESSON PLAN 2:
Fields of Glory
LESSON OVERVIEW
TOPIC: Sports/Facilities
CORE QUESTION: What is involved in the design of a sports
facility or field?
MISSION
Propose a design
for a new addition or
improvement to a local
sports facility, and
present your ideas
to relevant groups.
MISSION: Propose a design for a new addition or improvement to a
local sports facility, and present your ideas to relevant groups.
OBJECTIVES: Through various proposed activities, students may:
• Analyze primary sources and employ research
strategies to obtain primary data from targeted
collections of sources
• Pose historical and design questions after analyzing
and reflecting on primary sources
• Express original arguments in written and spoken
form
• Use subject-specific vocabulary in constructing an
argument
• Apply principles of math to real-world scenarios
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 2: Fields of Glory
2-2
COMMON CORE STANDARDS GRADES 6–8
MATH
CCSS.Math.Content.7.G.B.6 Solve real-world and mathematical
problems involving area, volume and surface area of two- and threedimensional objects composed of triangles, quadrilaterals, polygons,
cubes, and right prisms.
CCSS.Math.Content.7.NS.A.3 Solve real-world and mathematical
problems involving the four operations with rational numbers.
ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.2
Determine the central ideas or
conclusions of a text; provide an
accurate summary of the text distinct
from prior knowledge or opinions.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2 Write
informative/explanatory texts to
examine a topic and convey ideas,
concepts, and information through
the selection, organization, and
analysis of relevant content
Newkirk High School football players, OK,
2012. Photo by Tiffany Ruhl for Museum on
Main Street.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.4 Present
claims and findings, emphasizing
salient points in a focused, coherent
manner with pertinent descriptions,
facts, details, and examples; use
appropriate eye contact, adequate
volume, and clear pronunciation.
SCIENCE
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.4 Determine the meaning of symbols,
key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are
used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6–8
texts and topics.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.9 Compare and contrast the information
gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources
with that gained from reading a text on the same topic.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 2: Fields of Glory
2-3
COMMON CORE STANDARDS GRADES 9–10
MATH
TRY IT!
Apply geometric
methods to solve
design problems.
CCSS.Math.Content.HSG-MG.A.3 Apply geometric methods to
solve design problems (e.g., designing an object or structure to satisfy
physical constraints or minimize cost; working with typographic grid
systems based on ratios).
ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.2 Determine the central ideas or
conclusions of a text; trace the text’s explanation or depiction of a
complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate
summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to
examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly
and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and
analysis of content.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.4 Present information, findings, and
supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners
can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development,
substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
SCIENCE
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of symbols,
key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are
used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades
9–10 texts and topics.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.9 Compare and contrast findings
presented in a text to those from other sources (including their
own experiments), noting when the findings support or contradict
previous explanations or accounts.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 2: Fields of Glory
2-4
HOMETOWN TEAMS Exhibition Field Trip:
Suggested Activities
You might consider doing one or both of these activities when visiting
the Hometown Teams exhibit.
FIELD TRIP
Get in the game
by planning a visit
with your students
to the Hometown
Teams exhibit.
1. Divide students into small groups of 2-3, and assign each group
to look at one of the stereoscope images in the “Fields of Glory”
section of the exhibit. Ask each group to observe the image
closely and develop a list of pros and cons of the facility’s design,
thinking about perspectives of players, fans, coaches, referees.
Ask each group to share their thoughts.
2. Ask students to briefly explore the Hometown Teams exhibit,
then do a short activity (10–15 minutes) where each student
designs a dream stadium/field for his/her favorite sport using
paper and pen. Ask students to share and discuss what qualities
of their designs made them ideal, and how their design would
make the experience of the sport better for all involved.
Discuss the following questions with the group:
• What are some of the sports facilities in this town?
• Do you think there are any problems in the design of
those facilities for players?
• Do you think
there are any
problems in the
design of those
facilities for
fans?
• Are there any
sports stadiums/
arenas around
the world that
you think are
great examples
of design?
Coach Dorothy Franco-Reed encourages a
player during a volleyball match. Photo by
Tom Reed.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 2: Fields of Glory
2-5
RESOURCES TO EXPLORE
IN THE COMMUNITY
• Hometown Teams exhibit
• Local museum or historical society
• School library or hall of fame
• Local parks/sports fields
• Sports equipment stores
• Local urban planning/parks departments
• Local or school health office/department
EXPLORE!
Find resources
both in local
communities and
online.
ONLINE
Listing of stadiums around the world: http://www.worldstadiums.
com/north_america/countries/united_states.shtml
Stadium design flaws: http://www.realclearsports.com/lists/stadium_
design_flaws/
Roomle, free 3D-visualization and design software: http://www.
roomle.com/
Athletic Facility Design magazine: http://www.athleticfacilitydesign.
com/v3i7/9.htm
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 2: Fields of Glory
2-6
ACTIVITIES FOR STUDENTS
You might choose to include all or some of the activities below in
lessons for the project.
INTERVIEW teams and coaches
who use the sports stadium or
field you’ve decided to focus on
to determine what changes they
would want to see made.
RESEARCH designs of sports
stadiums/fields across your state,
and compare the similarities and
differences between them.
MISSION
EXPLORE the area surrounding
the sports stadium or field you’ve
decided to focus on, and identify
what plant and animal life might be
impacted by new design.
USE geometric methods to
develop a 3D model of your
proposed addition or improvement.
How much space and materials will
be needed?
WATCH videos of buildings or
parks under construction. Identify
what properties of physics are
involved in the construction of a
facility.
RESEARCH archived
newspapers, yearbooks, or other
collections to learn about the
history of the stadium/field. Has its
use changed over time?
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 2: Fields of Glory
2-7
GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS
• What would improve the quality of sports played in
this sports facility?
• What kinds of movements take place in this facility—
on the part of both players and fans?
• What kind of materials would have to be involved in
your proposed design?
• What impact would your proposed addition or
improvement have on the surrounding environment?
• How much would the project cost?
Durham Athletic Park, NC. Durham Bulls
Baseball Club.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
FINAL STEPS FOR STUDENTS: Choose a format (paper, website,
infographic, video recording/documentary, performance) appropriate
to present your new sports facility, and create talking points so that
you can present your ideas to others.
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 2: Fields of Glory
2-8
SKILLS RUBRIC
Student demonstrated ability to collect and examine information about the community
BEGINNING: Student returns from site visit with minimal evidence
DEVELOPING: Student returns from site visit with variety of evidence, but
much of it is not project-specific
ACCOMPLISHED: Student returns from site visit with variety of evidence,
and some of it is project-specific
EXEMPLARY: Student returns from site visit with thorough, projectspecific evidence
Student demonstrated ability to analyze primary sources and employ research strategies
to obtain primary data from targeted collections of sources
BEGINNING: Student relies on one website to conduct research
DEVELOPING: Student relies on one website and one other source medium
(book, newspaper, interview)
ACCOMPLISHED: Student uses a variety of media to conduct research,
including more than one of each: website, book, news article, interview
EXEMPLARY: Student uses a variety of media to conduct research,
including more than one of each: website, book, news article, interview,
museum/historic society archives and/or objects
Student demonstrated ability to reflect on and revise work for project
BEGINNING: Student’s work shows no evidence of incorporating feedback/
comments
DEVELOPING: Student completes several revisions of work, showing
evidence of incorporating feedback/comments, but changes made unwillingly
ACCOMPLISHED: Student shows desire to make changes and completes
several revisions of work, showing evidence of feedback/comments, but
changes made with significant facilitation
EXEMPLARY: Student is entirely self-directed, and completes several
revisions of work, showing evidence of incorporating feedback/comments
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 2: Fields of Glory
2-9
SKILLS RUBRIC (continued)
Student demonstrated subject-specific vocabulary as relevant to the project
BEGINNING: Student rarely uses vocabulary beyond initial discussions
DEVELOPING: Student uses at least one relevant vocabulary term each session
ACCOMPLISHED: Student uses at least two relevant vocabulary terms each session
EXEMPLARY: Student uses at least three relevant vocabulary terms each session
Student demonstrated initiative in activities of project
BEGINNING: Student is off-task completely
DEVELOPING: Student is directed by teacher to revise work
ACCOMPLISHED: Student seeks facilitation from teacher and is then self-directed
EXEMPLARY: Student is self-directed
FYI!
Five additional lessons
can be found on the
Museum on Main Street
website in both .pdf and
.ePub formats.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
A total of six Hometown Teams lesson plans are available free of
charge as both .pdf files and a downloadable .ePub for mobile devices
at the Museum on Main Street website.
Don’t forget to take a few moments to help us improve our
educational materials by taking a quick survey. Thanks in advance.
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 2: Fields of Glory
2-10
Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America
LESSON PLAN 3: Tastes of the Game
2012 Rose Bowl pep rally, University of
Oregon / Jack Liu.
This is one of six lesson plans derived from Hometown Teams: How Sports
Shape America, a traveling exhibition organized by the Smithsonian Institution’s
Museum on Main Street program and brought to you by your state humanities
council. The materials and activities were compiled to help students observe,
encounter, participate, and learn about the importance of and impact of sports in
American communities.
The lesson plans that accompany Hometown Teams will help you create
meaningful and fun experiences for your students, based on current common
core standards for grades 6-10. All the lessons can be adapted for younger or
older audiences, so evaluate each lesson before selecting activities for your
students.
Help us gauge the effectiveness of the educational activities for Hometown
Teams: How Sports Shape America. Please take this short survey, and let us
know how you used these materials. Your input is much appreciated.
Sincerely, The Museum on Main Street Team
Hometown Teams is a Museum on Main Street exhibition organized by the Smithsonian
Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Funded by the U.S. Congress. Education
materials generously supported by the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 3: Tastes of the Game
3-1
LESSON PLAN 3:
Tastes of the Game
LESSON OVERVIEW
TOPIC: Food culture
CORE QUESTION: What is the food culture surrounding your
favorite sport or team?
MISSION
Design a new food
item to be part of the
experience of a favorite
sport or team.
MISSION: Design a new food item to be part of the experience of
a favorite sport or team, and propose it to the appropriate groups to
obtain the resources needed to produce it.
OBJECTIVES: Through various proposed activities, students may:
• Analyze primary sources and employ research
strategies to obtain primary data from targeted
collections of sources
• Pose historical and design questions after analyzing
and reflecting on primary sources
• Express original arguments in written and spoken
form
• Use subject-specific vocabulary in constructing an
argument
• Apply principles of math to real-world scenarios
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 3: Tastes of the Game
3-2
COMMON CORE STANDARDS GRADES 6–8
ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.7 Conduct short research projects to answer
a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional
related, focused questions for further research and investigation.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.7 Integrate visual information (e.g., in
charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information
in print and digital texts.
HISTORY
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2 Determine the
central ideas or information of a primary or
secondary source; provide an accurate summary
of the source distinct from prior knowledge or
opinions.
SCIENCE
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.7 Integrate
quantitative or technical information expressed in
words in a text with a version of that information
expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram,
model, graph, or table).
MATH
CCSS.Math.Content.7.RP.A.3 Use proportional
relationships to solve multistep ratio and percent
problems.
The Primanti Brothers sandwich is a
Pittsburgh, PA, favorite. Dominique King
(www.midwestguest.com).
www.museumonmainstreet.org
CCSS.Math.Content.7.EE.B.3 Solve multi-step,
real-life and mathematical problems posed with
positive and negative rational numbers in any
form (whole numbers, fractions, and decimals),
using tools strategically.
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 3: Tastes of the Game
3-3
COMMON CORE STANDARDS GRADES 9–10
SCIENCE
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.7 Translate quantitative or technical
information expressed in words in a text into visual form (e.g.,
a table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or
mathematically (e.g., in an equation) into words.
HISTORY
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.2 Determine the central ideas or
information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate
summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the
text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.7 Integrate quantitative or technical
analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in print
or digital text.
MATH
CCSS.Math.Content.HSA-CED.A.1 Create equations and inequalities
in one variable and use them to solve problems.
ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS
TRY IT!
Write informative/
explanatory texts
to examine and convey
complex ideas, concepts,
and information clearly
and accurately.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to
examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly
and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and
analysis of content.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.7 Conduct short as well as more
sustained research projects to answer a question (including a selfgenerated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the
inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject,
demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 3: Tastes of the Game
3-4
HOMETOWN TEAMS Exhibition Field Trip:
Suggested Activities
You might consider doing one or both of these activities when visiting
the Hometown Teams exhibit.
FIELD TRIP
Get in the game
by planning a visit
with your students
to the Hometown
Teams exhibit.
1. Divide students into small groups of 2–3, and assign each group
one of the nontraditional sports included in the “Name That
Sport” section of the exhibit (slamball, footvolley, quidditch,
pickleball, underwater hockey, bike polo). Give each group 10
minutes to come up with a creative food item that draws on the
sport’s history and spirit to become part of the experience of the
game. Ask each group to share what they came up with, and what
influenced their design.
2. Divide students into small groups of 2–3, and ask them to explore
the Hometown Teams exhibit, including the “Tastes of the
Game” section. Ask each group to find as many different food
items represented in the exhibit (through objects, images, or
text), and ask them to pick one of the food items they found and
think about the history of that food item. Was it always part of
the sport? Would you consider it a vital part of the experience of
that sport? Does it have origins in the places where that sport was
traditionally played?
Discuss the following questions with the group:
• What are some your favorite teams/sports?
• What traditions are associated with your favorite
sport or team?
• What kind of food items are associated with your
favorite sport or team, and is there anything you
could introduce to make the fan experience even
better?
• Do you think sports foods should have some kind of
tie to the location of the team? (e.g. lobster rolls in
New England, crabcakes in Baltimore)
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 3: Tastes of the Game
3-5
RESOURCES TO EXPLORE
IN THE COMMUNITY
• Hometown Teams exhibit
• Local museum or historical society
• School library or hall of fame
• Local parks/sports fields
• Local restaurants
• Local grocery stores
ONLINE
Food Network tailgating recipes: http://www.foodnetwork.com/
tailgating/package/index.html
Superbowl recipes: http://homecooking.about.com/od/
superbowlrecipes/
America’s best stadium food: http://www.travelandleisure.com/
articles/americas-best-stadium-food
Pawtucket Red Sox Baseball Club, RI.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
ESPN report on stadium food violations: http://sports.espn.go.com/
espn/eticket/story?page=100725/stadiumconcessions
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 3: Tastes of the Game
3-6
ACTIVITIES FOR STUDENTS
You might choose to include all or some of the activities below in
lessons for the project.
INTERVIEW local restaurant and
grocery store workers as well as
family members who make recipes
from scratch. Ask how to read and
write recipes.
DETERMINE the climate for your
favorite team/sport, and research
food from other cultures with
similar climates. Is there anything
that can be adapted from another
culture’s food traditions?
RESEARCH locally grown or
produced foods in your community
and develop a list of potential base
ingredients from what’s local.
MISSION
CALCULATE proportions of
ingredients needed for your food
item and how much of each
ingredient would be needed to
serve a whole stadium/park.
CREATE a visual chart that
explains the origins of the
ingredients in your food item. What
plants or animals did they start
from?
VIDEO yourself preparing the
food item you’ve designed. What
properties of physics are at work
in the preparation process? What
biological processes are at work
when eating and disgesting?
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 3: Tastes of the Game
3-7
GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS
• What types of foods make sense for the season and
climate in which the sport is played?
• What ingredients would be needed, and where would
they come from?
• What is the capacity of the stadium/park where you
favorite team plays? If your item was sold there, how
much of each ingredient would you need to serve the
whole stadium/park?
• How would your new food item need to be priced to
generate a profit?
Nachos became a popular game-day snack
during the 1970s. Margaret Montgomery.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
FINAL STEPS FOR STUDENTS: Choose a format (paper, website,
infographic, video recording/documentary, performance) appropriate
to present your new food item, and create talking points so that you
can present your ideas to others.
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 3: Tastes of the Game
3-8
SKILLS RUBRIC
Student demonstrated ability to collect and examine information about the community
BEGINNING: Student returns from site visit with minimal evidence
DEVELOPING: Student returns from site visit with variety of evidence, but much
of it is not project-specific
ACCOMPLISHED: Student returns from site visit with variety of evidence, and
some of it is project-specific
EXEMPLARY: Student returns from site visit with thorough, project-specific
evidence
Student demonstrated ability to analyze primary sources and employ research strategies to
obtain primary data from targeted collections of sources
BEGINNING: Student relies on one website to conduct research
DEVELOPING: Student relies on one website and one other source medium
(book, newspaper, interview)
ACCOMPLISHED: Student uses a variety of media to conduct research, including
more than one of each: website, book, news article, interview
EXEMPLARY: Student uses a variety of media to conduct research, including
more than one of each: website, book, news article, interview, museum/historic
society archives and/or objects
Student demonstrated ability to reflect on and revise work for project
BEGINNING: Student’s work shows no evidence of incorporating feedback/
comments
DEVELOPING: Student completes several revisions of work, showing evidence of
incorporating feedback/comments, but changes made unwillingly
ACCOMPLISHED: Student shows desire to make changes and completes several
revisions of work, showing evidence of feedback/comments, but changes made
with significant facilitation
EXEMPLARY: Student is entirely self-directed, and completes several revisions of
work, showing evidence of incorporating feedback/comments
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 3: Tastes of the Game
3-9
SKILLS RUBRIC
Student demonstrated subject-specific vocabulary as relevant to the project
BEGINNING: Student rarely uses vocabulary beyond initial discussions
DEVELOPING: Student uses at least one relevant vocabulary term each session
ACCOMPLISHED: Student uses at least two relevant vocabulary terms each
session
EXEMPLARY: Student uses at least three relevant vocabulary terms each session
Student demonstrated initiative in activities of project
BEGINNING: Student is off-task completely
DEVELOPING: Student is directed by teacher to revise work
ACCOMPLISHED: Student seeks facilitation from teacher and is then
self-directed
EXEMPLARY: Student is self-directed
FYI!
Five additional lessons
can be found on the
Museum on Main Street
website in both .pdf and
.ePub formats.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
A total of six Hometown Teams lesson plans are available free of
charge as both .pdf files and a downloadable .ePub for mobile devices
at the Museum on Main Street website.
Don’t forget to take a few moments to help us improve our
educational materials by taking a quick survey. Thanks in advance.
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 3: Tastes of the Game
3-10
Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America
LESSON PLAN 4: Team America
1966 NCAA basketball champion
Texas Western plays against Kentucky.
UTEP Athletics.
This is one of six lesson plans derived from Hometown Teams: How Sports
Shape America, a traveling exhibition organized by the Smithsonian Institution’s
Museum on Main Street program and brought to you by your state humanities
council. The materials and activities were compiled to help students observe,
encounter, participate, and learn about the importance of and impact of sports in
American communities.
The lesson plans that accompany Hometown Teams will help you create
meaningful and fun experiences for your students, based on current common
core standards for grades 6-10. All the lessons can be adapted for younger or
older audiences, so evaluate each lesson before selecting activities for your
students.
Help us gauge the effectiveness of the educational activities for Hometown
Teams: How Sports Shape America. Please take this short survey, and let us
know how you used these materials. Your input is much appreciated.
Sincerely, The Museum on Main Street Team
Hometown Teams is a Museum on Main Street exhibition organized by the Smithsonian
Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Funded by the U.S. Congress. Education
materials generously supported by the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 4: Team America
4-1
LESSON PLAN 4:
Team America
TOPIC: Evolution of sports in a community or region
CORE QUESTION: What is the history of sports in my community,
and how has it changed over time?
MISSION
Create a campaign
to convince sports
commentators that
your local team
should be considered
America’s team.
MISSION: Create a campaign to convince sports commentators that
your local team should be considered America’s team—that it best
represents America and sports in America.
OBJECTIVES: Through various proposed activities, students may:
• Analyze primary sources and employ research
strategies to obtain primary data from targeted
collections of sources
• Pose historical questions after analyzing and
reflecting on primary sources
• Express original arguments in written and spoken
form
• Obtain and use new foreign language vocabulary
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 4: Team America
4-2
COMMON CORE STANDARDS GRADES 6–8
HISTORY
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to
support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.5 Describe how a text presents
information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).
TRY IT!
Integrate visual
information (e.g.,
in charts, graphs,
photographs, videos,
or maps) with other
information in print
and digital texts.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.7 Integrate visual information (e.g., in
charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information
in print and digital texts.
ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.1 Write arguments focused on
discipline-specific content.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.2 Write informative/explanatory texts,
including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/
experiments, or technical processes.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.4 Produce clear and coherent writing
in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to
task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.8 Gather relevant information from
multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively;
assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or
paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding
plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 4: Team America
4-3
COMMON CORE STANDARDS GRADES 9–10
HISTORY
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.1 Cite specific textual evidence to
support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such
features as the date and origin of the information.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.2 Determine the central ideas or
information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate
summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of
the text.
ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.1 Write arguments focused on
discipline-specific content.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory
texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific
procedures/experiments, or technical processes.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.5 Develop and strengthen writing
as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new
approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a
specific purpose and audience.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.
WHST.9-10.8 Gather
relevant information from
multiple authoritative
print and digital sources,
using advanced searches
effectively; assess the
usefulness of each source
in answering the research
question; integrate
information into the text
selectively to maintain
the flow of ideas, avoiding
plagiarism and following a
standard format for citation.
The U.S. Military Academy and the U.S.
Naval Academy compete in the annual
Army-Navy football game. Danny Wild/
USMA
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 4: Team America
4-4
HOMETOWN TEAMS Exhibition Field Trip:
Suggested Activities
You might consider doing one or both of these activities when visiting
the Hometown Teams exhibit.
FIELD TRIP
Get in the game
by planning a visit
with your students
to the Hometown
Teams exhibit.
1. Divide students into small groups of 2–3, and have each group
listen to one of the audio interviews in the “Heart of Our
Hometowns” section of the exhibit and/or watch the video
interviews in the “Sports Explosion” section of the exhibit. After
listening to the interviews, ask each group to write down ideas
for what clues or keywords that would make someone choose this
team as “America’s team.” Ask each group to share out their ideas.
2. Divide students into small groups of 2–3, and ask them to explore
the Hometown Teams exhibit. Assign each group a sport, and
ask them to find evidence in the exhibit (images, objects, text)
that would convince someone why their assigned sport could be
considered iconic of America. Ask each group to share what they
found and what arguments they would make.
Discuss the following questions with the group:
• What sports do you play?
• What sports did your parents and grandparents play?
• What sports have been played in our community
since its founding?
• Do you think there was a turning point in the sports
of your community?
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 4: Team America
4-5
RESOURCES TO EXPLORE
IN THE COMMUNITY
• Hometown Teams exhibit
• Local museum or historical society
• School library or hall of fame
• Local parks/sports fields
• Sports equipment stores
ONLINE
US Olympic Committee: http://www.teamusa.org/
Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers online
exhibition: http://amhistory.si.edu/sports/
Library of Congress Sports and Recreation
resources: http://www.loc.gov/topics/content.
php?cat=11
National Alliance for Youth Sports: http://www.
nays.org/
Summer practice for Woodstock High
School ski team, VT, 2012. Vermont
Standard photo by Charles Kahn.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 4: Team America
4-6
ACTIVITIES FOR STUDENTS
You might choose to include all or some of the activities below in
lessons for the project.
RESEARCH archived
newspapers, yearbooks, or other
collections to see how your
hometown team has changed over
time. Were there any turning points
for the team?
RESEARCH the history of your
town before it was officially
settled. What is the legacy of
American Indian sports in your
community?
MISSION
FIND photographs or memorabilia
from recent years of your
hometown team, and imagine what
a visitor from another country
might learn about America from
those objects.
RESEARCH the national sports
of other countries and create a list
or a visual map of what they have
in common, and what makes them
unique.
READ a novel or watch a movie
centered around sports and analyze
the themes, symbols, and motifs
explored and how they connect to
ideas of being American.
INTERVIEW family and
community members to collect oral
histories about what sports they
played and watched growing up.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 4: Team America
4-7
GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS
• What defines a national icon, and what are some
examples?
• What traditions or characteristics do you think a
sport would need to represent America?
• How does the history of your hometown team reflect
the broader history of America?
• How do you think the sport might continue to evolve
in the future?
Steven Felschundneff / Claremont Courier.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
FINAL STEPS FOR STUDENTS: Choose a format (paper, website,
infographic, video recording/documentary) appropriate to convince
sports commentators of your argument, and create talking points so
that you can present your ideas to others.
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 4: Team America
4-8
SKILLS RUBRIC
Student demonstrated ability to collect and examine information about the community
BEGINNING: Student returns from site visit with minimal evidence
DEVELOPING: Student returns from site visit with variety of evidence, but
much of it is not project-specific
ACCOMPLISHED: Student returns from site visit with variety of evidence, and
some of it is project-specific
EXEMPLARY: Student returns from site visit with thorough, project-specific
evidence
Student demonstrated ability to analyze primary sources and employ research strategies to
obtain primary data from targeted collections of sources
BEGINNING: Student relies on one website to conduct research
DEVELOPING: Student relies on one website and one other source medium
(book, newspaper, interview)
ACCOMPLISHED: Student uses a variety of media to conduct research,
including more than one of each: website, book, news article, interview
EXEMPLARY: Student uses a variety of media to conduct research, including
more than one of each: website, book, news article, interview, museum/historic
society archives and/or objects
Student demonstrated ability to reflect on and revise work for project
BEGINNING: Student’s work shows no evidence of incorporating feedback/
comments
DEVELOPING: Student completes several revisions of work, showing evidence
of incorporating feedback/comments, but changes made unwillingly
ACCOMPLISHED: Student shows desire to make changes and completes several
revisions of work, showing evidence of feedback/comments, but changes made
with significant facilitation
EXEMPLARY: Student is entirely self-directed, and completes several revisions
of work, showing evidence of incorporating feedback/comments
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 4: Team America
4-9
SKILLS RUBRIC (continued)
Student demonstrated subject-specific vocabulary as relevant to the project
BEGINNING: Student rarely uses vocabulary beyond initial discussions
DEVELOPING: Student uses at least one relevant vocabulary term each session
ACCOMPLISHED: Student uses at least two relevant vocabulary terms each
session
EXEMPLARY: Student uses at least three relevant vocabulary terms each
session
Student demonstrated initiative in activities of project
BEGINNING: Student is off-task completely
DEVELOPING: Student is directed by teacher to revise work
ACCOMPLISHED: Student seeks facilitation from teacher and is then
self-directed
EXEMPLARY: Student is self-directed
FYI!
Five additional lessons
can be found on the
Museum on Main Street
website in both .pdf and
.ePub formats.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
A total of six Hometown Teams lesson plans are available free of
charge as both .pdf files and a downloadable .ePub for mobile devices
at the Museum on Main Street website.
Don’t forget to take a few moments to help us improve our
educational materials by taking a quick survey. Thanks in advance.
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 4: Team America
4-10
Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America
LESSON PLAN 5: Traditions and Rituals
The Milan High School basketball
team in 1954, inspiration for the film
“Hoosiers.” Milan 1954 Museum.
This is one of six lesson plans derived from Hometown Teams: How Sports
Shape America, a traveling exhibition organized by the Smithsonian Institution’s
Museum on Main Street program and brought to you by your state humanities
council. The materials and activities were compiled to help students observe,
encounter, participate, and learn about the importance of and impact of sports in
American communities.
The lesson plans that accompany Hometown Teams will help you create
meaningful and fun experiences for your students, based on current common
core standards for grades 6-10. All the lessons can be adapted for younger or
older audiences, so evaluate each lesson before selecting activities for your
students.
Help us gauge the effectiveness of the educational activities for Hometown
Teams: How Sports Shape America. Please take this short survey, and let us
know how you used these materials. Your input is much appreciated.
Sincerely, The Museum on Main Street Team
Hometown Teams is a Museum on Main Street exhibition organized by the Smithsonian
Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Funded by the U.S. Congress. Education
materials generously supported by the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 5: Traditions and Rituals
5-1
LESSON PLAN 5:
Traditions and Rituals
LESSON OVERVIEW
TOPIC: Team/sport traditions
CORE QUESTION: What are the traditions that surround a sport or
sports team, and how do they develop?
MISSION
Develop a new tradition
to be integrated into
your favorite sports
team, and create a
campaign to convince
your school/community
that it should become
part of the experience
of that team.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
MISSION: Develop a new tradition to be integrated into your
favorite sports team, and create a campaign to convince your school/
community that it should become part of the experience of that team.
OBJECTIVES: Through various proposed activities, students may:
• Analyze primary sources and employ research
strategies to obtain data from targeted collections of
sources
• Pose historical questions after analyzing and
reflecting on primary sources
• Express original arguments in written and spoken
form
• Obtain and use new foreign language vocabulary
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 5: Traditions and Rituals
5-2
COMMON CORE STANDARDS GRADES 6–8
ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.3 Use knowledge of language and its
conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.1 Engage
effectively in a range of collaborative
discussions (one-on-one, in groups,
and teacher-led) with diverse partners
on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues,
building on others’ ideas and expressing
their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.5 Include
multimedia components and visual
displays in presentations to clarify
claims and findings and emphasize
salient points.
HISTORY
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.1 Cite
specific textual evidence to support
analysis of primary and secondary
sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2
Determine the central ideas or
information of a primary or secondary
source; provide an accurate summary
of the source distinct from prior
knowledge or opinions.
Kearney Catholic plays at Loup City, NE. Harold Houser
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 5: Traditions and Rituals
5-3
COMMON CORE STANDARDS GRADES 9–10
ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.1 Demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or
speaking.
TRY IT!
Initiate and participate
effectively in a range of
collaborative discussions
(one-on-one, in groups,
and teacher-led).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1 Initiate and participate effectively in
a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and
issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and
persuasively.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.5 Make strategic use of digital media
(e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in
presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and
evidence and to add interest.
HISTORY
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.1 Cite specific textual evidence to
support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such
features as the date and origin of the information.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.2 Determine the central ideas or
information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate
summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of
the text.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 5: Traditions and Rituals
5-4
HOMETOWN TEAMS EXHIBITION
FIELD TRIP: SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
You might consider doing one or both of these activities when visiting
the Hometown Teams exhibit.
FIELD TRIP
Get in the game
by planning a visit
with your students
to the Hometown
Teams exhibit.
1. Have students sit on the bleachers in the exhibit, and ask
volunteers to read the sports traditions explored on the cushions
(cushions give more information when flipped). Ask each
volunteer to share with the class what tradition their cushion
discussed, and if they’ve ever personally experienced that
tradition.
2. Divide students into small groups of 2–3, and ask them to
explore the Hometown Teams exhibit. Assign each group a
sport, and ask them to find evidence in the exhibit (images,
objects, text) of as many different traditions associated with that
sport as they can. Ask each group to share the traditions they
found represented in the exhibit, and discuss whether there are
similarities across the different sports that were assigned.
Discuss the following questions with the group:
• What traditions do the fans of our school/hometown
team have?
• What traditions do the players of our school/
hometown team have?
• Are there rituals, music, or other things that mark
that team?
• What are your favorite sports/sports teams, and how
do the traditions of that team compare with traditions
of other sports?
• How do traditions of your favorite sports/sports team
compare with the traditions of the popular sport of
another culture or country?
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 5: Traditions and Rituals
5-5
RESOURCES TO EXPLORE
IN THE COMMUNITY
• Hometown Teams exhibit
• Local museum or historical society
• Local library
• School library or hall of fame
• Local parks/sports fields
• Sports equipment stores
ONLINE
College Sports Traditions website: http://www.
collegesportstraditions.com/cst/index.php
Tailgating website: http://www.tailgating.com/
Bleacher Report: Best Sports Traditions: http://bleacherreport.com/
articles/430099-the-best-traditions-in-all-of-sports
Yukon High School vs. Edmond Santa Fe
High School, OK. Photo by Bryan Terry,
© 2011, The Oklahoman.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Bleacher Report: Sports Rituals: http://bleacherreport.com/
articles/521720-the-25-strangest-rituals-in-sports
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 5: Traditions and Rituals
5-6
ACTIVITIES FOR STUDENTS
You might choose to include all or some of the activities below in
lessons for the project.
RESEARCH archived
newspapers, yearbooks, fan
websites, or other collections to
see how traditions of your favorite
sport or sports team have changed
over time.
READ a novel or watch a movie
that centers around the sport
you’ve chosen. Analyze the novel/
movie’s themes, and the role
traditions play in it.
CHOOSE a different country
and research traditions that are
associated with that country’s
most popular sport.
MISSION
GATHER research and interviews,
and brainstorm a new tradition to
propose for your chosen sport or
sports team.
BRING in to class a memento
from your favorite sports team.
Write a creative story inspired by
that memento and incorporate any
common traditions into that story.
WATCH a match/game of your
favorite sport or sports team and
interview community members to
collect oral histories about their
favorite traditions.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 5: Traditions and Rituals
5-7
GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS
• What purpose would the new tradition serve?
• How would it fill a gap in the traditions that already
exist?
• How would the new tradition bring the community
together?
• Is there a role that technology can play in new
traditions?
Neighborhood hockey, MN, 1948.
Minnesota Historical Society: Al Heitman
www.museumonmainstreet.org
FINAL STEPS FOR STUDENTS: Choose a format (paper, website,
infographic, video recording/documentary, performance) appropriate
to convince your school or the sports community about your
proposed new tradition, and create talking points so that you can
present your ideas to others.
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 5: Traditions and Rituals
5-8
SKILLS RUBRIC
Student demonstrated ability to collect and examine information about the community
BEGINNING: Student returns from site visit with minimal evidence
DEVELOPING: Student returns from site visit with variety of evidence, but
much of it is not project-specific
ACCOMPLISHED: Student returns from site visit with variety of evidence, and
some of it is project-specific
EXEMPLARY: Student returns from site visit with thorough, project-specific
evidence
Student demonstrated ability to analyze primary sources and employ research strategies to
obtain primary data from targeted collections of sources
BEGINNING: Student relies on one website to conduct research
DEVELOPING: Student relies on one website and one other source medium
(book, newspaper, interview)
ACCOMPLISHED: Student uses a variety of media to conduct research,
including more than one of each: website, book, news article, interview
EXEMPLARY: Student uses a variety of media to conduct research, including
more than one of each: website, book, news article, interview, museum/historic
society archives and/or objects
Student demonstrated ability to reflect on and revise work for project
BEGINNING: Student’s work shows no evidence of incorporating feedback/
comments
DEVELOPING: Student completes several revisions of work, showing evidence
of incorporating feedback/comments, but changes made unwillingly
ACCOMPLISHED: Student shows desire to make changes and completes several
revisions of work, showing evidence of feedback/comments, but changes made
with significant facilitation
EXEMPLARY: Student is entirely self-directed, and completes several revisions
of work, showing evidence of incorporating feedback/comments
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 5: Traditions and Rituals
5-9
SKILLS RUBRIC (continued)
Student demonstrated subject-specific vocabulary as relevant to the project
BEGINNING: Student rarely uses vocabulary beyond initial discussions
DEVELOPING: Student uses at least one relevant vocabulary term each session
ACCOMPLISHED: Student uses at least two relevant vocabulary terms each
session
EXEMPLARY: Student uses at least three relevant vocabulary terms each session
Student demonstrated initiative in activities of project
BEGINNING: Student is off-task completely
DEVELOPING: Student is directed by teacher to revise work
ACCOMPLISHED: Student seeks facilitation from teacher and is then
self-directed
EXEMPLARY: Student is self-directed
FYI!
Five additional lessons
can be found on the
Museum on Main Street
website in both .pdf and
.ePub formats.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
A total of six Hometown Teams lesson plans are available free of
charge as both .pdf files and a downloadable .ePub for mobile devices
at the Museum on Main Street website.
Don’t forget to take a few moments to help us improve our
educational materials by taking a quick survey. Thanks in advance.
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 5: Traditions and Rituals
5-10
Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America
LESSON PLAN 6: Wide World of Sports
brianbielmann.com
This is one of six lesson plans derived from Hometown Teams: How Sports
Shape America, a traveling exhibition organized by the Smithsonian Institution’s
Museum on Main Street program and brought to you by your state humanities
council. The materials and activities were compiled to help students observe,
encounter, participate, and learn about the importance of and impact of sports in
American communities.
The lesson plans that accompany Hometown Teams will help you create
meaningful and fun experiences for your students, based on current common
core standards for grades 6-10. All the lessons can be adapted for younger or
older audiences, so evaluate each lesson before selecting activities for your
students.
Help us gauge the effectiveness of the educational activities for Hometown
Teams: How Sports Shape America. Please take this short survey, and let us
know how you used these materials. Your input is much appreciated.
Sincerely, The Museum on Main Street Team
Hometown Teams is a Museum on Main Street exhibition organized by the Smithsonian
Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Funded by the U.S. Congress. Education
materials generously supported by the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 6: Wide World of Sports
6-1
LESSON PLAN 6:
Wide World of Sports
LESSON OVERVIEW
TOPIC: Sport/game design and origins
CORE QUESTION: What is a sport, what are the different aspects
that make up a sport?
MISSION
Design a brand new
sport that represents
your community.
MISSION: Design a brand new sport that represents your
community, and present to relevant groups to see if you can get the
resources you need to make it real.
OBJECTIVES: Through various proposed activities, students may:
• Analyze primary sources and employ research
strategies to obtain primary data from targeted
collections of sources
• Create an original argument using primary sources
• Pose historical and design questions after analyzing
and reflecting on primary sources
• Apply mathematical and geometric principles to
create original design
The Lonestar Rollergirls. Photo by Earl
McGehee for Texas Roller Derby.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 6: Wide World of Sports
6-2
COMMON CORE STANDARDS GRADES 6–8
MATH
CCSS.Math.Content.7.RP.A.1 Compute unit rates associated with
ratios of fractions, including ratios of lengths, areas and other
quantities measured in like or different units.
CCSS.Math.Content.7.RP.A.2 Recognize and represent proportional
relationships between quantities.
CCSS.Math.Content.7.NS.A.3 Solve real-world and mathematical
problems involving the four operations with rational numbers.
TRY IT!
Solve real-world and
mathematical problems
involving area, volume
and surface area of twoand three-dimensional
objects composed of
triangles, quadrilaterals,
polygons, cubes, and
right prisms.
CCSS.Math.Content.7.G.B.6 Solve real-world and mathematical
problems involving area, volume and surface area of two- and threedimensional objects composed of triangles, quadrilaterals, polygons,
cubes, and right prisms.
SCIENCE
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.7 Integrate quantitative or technical
information expressed in words in a text with a version of that
information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model,
graph, or table).
ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.2 Write informative/explanatory texts,
including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/
experiments, or technical processes.
HISTORY
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or
information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate
summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.7 Integrate visual information (e.g., in
charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information
in print and digital texts.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 6: Wide World of Sports
6-3
COMMON CORE STANDARDS GRADES 9–10
SCIENCE
TRY IT!
Analyze the structure
of the relationships
among concepts in
a text, including
relationships among
key terms (e.g., force,
friction, reaction
force, energy).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.5 Analyze the structure of the
relationships among concepts in a text, including relationships among
key terms (e.g., force, friction, reaction force, energy).
MATH
CCSS.Math.Content.HSN-Q.A.1 Use units as a way to understand
problems and to guide the solution of multi-step problems; choose
and interpret units consistently in formulas; choose and interpret the
scale and the origin in graphs and data displays.
CCSS.Math.Content.HSG-MG.A.3 Apply geometric methods to
solve design problems (e.g., designing an object or structure to satisfy
physical constraints or minimize cost; working with typographic grid
systems based on ratios).
ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to
examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly
and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and
analysis of content.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3 Write narratives to develop real or
imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen
details, and well-structured event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.5 Develop and strengthen writing as
needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new
approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a
specific purpose and audience.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.7 Conduct short as well as more
sustained research projects to answer a question (including a selfgenerated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the
inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject,
demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
HISTORY
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.2 Determine the central ideas or
information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate
summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of
the text.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 6: Wide World of Sports
6-4
HOMETOWN TEAMS EXHIBITION FIELD
TRIP: SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
You might consider doing one or both of these activities when visiting
the Hometown Teams exhibit.
FIELD TRIP
Get in the game
by planning a visit
with your students
to the Hometown
Teams exhibit.
1. Divide students into small groups of 2–3, and ask them to explore
the Hometown Teams exhibit to find one image that they would
include in a dictionary to help define the word sport. Ask groups
to share the images they chose, and explain why.
2. Divide students into small groups of 2–3, and ask them to
explore the exhibit to compare two different sports that are
represented (basketball, football, baseball, swimming, golf,
lacrosse, skateboarding, rodeo, street hockey, water polo,
surfing, kayaking, track and field, volleyball, tennis, gymnastics,
wrestling, karate, boxing, skiing, figure skating, hockey, soccer,
climbing, horse racing). Ask each group to create a list of what
the two sports chosen/assigned have in common. Ask groups to
share the lists they develop.
Discuss the following questions with the group:
• How would you define a sport?
• Are there any sports or games that people disagree on
whether it can be defined as a sport?
• What sports are played in our community?
• What or who are the icons or hallmarks of your
town/community?
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 6: Wide World of Sports
6-5
RESOURCES TO EXPLORE
IN THE COMMUNITY
• Hometown Teams exhibit
• Local museum or historical society
• Local library
• School library or hall of fame
• Local parks/sports fields
• Sports equipment stores
• Local urban planning office/parks department
• Clothing store/tailor
ONLINE
Olympics website: http://www.olympic.org/sports
NCAA website: http://www.ncaa.org/
International Quidditch
Association: http://www.
iquaquidditch.com/
Sepak Takraw official website:
http://www.sepaktakraw.org/
Slamball official website:
http://www.slamball.net/
Ultimateball official website:
http://www.ultimateball.
co.uk/
Wakeboarder Trever Maur. Thomas Gustafson, www.thomasgustafson.com.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Chessboxing: http://espn.
go.com/espn/eticket/
story?page=chessboxing
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 6: Wide World of Sports
6-6
ACTIVITIES FOR STUDENTS
You might choose to include all or some of the activities below in
lessons for the project.
EXPLORE official rulebooks and
guidelines of sports to determine
what information should be
included so others will know how
to play.
DESIGN a field approporiate for
the sport using geometric methods.
MISSION
DESIGN a system of scoring: How
many points will different actions
earn? How will time be divided in
the game? What statistics of teams
and players will be important to
measure?
DESIGN a model for uniforms,
using appropriate units so that they
could actually be produced.
WORK with a partner to record
some of the movements of the
sport in action. Describe what
bodily processes are at work during
play. Describe what properities of
physics are at work during play.
CONDUCT interviews with
community members to see what
or who others would define as
icons/hallmarks of the community.
Synthesize those answers and
compare them with your own
thoughts.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 6: Wide World of Sports
6-7
GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS
• Would it be a team sport or an individual sport?
• In what ways would it represent your town/
community?
• What would be the rules and objectives of the sport?
• What skills would be needed, and what systems of the
body would be at work while it’s played?
• What properties of physics would be at work while it’s
played? • In what type of location or field would it be played?
• How would it be scored?
• What would the design of the uniforms be like?
Youth rugby player, Seattle, WA, 2010.
© 2012 Steven Seiller / Summit Lights
Photography.
FINAL STEPS FOR STUDENTS: Choose a format (paper, website,
infographic, video recording/documentary) appropriate to convince
your school or community about your proposed new sport/game, and
create talking points so that you can present your ideas to others.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 6: Wide World of Sports
6-8
SKILLS RUBRIC
Student demonstrated ability to collect and examine information about the community
BEGINNING: Student returns from site visit with minimal evidence
DEVELOPING: Student returns from site visit with variety of evidence, but much
of it is not project-specific
ACCOMPLISHED: Student returns from site visit with variety of evidence, and
some of it is project-specific
EXEMPLARY: Student returns from site visit with thorough, project-specific
evidence
Student demonstrated ability to analyze primary sources and employ research strategies to
obtain primary data from targeted collections of sources
BEGINNING: Student relies on one website to conduct research
DEVELOPING: Student relies on one website and one other source medium
(book, newspaper, interview)
ACCOMPLISHED: Student uses a variety of media to conduct research, including
more than one of each: website, book, news article, interview
EXEMPLARY: Student uses a variety of media to conduct research, including
more than one of each: website, book, news article, interview, museum/historic
society archives and/or objects
Student demonstrated ability to reflect on and revise work for project
BEGINNING: Student’s work shows no evidence of incorporating feedback/
comments
DEVELOPING: Student completes several revisions of work, showing evidence of
incorporating feedback/comments, but changes made unwillingly
ACCOMPLISHED: Student shows desire to make changes and completes several
revisions of work, showing evidence of feedback/comments, but changes made
with significant facilitation
EXEMPLARY: Student is entirely self-directed, and completes several revisions of
work, showing evidence of incorporating feedback/comments
www.museumonmainstreet.org
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 6: Wide World of Sports
6-9
SKILLS RUBRIC (continued)
Student demonstrated subject-specific vocabulary as relevant to the project
BEGINNING: Student rarely uses vocabulary beyond initial discussions
DEVELOPING: Student uses at least one relevant vocabulary term each session
ACCOMPLISHED: Student uses at least two relevant vocabulary terms each
session
EXEMPLARY: Student uses at least three relevant vocabulary terms each session
Student demonstrated initiative in activities of project
BEGINNING: Student is off-task completely
DEVELOPING: Student is directed by teacher to revise work
ACCOMPLISHED: Student seeks facilitation from teacher and is then
self-directed
EXEMPLARY: Student is self-directed
FYI!
Five additional lessons
can be found on the
Museum on Main Street
website in both .pdf and
.ePub formats.
www.museumonmainstreet.org
A total of six Hometown Teams lesson plans are available free of
charge as both .pdf files and a downloadable .ePub for mobile devices
at the Museum on Main Street website.
Don’t forget to take a few moments to help us improve our
educational materials by taking a quick survey. Thanks in advance.
Hometown Teams Lesson Plan 6: Wide World of Sports
6-10