Family Times
Daily Questions
Prior Knowledge
Sequence
Vocabulary
Antonyms/Context Clues
Predictions
Guided Comprehension
Compare and Contrast
Author's Viewpoint
Independent Readers
Girls of Summer
Additional Resources
Study Skills
Genre: Biography
Vocabulary Strategy: Context Clues
Comprehension Skill: Sequence
Comprehension Strategy: Ask Questions
Question of the Week:
How do we face personal challenges?
Daily Questions:
How did Satchel's personality help him meet
personal challenges?
How would Satchel's reputation be different if
Josh had hit a homer?
Why do many people believe that women should
not play baseball?
Baseball Pitching
K
Pitchers throw the ball
to batters.
Pitchers stand on a
pitching mound.
There are different
kind of pitches.
W
How does a pitcher
learn to pitch?
What are some
names of some
famous pitchers?
What kinds of
pitches are there?
L
Sequence:
Sequence is the order that events happen in a selection.
When you read, think about what comes first, next, and
last.
•
• Several events can occur at the same time. Words such
as meanwhile and during give clues that two events are
happening at the same time.
• You can remember sequences by making a time line
First event
Second event
Third event
Fourth event
Ask Questions
Good readers ask themselves good questions about
important information, such as the sequence of events.
Asking questions before you read helps you connect what
you will read to what you already know. Asking questions
as you read helps you understand what you are reading.
Asking questions after you read helps you remember
important information.
Write Activity (Student Book Pgs. 90-91)
1. Read “ A Special League.” As you read,
make a time line like the one above to track
sequence.
2. Write the questions you had as you read.
Then write the answers if the article gave
them.
Vocabulary Word List
confidence
unique
fastball
weakness
mocking
outfield
windup
Introduce Vocabulary
Look up words in the glossaries and note each word’s pronunciation and
meaning. Answer the following questions using the vocabulary words.
• How many objects, persons, or ideas can be unique?
• If you have confidence, how do you feel when you meet new people?
• Where is the outfield in relation to the batter?
• How would you say “Just try” in a mocking voice?
• What word is the opposite of weakness?
• Why is it hard to hit a fastball?
Students can write sentences that include the vocabulary words.
Confidence
Firm belief in yourself
Fastball
A pitch thrown at high speed with very little
curve
Mocking
Laughing at; making fun of
Outfield
The three players in the outfield
Unique
Having no like or equal
Weakness
A weak point; slight fault
Windup
A swinging movement of the arms
while twisting the body just before
pitching the ball
More Words to Know
Duo: pair
Potholes: deep holes in the surface of a
street or road
Semi-pro: A part-time professional
athlete
Practice Lesson Vocabulary
1. Is a windup something a player does after a game?
2. If someone uses a mocking tone with you, is he or she teasing you?
3. Is strength an antonym for weakness?
4. With Satchel on the mound, players on his team had little to do in the
______________.
5. Satchel’s foot appeared to be a mile long and his arm seemed to stretch on
forever during the ___________________.
6. The more cheers Satchel heard, the greater his __________________.
7. Satchel’s _________________moved so fast that no one could hit it.
Vocabulary Strategy (Pg. 92)
Antonyms
Context Clues: When you read, you may come to a word you do not know.
You may find a clue about the word’s meaning in the words near the unknown
word. For example, you may find an antonym, or a word with the opposite
meaning of the unknown word. You can use the antonym to figure out the
unknown word’s meaning.
1. Reread the sentence with the unknown word.
2. Look at the words nearby for words that signal opposites, such
as unlike, but, and on the other hand. They may point to an
antonym.
3. Decide what the antonym means.
4. Give the unknown word the opposite meaning. Does this
meaning make sense in the sentence?
As you read “Play Ball” check the context of words you don’t know.
See if an antonym gives you a clue to meaning
Genre: Biography
Tells about a person’s life. Look for how
Satchel Paige handled the challenges in his
life.
Examples:
Besides athletic
ability what
makes an athlete
great?
Preview and Predict
Preview the selection title and
illustrations. Have students
identify the subject of the
biography and predict how he
earned a living and what made
him great at what he did. Use
your vocabulary words in you
predictions.
Guided Comprehension
Did Leroy Paige get the nickname “Satchel” after he became a ball
player? Explain.
In 1923, baseball was a segregated sport. An antonym for segregated is
integrated. What does integrated mean?
The author talks about Satchel’s grin. What is she trying to tell you
about him?
Use context clues to determine the meaning of the word squint on p.
98.
What was the effect of having large crowds at the games? What would
be the effect if fewer fans came?
Compare a player’s life in the Negro Leagues to a player’s life in the
Major Leagues.
Use context clues to determine the meaning of on the road on p. 101.
What context clues could you use to determine the meaning of
comforts on p. 102?
Guided Comprehension Continued
What caused Satchel to get married and start a family?
What questions could you ask to determine the sequence of events so
far in the selection?
Explain how Satchel raised the stakes toward the end of the big
game.
Which of these events from the World Series took place first: Josh
Gibson came up to bat or Satchel walked two players.
On p. 106, in describing Satchel’s final pitch to Josh, the author says
he “exhaled the breath he’d been holing since the windup.” What is
an antonym for exhaled?
Identify a time when they or someone they know “raised the stakes”
like Satchel did with Josh. Describe the situation and results.
Compare and Contrast
Comparisons tell how things are alike and
contrasts tell how things are different.
Many comparisons and contrast do not use clue
words. The reader must then detect the
comparison.
Practice:
Read the last paragraph on p. 99. Then compare
and contrast the effect cheers and boos have on
a ballplayer.
Author’s Viewpoint/Bias
An Author’s viewpoint is the way an author looks at the subject he or she
is writing about.
• You can learn an author’s viewpoint by looking at the words he or she
uses and the opinions expressed.
• Sometimes you can figure out an author’s viewpoint even when it is not
stated directly.
Explain the author’s viewpoint of Satchel’s wife, Lahoma Brown, by
rereading p. 102, paragraph 1. Identify words that express the author’s
viewpoint.
Reread p. 101, paragraphs 2-3, to figure out the author’s viewpoint about
how the white and black players were treated on the road. Write a
response to this question:
What does the author’s comparison of the treatment the white
and black baseball players received show about her beliefs?
Use words from the text to support you answer.
SUMMARY
This book highlights women who
have broken gender and race barriers
in the field of sports.
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
PAGE 5 How many times did Trudy attempt to
swim the English Channel?
PAGES 8–9 What questions does the information
on these pages answer about women and
baseball?
PAGES 16–18 How was Rosemary Casals
different than other women tennis players?
PAGE 18 Which two women worked together for
the rights of female tennis players?
SUMMARY
This book highlights the Chicago
American Giants, part of the Negro
League of the last century.
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
PAGE 6 What were barnstormers?
PAGE 7 The sentence The first season for
the Chicago American Giants started in
1911
answers what question?
PAGE 10 Is the following sentence fact or
opinion? Foster had put together a great team
for the 1911 season.
PAGE 16 Who was the first African American
to play for a major league team?
SUMMARY
This book traces the history of African Americans in
sports in the United States. Before 1945, African
Americans were not allowed to play in most
professional sports. This book looks at individual
athletes who were able to break through the race
barrier and set an example for others who follow.
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
PAGE 4 Satchel Paige had names for some of
his pitches. Name a few.
PAGE 6 Who was the first African American to
play professional basketball?
PAGE 7 Pro football was integrated from 1920vuntil 1933. What happened from 1934 to
1946?
PAGE 8 What was unique about Willie O’Ree?
PAGE 12 How did Jackie Robinson respond to threats and taunts after he started playing for
the Brooklyn Dodgers?
PAGE 19 Who has made more money playing golf than anyone in history?
Reading Across Text
This selection and Satchel Paige
show how two groups of people
had difficulties playing
professional baseball for
different reasons. What were
those reasons?
How do the dates help you
with the sequence of events?
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
http://www.satchelpaige.com/
Quotes from Satchel Paige
Summary Lesson