Harcourt 10-11
Theme 1
Whole Group
Lesson 2
Day 5
Focus Skill:
Character’s Traits
A character’s traits show what the character is like as a
person. These traits are revealed by what the character
thinks, does, and says.
Character’s Motivations
A character’s motivations are the reasons why a character
acts as he or she does.
Character’s Setting
Sometimes a story’s setting has an effect on how a
character feels, acts, or develops as a person.
Character
Jackie Mitchell
Traits
determined
hard working
Motivations
She wanted to play
baseball.
Actions
Jackie practiced
hard at pitching.
Character
Jackie Mitchell
Traits
determined
hard working
skilled
confident
Motivations
She wanted to play
baseball.
She wanted to prove
that baseball was not
just a man’s game.
Actions
Jackie practiced
hard at pitching.
Jackie struck
out Babe Ruth
and Lou Gehrig,
two of the best
batters.
Character
Jackie’s Dad
Traits
Motivations
He believed in his
daughter and wanted her
loving
to be the best she could
be.
good father
caring
supportive
Actions
Jackie’s dad
played ball with
her in the
neighborhood
sandlot. He told
her she could be
good at whatever
she wanted,
including baseball.
1. Reread the story with your partner
2. Complete the character’s actions in the
chart first.
3. Use the actions to help figure out his
motivations.
4. Do a graphic organizer for each page at the
top.
5. When finished, read about the author, the
illustrator and the poem.
Character
Babe Ruth
Traits
close-minded
Motivations
Actions
He didn’t think girls
Babe said, “Girls are
belonged on a baseball
too delicate for
field. He thought baseball baseball. It would
was for men.
kill them to play ball
every day.”
Character
Babe Ruth
Traits
Motivations
Actions
determined
He didn’t want to let a
girl make a fool out
of him.
After Jackie threw
a strike, Babe
stared her down.
proud
bully
He wanted to show that
Babe snickered
girls don’t belong in
when Jackie threw
baseball.
two balls in a row.
Character
Babe Ruth
Traits
short-tempered
bad sport
Motivations
He was angry and
shocked that a girl had
struck him out.
Actions
Babe threw his bat
down and glared at
the umpire. He said
he would never bat
against a woman
again.
legendary
snickering
muttered
glared
gaped
stunned
flinched
fluke
Why might Jackie Mitchell be
considered a legendary pitcher?
Jackie might be considered
a legendary pitcher
because she struck out
Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig,
two of the best batters.
Also, she was a woman
pitching baseball when
people thought only men
could play.
Why do you think Babe Ruth
muttered to himself when he
muttered
couldn’t hit Jackie’s first pitch?
I think Babe Ruth probably
muttered to himself because he
was shocked. He probably told
himself that it was luck that she
had thrown a strike. Also, he
probably gave himself a pep talk.
What happened when Jackie
flinched before she threw her
flinched
second pitch?
When Jackie
flinched, she
lost track of
the pitch and
threw a ball.
Why was the crowd snickering?
The crowd was snickering
because Jackie pitched two
balls in a row.
Why did the fans gape at
Jackie when she struck out
Babe Ruth?
The fans gaped
because Jackie
had proven to
everyone that a
girl can also be a
great pitcher.
Lou Gehrig glared at Jackie
when he stepped up to the
plate. Why?
Lou Gehrig glared
at Jackie because
he wanted to
intimidate her so
that she did not
pitch well.
Why might Jackie have felt
stunned
stunned after she struck out
both players?
Jackie might have
felt stunned
because these
players were two
of the best
batters in
baseball.
Do you think Jackie’s pitches
were flukes? Why or why not?
What makes
the new kid
a great
player?
Do you think
this poem
was written
in the past
or the
present?
Why?
How are
the new
kid and
Jackie
Mitchell
alike?