Athlete Leaders of Social Change | EL Education Curriculum

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In this module, students consider the factors that contribute to the success of professional athletes as leaders of social change. They read about a number of professional athletes who have been leaders of social change, beginning with Jackie Robinson. In Unit 1, students build background knowledge about Jackie Robinson through reading Promises to Keep, written by Jackie's daughter, Sharon. Students determine the main ideas and identify key details, using these to summarize chapters of the book. They also think about the relationship between people and events in the text as they gather factors that led to Jackie Robinson's success in leading social change. In Unit 2, students continue their study of Jackie Robinson, building on their understanding of factors that led to his success by developing an opinion on which factor(s) were most important in his success. In the first half of the unit, students examine different texts and videos, describing each author's opinion on the factor that led to Jackie's success and comparing these points of view.

In the second half of the unit, students draw from the factors gathered throughout Units 1 and 2 to state their own opinion. First, they participate in a text-based discussion. They then draw from the discussion to write an opinion essay on which factor they think was most important in Jackie Robinson's success in leading social change. In Unit 3, students read about other athletes who were also leaders of social change, beginning with Jim Abbott. They research and write essays to compare and contrast the factors that contributed to the success of the athletes they study with those of Jackie Robinson. Once students have read about a few athletes, they then consider the common factors that contribute to being an effective leader of social change and work in pairs to create a multimedia presentation highlighting three of those factors. For the performance task, students work in groups to create a poster highlighting a personal quality that effective leaders of change need to have for a display titled "Be an Effective Leader of Change." This performance task centers on CCSS ELA RI.5.1, RI.5.9, W.5.4, W.5.8, and W.5.9b.

Guiding Questions and Big Ideas

  • How have athletes broken barriers during the historical era in which they lived?
  • What factors can contribute to an individual's success in changing society?
    • Athletes are presented with unique opportunities to lead change.
    • Individuals are shaped by and can shape society.
    • A variety of factors can influence an individual's ability to effect change.

The Four Ts

  • Topic: Athlete Leaders of Social Change
  • Task: Students create a poster highlighting a personal quality necessary to be an effective leader of social change.
  • Targets (standards explicitly taught and assessed): RI.5.1, RI.5.9, W.5.4, W.5.8, and W.5.9b
  • Text: Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America

Content Connections

This module is designed to address English Language Arts standards and to be taught during the literacy block of the school day. However, the module intentionally incorporates social studies content that many teachers may be teaching during other parts of the day. These intentional connections are described below.

College, Career, and Civic Life C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards:

  • D2.Civ.12.3-5
  • D2.Eco.2.3-5
  • D2.His.2.3-5
  • D2.His.3.3-5
  • D2.His.16.3-5
  • D3.3.3-5
  • D3.4.3-5
  • D4.1.3-5
  • D4.3.3-5
  • D4.6.3-5

Habits of Character / Social Emotional Learning Focus

Central to EL Education's curriculum is a focus on "habits of character" and social-emotional learning. Students work to become effective learners, developing mindsets and skills for success in college, career, and life (e.g., initiative, responsibility, perseverance, collaboration); work to become ethical people, treating others well and standing up for what is right (e.g., empathy, integrity, respect, compassion); and work to contribute to a better world, putting their learning to use to improve communities (e.g., citizenship, service).

In this module, students work to become effective learners: develop the mindsets and skills for success in college, career, and life (e.g., initiative, responsibility, perseverance, collaboration).

Students also work to become ethical people: treat others well and stand up for what is right (e.g., empathy, integrity, respect, compassion).

Finally, students work to contribute to a better world: putting learning to use to improve communities (e.g., citizenship, service).

Assessment

Each unit in the 3-5 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize their understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Performance Task

Poster: Personal Qualities to Be an Effective Leader of Change

In this performance task, students reflect on the personal qualities that help leaders to effect social change. Students choose a personal quality and then in groups create a poster for a display titled "Be an Effective Leader of Change" to help students in their school understand the personal qualities they need to effectively lead change, and to inspire students in their school to become leaders of change. Posters include examples of how athletes who have been effective leaders of change have shown evidence of this personal quality. This task centers on CCSS ELA RI.5.1, RI.5.9, W.5.4, W.5.8, and W.5.9b.

Texts to Buy

Texts that need to be procured. Please download the Trade Book List for procurement guidance.


Text or Resource Quantity ISBNs
Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America
by Sharon Robinson
1 per student
ISBN: 9780439425926

Module-at-a-Glance

Each module is approximately 6-8 weeks of instruction broken into 3 units. The "week at a glance" chart in the curriculum map gives the big picture, breaking down the module into a detailed week-by-week view. It shows how the module unfolds, the focus of each week of instruction, and where the six assessments and the performance task occur.

ALL Block

The Additional Language and Literacy (ALL) Block is 1 hour of instruction per day. It is designed to work in concert with and in addition to the 1-hour Grades 3-5 ELA "module lessons." Taken together, these 2 hours of instruction comprehensively address all the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

The ALL Block has five components: Additional Work with Complex Text; Reading and Speaking Fluency/GUM (Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics); Writing Practice; Word Study and Vocabulary; and Independent Reading.

The ALL Block has three 2-week units which parallel to the three units of the module.

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