Our Curriculum

Activity 1: On a baseball field, youth will run from home plate around the bases in a straight line as fast as possible. Then youth will try it with the circular path and compare running times. Results will be plotted on a line plot.

Activity 2: Youth will learn about how the brain changes when you learn something new.

Activity 1: Youth learn about three different types of triangles, their angles and how to identify angles used on the baseball field. 

Activity 2: Using a 10 foot and a 100 foot tape measure, youth will estimate and measure infield distances on the baseball field. Youth learn that just like baseball players, they can adapt to new situations and be successful.

Activity 1: Youth will list baseball player positions and work with a partner to place those players on a diagram of a baseball field. Youth will learn about each player’s strengths and how they help the team, and reflect on the strengths that you bring to school, your family, and sports.

Activity 2: Youth will identify the area on the field that each player covers, and then determine which players have the most area to cover and which have the least.

Activity 1: Youth explore baseball cards and learn about batting average. Youth compare batting averages of different players and order the batting averages from least to greatest.

Activity 2: Youth will reflect on mistakes they have made recently, and learn about how mistakes make their brains grow!

Activity 1: Youth complete different activities such as flipping a coin, selecting a cube, and rolling a die. Youth record outcomes for each activity using fractions, decimals, and percents and decide which activity represents a good batting average in MLB, high school, and youth baseball.

Activity 2: Youth reflect on a song that talks about the role of mistakes in learning.

Activity 1: Youth are introduced to the concept of broad jump through a video. Youth measure their jumping distance in centimeters and try different techniques to improve their broad jump distance. Youth plot the measurements on a group histogram and discuss patterns and relationships.

Activity 2: Youth learn about Hall of Fame baseball player Jackie Robinson who won the NCAA Championship in Long Jump. Youth reflect on the effort and persistence shown by Jackie Robinson and how they might relate to this story.

Activity 1: Youth will explore elasticity by repeatedly measuring how high balls made of different materials will bounce when dropped from the same height.

Activity 2: Youth will learn about how our brains, like balls, can also change and grow through the process of neuroplasticity. Youth will describe the malleability of their brain based on a new skill they would like to learn.

Activity 1: Youth will use fractions, decimals and percent to represent the proportion of 10 trials that resulted in a specific outcome (a “catch”). This activity will be done with baseball cards. There is an optional activity for youth to practice fielding percentage with tennis balls.

Activity 2: Youth will watch a video and discuss how they can learn from mistakes. Youth set SMART goals related to new challenges.

Activity 1: Youth discuss opportunities to improve effort in athletics, at school, and at home.

Activity 2: Youth discuss the concept of trajectory of ball flight and how to use a goniometer to measure launch angle. Youth perform an experiment to launch tennis balls or hand launchers toward a target, making adjustments to the launch angle in order to hit the target.

Activity 1: 

Youth will measure their heart rate after different activities: sitting, walking, after sit-ups, and after jumping jacks. Youth will plot their data on a graph. 

Activity 2: 

Youth will watch a video of an inspirational baseball player who demonstrates effort and persistence both as a player and a coach. Youth will work with a partner to identify one goal they want to accomplish, and several things they can do to work towards that goal. 

Activity 1: Youth learn about the history of the Negro League and then collaboratively fill in a timeline about the league and the shifting of language over time. Then they find differences between years and make connections between their life and the timeline. 

Activity 2: Youth learn about three women who played on the Negro League, then discuss effort and peristence.

Activity 1: Youth learn about the Race/Ethnicity of Baseball Players in the MLB Over Time (1947-2012) and how this data can be represented in graphs using a slow reveal process. They work together to examine different graphs, explore what can be learned, and share what is learned with the larger group.

Activity 2: Youth learn about a baseball player from the Negro League and contemplate how each team/group member contributes unique skills and experiences to collaborative activities. Youth build a brick wall using pieces of paper that represent their skill that contributes to the team/group.

Activity 1: Youth are introduced to the Negro League stadium locations and work in pairs in order to plan a road trip. Youth pay special attention to the distances between cities so that they can plan the shortest road trip possible (in miles).

Extension Activity: Youth in grades 6-8 create a scale map of the National Leagues road trip from Activity 1 on a large area, such as a the floor of a gymnasium or a concrete sidewalk.

Activity 1: Youth are introduced to nutritional labels through a video about food labels. Youth then compare the nutritional labels and taste of different snack bars and develop a simple mathematical argument for which snack is the best choice.

Activity 2: Youth brainstorm and discuss how they can make better informed choices when choosing and consuming snacks.

Activity 1: Youth will identify their dominant eye and dominant hand.

Activity 2: Youth will plot ordered pairs on a coordinate grid to illustrate the results of a  depth perception coin drop activity. Youth will learn about the role of depth perception in sports. Youth will reflect on the role of struggle as they improve at something over time.

Activity 1: Youth will run the distance from first base to second base three times to find your running time. Then youth will compare your running time to the time to plate and pop time for different baseball teams to decide if they should try to steal a base against those teams.

Activity 2: Youth will learn about how the brain changes when you are posed with a new challenge.

Activity 1: Youth will learn how to measure your strike zone and calculate the area.

Activity 2: Youth will practice throwing at your strike zone and calculate the number of balls and strikes thrown. You will also learn how mistakes provide valuable opportunities for learning.

Activity 1: Youth will consider the role of collaboration to a team and think about the skills that are needed to contribute to a team on the baseball field. Youth will participate in a whole group discussion of their own skills that they contribute to various aspects of their own lives (family, sports, classroom, etc.)

Activity 2: Youth will collaborate with their partner to measure and record their throwing distances. Youth will think about how measurement tools are used to calculate distance in baseball.

Activity 1: Youth are introduced to the concept of wingspan through a video about a famous basketball player. Youth measure their height and their wingspan in centimeters and meters and plot the measurements on a group scatterplot.

Activity 2: You will learn about an inspirational baseball player - Jim Abbott - who overcame significant physical challenges. You will create a wall of inspiration with your small group.

Activity 1: Youth discuss how to use player statistics for field players and for pitchers to compare players and select players for a team roster. Youth discuss what they notice about the player statistics and salaries in a sample team roster.

Activity 2: Youth work in small groups to plan their team roster. They record their selected players and calculate team totals (total salary, total hits) on Worksheet 1. Youth brainstorm a team name and location and design a team jersey on Worksheet 2.

Activity 3: Youth prepare posters to present their team roster. Posters include a drawing of the baseball field with each player in their  position. Posters also show the team name, total team salary and other team statistics.

Activity 4: Each small group shares their team roster poster. Youth compare their team total (number of hits, number of homeruns) using line plots or scatterplots. Youth end with a reflection on how collaboration supported their success.

Activity 1: Youth watch a video about MLB stadiums and learn about unique stadium features. Youth compare stadiums and discuss similarities and differences. 

Activity 2: Youth decide on a name and special features for their stadiums. They create a diagram of the field, label outfield distances and calculate the infield area. Older youth create a scale and draw their fields to scale. 

Activity 3: Youth plan the seating capacity of their stadium. They identify different seating sections and set ticket prices for each section. Then they calculate the cost for their family (or a group of friends) to attend a game. 

Activity 4: Youth reflect on how growth mindset ideas helped them with the project.