Jackie Robinson at Bat

1 Think about what it would be like to be the first one to do something that no one had been permitted to do before. Imagine how it felt to be called names and threatened, all for wanting to play a sport! Jackie Robinson exhibited a great deal of courage when he undertook to correct an injustice in America's favorite pastime. Before Robinson stepped up to home plate in 1947, African Americans were not allowed to play on the same baseball teams as white players. There were Negro leagues in which black teams competed against each other and Major leagues with all-white teams. Research more about this historic event with books, videos, or visit the Jackie Robinson Society at www.utexas.edu/students/jackie.

2 Create a triarama to commemorate the historic moment on Ebbets Field when Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play major-league baseball. Open a recycled file folder and cut it into a square with Crayola® Scissors. Save the remaining piece.

3 Fold the square into a triangle, and then fold it the other direction to make a smaller triangle. Open the file folder and cut along any one of the new folds from the edge into the center of the square. Later, you will slide one of the cut pieces under the other to create a three-sided stadium.

4 Remove the paper wrappings from Crayola Crayons. Make crayon rubbings to create a textured playing field. Find surfaces to show the wood grain of the fence, the spiky grass, and the rough running lanes. Then draw the field with home plate on the bottom triangle.

5 On the two background triangles, use Crayola Multicultural Crayons to draw Dodgers' stadium filled with baseball fans sitting in segregated seats. Whites were given the best seats in the stadium.

6 Fold the plain bottom triangle beneath the textured one and secure with Crayola School Glue. Dry.

7 On the leftover piece of file folder, sketch #42 Jackie Robinson at bat. Include his team name and colors. Cut out your figures, leaving tabs at their feet. Fold tabs under and glue to the base of the triarama. Dry. Batter up!