Jackie Robinson Breaking Color Barriers in Baseball

"A Life is not important except in the impact it  has on others."

--Jackie Robinson

When we hear the name Jackie Robinson, we think of baseball.  We think of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the six Pennants and the 1955 World Series that the Brooklyn Dodgers won while Jackie was on the team.  But, do we think of the struggle that took place in order for Jackie to play professional ball?  Jackie Robinson was much more than a baseball player.  He was the first African-American to play in the Major Leagues in the 20th century, which lead to breaking the color barrier in professional baseball and life.  The road Jackie pioneered was not easy, as he encountered barriers from teammates, baseball fans, and others.  According to Sharon Robinson, his daughter, there were nine values that helped Jackie to overcome the many barriers that he faced in his lifetime. 

Writing Contest: Breaking Barriers In Sports, In Life

The Major League Baseball Organization and Scholastics have sponsored an annual writing contest.  We will explore "barriers" and "values" not only in Jackie's life, but in our own as well. Write an essay describing a barrier in your life and how you used one or more of Jackie's values to face that barrier. Before writing for the contest, read the contest guidelines thoroughly.  After you finish writing, read them again to make sure all criteria for the contest have been met.  Use the rubric to evaluate your essay.

Who is Jackie Robinson?

"A champion wins a world series or an Olympic event and is hoisted on the shoulders of teammates and fans.  A hero carries the people on his shoulders."   –Jackie Robinson

The Story of Jackie Robinson (1950), an biographical movie starring Jackie Robinson, is available for free at the Internet Archive. It is 1 hour and 15 minutes long.  Watch it online or download it.  There are different formats to pick from; however, the MPEG4 (457MB) version is a good quality movie. It does require the QuickTime video player, a free download to play it.   

Jackie's Nine by Sharon Robinson is an anthology of stories from Jackie  Robinson's life.  These stories illustrate how Jackie used the nine values to overcome the many barriers in his life.  It is divided into chapters based on each value. Sharon included her personal stories and stories of others who she felt shared these same values.  With a partner, read the chapter on your assigned value.  Use your graphic organizer to take notes and be prepared to present your value in class.  The nonfiction accounts are a good example of how nonfiction stories explain how values can help overcome barriers in the essay.    

Teacher Resources

Major League Baseball "Breaking Barriers" Contest

Scholastic "Breaking Barriers" Resources

Baseball Hall of Fame: "Civil Rights Before You Can Say Jackie Robinson"

Baseball Hall of Fame Video Conferencing Checklist/Guide

The Story of Jackie Robinson Movie (1950)

Student Resources

Nine Values (pdf file)
Bookmark with the nine values and quotes from African-American ball players.

Graphic Organizer for Group notes (docx file)
Use this graphic organizer for taking notes on your excerpt from Jackie's Nine by Sharon Robinson.

Essay Guidelines (pdf file)
The Breakng Barriers Essay Contest Guidelines

Using Quotes in the Essay (pdf file)
Follow this guide to use a quote as a hook to grab your readers' attention.

Essay Template (docx file)
Use this document to type your essay. It has my name and school information that you need to enter the contest. It is formatted according to the guidelines.

Essay Rubric (docx file)
Use this rubric to evaluate your writing.

MLB Contest Poster (pdf file)
Contest Poster for Bulletin Board

"About My Father" (pdf file)
Background information on Jackie Robinson

BHOF Video Conferencing Guide (pdf file)
Walks you through the procedures to video conference with the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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