TONI STONE
BY
Lydia R. Diamond DIRECTED BY
Tinashe Kajese-Bolden
JANUARY 4 – 30, 2022 | QUADRACCI POWERHOUSE
This Teacher Guide is designed to be used in the classroom along with Milwaukee Rep’s PlayGuide for Toni Stone. This PlayGuide is available online at: www.MilwaukeeRep.com/ToniStone Toni Stone Teacher Guide written by Lindsey Hoel-Neds
Topics for Teaching & Learning: Gender Norms Personal Narratives Fighting for Equality in Sports and Beyond
Discussion Questions 1. In what ways do you defy gender norms? How have gender norms changed since Toni’s time? In what ways are gender norms still the same or still limiting? 2. When in your life have you witnessed or experienced discrimination based on race? Do you feel like things are changing for the better or the worse in respect to racism?
3. Do you like sports? If so, why? What benefits do sports bring to your life and the lives of others? 4. What are you passionate about? When did you first discover this passion? How did you discover it? How do you share this interest with others? 5. Have you ever been “the first” to do something? How did it feel? If you haven’t been “the first” is there something for which you would like to be a groundbreaker? What and why or why not?
The Negro Leagues The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum has excellent online resources for teachers available on their “eMuseum” website. There are dozens of lesson plans divided by different eras and topics. Utilize some of these lessons and resources in conjunction with the information in the PlayGuide to teach about Negro League Baseball and other curricular areas. Resources are available here: https://nlbemuseum.com/nlbemuseum/nlbemuseum.html
Negro League team logos. Image credit: Behance.net.
Fighting for Equality
Toni playing with the New Orleans Creoles. Photo Credit: Oakland Museum of California.
Have students read the articles in the PlayGuide about the integration of Major League Baseball and the fight for gender equality in sports. As a class, do some initial research into a civil rights topic that is relevant to today. Allow the class to choose a civil rights topic around which to create a formal debate. Students will choose or be assigned to sides for the debate (it may be best to randomly assign these), research, and then debate the topic in class. As the teacher, you may want to limit the topic choices based on your class dynamic or issues you know may be triggering for students.
Defying Gender Norms Have students get out of their desks and stand at the back of your classroom. Indicate that one side of the room is “Agree” and the other side of the room is “Disagree” and the midline is “Neutral” (You may also eliminate the neutral if you want to make students have to be definitive in their answers). This activity may also be done virtually by using a polling tool to have students answer. Next, read the following statements aloud, having students go to one side of the room or another based on their answers. Math is really difficult. Your gender should have no impact on your subject choices. I would always encourage my peers to do whatever subjects they want. Nursing and teaching are professions best suited to women. People of all genders are equal. Boys are better at math. Girls do better in school. Engineering is a “boys’” subject. Wearing dresses or skirts is something for girls. Being the only person of my gender in a class would put me off choosing that subject. Boys are better at computers than girls. Girls are better at sports than boys. After completing the activity, talk about it. Then discuss question #1 from the discussion questions above. As students talk about their own experiences with defying gender norms, bring into the discussion gendered thinking that contemporary students might not be aware of. You may also use this resource from PBS to continue the conversation: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/ extra/lessons-plans/nfls-first-full-time-female-coach-defying-gender-stereotypes-lesson-plan
Groundbreakers in Sports Take a look at the articles in the PlayGuide about trailblazing women in sports and the Negro Leagues. These articles in no way cover all of the amazing athletes who have broken down barriers within the sports world. Have students research and choose one person to learn about who was a groundbreaker in the sports world (if students are not interested in sports, they can choose another area like music or politics to focus on). Once they have researched their chosen maverick, have them create a physical or digital poster highlighting that person’s accomplishments and story. Display these posters or presentations in a “Showcase of Trailblazers” in your school or community.
Wilma Rudolph. Photo credit: Telegraph.co.uk
Telling Our Stories One of the most important aspects of Toni Stone is that she tells us her story through her own perspective, not the perspectives of others. It is important that we too tell our own stories. Lead students in a personal narrative writing activity to help them tell their story from their own perspective. As the teacher, you may decide if you’d like to have students write on a certain topic or whether you would like to leave the writing open-ended. Some suggestions for possible topics include: the impact of racism or sexism in their lives, a personal sports moment, discovering their passion, or finding their place in a group where they didn’t seem to fit. Once students have written their first-person narratives, have them share in an in-person or virtual event that highlights the value of their stories.
Pursuing Our Passions Toni knew that baseball was her one true life’s passion and fought long and hard in every way she could to make it a huge part of her life. Have students journal about their passions. Use those journal entries to guide students in pursuing a “passion project” where they can use their passion to make a positive impact on others. Students should brainstorm ways that they can share their passion with their school or community, what would be needed for their project, who would need to be involved, and how it could be implemented. If possible, students can implement their “passion projects,” but if resources do not allow for that, have students showcase their projects for each other and help each other to pursue any elements that may be possible to implement.
The Power of Protest
Protestors take to the streets to demand integration of Major League Baseball. Photo credit: National Endowment for the Humanities.
The integration of Major League Baseball only happened because of the tireless work of activists and advocates. Let students choose an issue they feel strongly about and develop an action plan for making social change. Some ideas for projects: staging a protest, creating a social media campaign, letter writing campaigns to government officials, poster campaigns, creating a theatrical performance, songwriting, community events, etc. If possible, allow students to make their social action plan happen and then report back to the class on the results.
STANDARDS CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.7
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.8
Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.9 Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, wellchosen details, and well-structured event sequences. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.
WI SEL 5.11 Social Awareness: Learners will be able to demonstrate connectedness, through empathy and engagement to their communities. WI SEL 6.11 Social Awareness: Learners will be able to evaluate verbal, physical, social, cultural, and environmental cues to predict and respond to the emotions of others. WI SEL 10.11 Self-Management: Learners will be able to set short- and long-term group goals, and create a plan to execute those goals. They will be able to analyze progress and collaborate to adjust goals when needed. WI SEL 24.11 Decision Making, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills: Learners will be able to analyze opportunities to improve their community and engage in civic activities to influence issues impacting various communities. WI TP.R.12.h: View Performance: Demonstrate developmentally appropriate audience etiquette at a professional performance. WI TP.Cn.14.h: Research: Explain performance choices based on the “given circumstances,” environmental and situational conditions of a theatrical work.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.5
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a selfgenerated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
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