We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball

Part One of Two : Ms. Beckman's "Negro Leagues" Series

"We are the ship; all else is the sea." - Rube Foster, founder of the Negro National League   

We Are the Ship: The Story of 

Negro League Baseball 

 Written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson

 Published by Jump at the Sun Hyperion Copyright 2008  

 

  Strong sense of community, inspirational, visual, rich in historical anecdotes, diversity  

 Awards: 

• Coretta Scott King award for author, honor for illustrations 2008
• 2008 CASEY Award for best baseball book
• New York Times Bestseller (One of the Best Illustrated Children's books of 2008)
• Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award, 2009

 

Summary:  

In his well-researched book, Kadir Nelson uses a typical ballplayer to tell the story of the Negro Leagues, the segregated league of talented athletes that played from the 1920's to the 1940's. The narrator goes through the ups and downs of the league, talking about the discrimination they faced and the culture that they brought to modern baseball, ending with the end of the leagues with Jackie Robinson's entry into the major leagues. The book includes a list of all the men who were in the league (and who were talked about throughout the book) as well as those who made it to the major leagues, providing readers with a feeling of connection towards this family of brave men from the past.    

    

Reading Level: Lexile Framework 900L, Grade 6.2 

Suggested Delivery: Read aloud (for 5th and 6th grade students)

Description: Historical-fiction, diversity, sports   

Key Vocabulary (by page number):  staves (2), conduct (9), ku klux klansmen (21), unsavory (23), barnstorm (26), racketeers (31), "free agents" (34), integration (70)

Teaching Suggestions: 

1. Being a nonfiction book as well as a picture book, there are plenty of reference tools that students can utilize in the book. Show students the "end notes" section in the book and explain what it is, and how it is used. Show students the citation numbers throughout the book the correlate with the end notes as well.
2. The book has a creative format, with each of the nine chapters being called "innings." Ask students to determine the format of the book to come to this conclusion themselves. Ask what the effect of this format is on readers. 
3. The book also has a creative point of view, what with a general baseball player being used to tell the history of the leagues in a narrative format. Talk with students about how different this is from other nonfiction books they have read. Ask what the effect of this is on them as readers. Do they still feel like this book is a reference material? Why or why not?

Comprehension Strategies

Using this book as a read aloud introduces students to the subject in a more engaging format, leaving the door open for students to research the subject more deeply on their own.  Below are some activities that will help students to take the subject one step further.

Pre-Reading-  Relate the book to students' prior knowledge by talking first about Jackie Robinson. Ask students if they know who Jackie Robinson, and write what students know about him on the board. If students did not include that he was the first African-American to be in the major leagues, add this to the list. Then ask students if they know what the Negro baseball league is (chances are they don't, or know very little). Explain that Jackie Robinson was originally in the Negro Leagues, and that many talented athletes were in the league.

During Reading- **I suggest the teacher read an inning a day, but the whole book may not be necessary to read. Chapters 1-3, 7, and the epilogue are the most relevant to students.**  At the back of the book is a list of all the Negro league players who made it to the major leagues, as well as those who made it into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Have each student pick a player to research (except Jackie Robinson, who the teacher will model the activity with). Each day that the teacher is reading the book aloud, students will be assigned to present their player to the class. This assignment will be done using another book that they read independently. Students will being in the book, a picture of the player, and describe their bio to the class. I will explain this activity more next week, when I will provide an example book for a student to read on their own about Satchel Paige.   

Post-Reading- Until June 10, the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts will be holding an exhibition on We Are the Ship. Students would benefit from the upcoming event this Saturday, "Baseball Bonanza!" featuring Kadir Nelson and other writers. Students will have the opportunity to listen to presentations about the book among others. By getting out in the community learning about the subject, students will be more easily able to synthesize the information that they learned while reading the book into something more meaningful, something that they will remember long after the unit is over. Below is the advertisement information from the museum:   

2012 Children’s Book Festival:
Baseball Bonanza!
June 9, 2012
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Free with Museum Admission
Join a host of authors and artists who have created some of your favorite baseball picture books for our 7th annual Children’s Book Festival in conjunction with the exhibition We Are The Ship: The History of Negro League Baseball, original paintings by award-winning artist Kadir Nelson.

The Museum will host members of the Negro League Baseball Players Association for a special program in the Auditorium. In addition, this event for art-, book-, and baseball-lovers of all ages will feature art activities, artist and author presentations and demonstrations, and book signings. Enjoy ballpark fare or bring your own picnic to enjoy in our apple orchard.

Writing Activity: After students complete their presentations on players in the league, students should use their compiled information to write a 1-2 page biography on the player. These biographies will be bound by teacher into one "reference" book that could be donated to the school library, presented to a younger or partner class, or even sent home with students.  

Kadir Nelson's work

Electronic Resources:

Baseball Hall of Fame

Students can search any member of the Baseball Hall of Fame to find the hitting average, a short bio, and even additional resources about the athlete. This site is helpful as students research players from the Negro League. Some bios even have video and audio clips of the players, such as Jackie Robinson's .  

More about Kadir Nelson
Students, teachers, and parents alike can benefit from learning more about Kadir Nelson, who focuses his art around African-American history. Reading Rockets, a website that is based out of a U.S. Department of Education grant, provides a web page dedicated to the man, giving viewers a video bio, a written bio, and even a list of his children's books.

Nelson, Kadir. We are the ship: the story of Negro League baseball. New York: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, 2008. Print.