Classroom Guide for Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl's Baseball Dreamby Crystal Hubbard, illustrated by Randy DuBurke
Reading Level *Reading Level: Grade 3-4 Interest Level: Grades 1-5 Guided Reading Level: Q Accelerated Reader® Level/Points: 5.2/0.5 Lexile™ Measure: 760AD *Reading level based on the Spache Readability Formula  Download this guide in PDF
Themes Sports (baseball), Self-Esteem, Achieving Goals/Determination, Women’s History/Breaking Gender Barriers, Famous African Americans National Standards Language Arts: Reading for Perspective; Understanding the Human Experience; Multicultural Understanding Social Studies: People, Places, and Environments; Individual Development and Identity; Individuals, Groups, and Institutions Synopsis Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl’s Baseball Dream is based on the childhood of Marcenia “Toni Stone” Lyle Alberga (1921–1995), an African American girl who grew up to become the first woman to play for an all-male professional baseball team. Despite her parents’ misgivings, young Marcenia cared only about playing baseball and was a regular on a team of local boys. Then Gabby Street, the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, came to town looking for recruits for a summer baseball camp. Undeterred by the fact that the camp was only for boys, and that her family could not afford proper baseball shoes (cleats), Marcenia made up her mind to attend. She did everything in her power to change Street’s mind. Finally her determination and pluck won him over. Marcenia was accepted into the camp and on her way to making her dream of a baseball career come true. Background Marcenia Lyle was born in 1921 in St. Paul, Minnesota. She began her baseball career at the age of sixteen as a pitcher for the Twin Cities Colored Giants. As her career took off, Lyle changed her name to Toni Stone, which she thought sounded more professional. When she married, she took her husband’s last name, Alberga. Marcenia “Toni Stone” Lyle Alberga faced two major obstacles in her baseball career, First, she was African American at a time when professional baseball teams were segregated. Second, she was a woman at a time when women rarely played professional baseball. As the first female player in the Negro Leagues, she was often harassed by the male players. Marcenia “Toni Stone” Lyle Alberga was inducted into the Women’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. She is also honored in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, in the Women in Baseball exhibit and in the Negro Leagues section.
Before Reading Prereading Focus Questions Before introducing the book, you may wish to have students discuss one or more of the following questions as a motivation for reading.
Exploring the Book Write the title Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl’s Baseball Dream on the chalkboard. Lead a discussion about what the first part of the title might mean and how this meaning relates to the rest of the title. Have volunteers identify different parts of the book including the title page, the copyright information, acknowledgments, author’s sources, dedications, and afterword. Plan to share the afterword with students when they finish reading the book. Setting a Purpose for Reading Have students read to:
Vocabulary Tell students that sports writers often use lively language when describing an event. The verbs they use are particularly colorful. If possible, give some examples from sports articles in your local newspaper. Then write the following verbs on the board and explain that they all appear in the book. Call on volunteers to define each word; encourage students to act out a word if it makes the meaning clearer. Use a dictionary for words that students do not know. Follow up with a discussion of how these verbs make the text in Catching the Moon livelier.
After Reading Discussion Questions After students have read the book, use these or similar questions to generate discussion, enhance comprehension, and develop understanding of the content. Encourage students to refer back to the text and illustrations in the book to support their responses.
Literature Circles If you use literature circles during reading time, students might find the following suggestions helpful in focusing on the different roles of the group members.
There are many resource books available with more information about organizing and implementing literature circles. Three such books you may wish to refer to are: Getting Started with Literature Circles by Katherine L. Schlick Noe and Nancy J. Johnson (Christopher-Gordon, 1999), Literature Circles: Voice And Choice in Book Clubs and Reading Groups by Harvey Daniels (Stenhouse, 2002), and Literature Circles Resource Guide by Bonnie Campbell Hill, Katherine L. Schlick Noe, and Nancy J. Johnson (Christopher-Gordon, 2000).
Reader's Response The following questions or similar ones will help students personalize their responses to the book. Suggest that students respond in reader’s journals, in oral discussion, or in written form.
Other Writing Activities You may wish to have students participate in one or more of the following writing activities. Set aside time for students to share and discuss their work.
ELL Teaching Strategies These strategies might be helpful to use with students who are English language learners or who are learning to speak English as a second language.
Interdisciplinary Activities Use some of these activities to help students integrate their reading experiences with other curriculum areas. Language Arts Explain that a simile is a figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared, usually in a phrase that begins with like or as. Give as examples these similes from the book. Then challenge students to write their own similes about Marcenia. Marcenia’s teeth gleamed like the noonday sun. It [the moon] was so round and bright, like a brand new baseball. Science This story lends itself to a mini-lesson on the five senses. Write the names of the senses—sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch—on the chalkboard. Give the examples below from the book. Then encourage students to find other examples of how the senses are described or suggested in the book. Sight: Marcenia kept her eyes on each pitch. Sound: The baseball slams into Marcenia’s glove. Taste: She loved the powdery taste of dust clouds. Smell: The puff of lather might smell of soap when Marcenia gets her hair washed. Touch: The sun heated her hair. Art Students might enjoy designing baseball cards to honor Marcenia “Toni Stone” Lyle Alberga. Have students use the information in the afterword and the Internet to find facts and statistics to add to their cards. Sports
About the Author Crystal Hubbard began her publishing career in journalism. As a copy editor in the sports department of the Boston Herald, her “interest in sports exploded,” and she became determined to share the stories of African American sports heroes with children. Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl’s Baseball Dream was her first picture book. Both it and another of Hubbard’s books, The Last Black King of the Kentucky Derby, have received numerous honors. Says Hubbard, “I think sports are important in terms of helping develop skills in working well with others and in building self-esteem.” As a young girl, Hubbard met Arthur Ashe, the tennis player. Not surprisingly, her most recent book is a biography of the tennis great calledGame, Set, Match, Champion Arthur Ashe. Following her own girlhood dream, Hubbard now writes fulltime. She lives with her husband and their four children in Missouri. About the Illustrator Randy DuBurke has been an illustrator for more than twenty years, and his work includes book covers, comics, and editorial illustration as well as children’s books. He received the Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award for New Talent in Illustration for his debut picture book, The Moon Ring. Other books have included the graphic biography Malcolm X and Lee & Low’s graphic novel Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty. DuBurke’s work has also appeared in The New York Times and Mad magazine. He lives with his wife and their two sons in Switzerland. Download this guide in PDF
Learn more about Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl’s Baseball Dream Also by Crystal Hubbard: Game, Set, Match, Champion Arthur Ashe The Last Black King of the Kentucky Derby  BookTalk with Crystal Hubbard on Game, Set, Match, Champion Arthur Ashe
BookTalk with Crystal Hubbard on The Last Black King of the Kentucky Derby
Teacher's Guides
|
Want to know more about us or have specific questions regarding our Teacher's Guides?
Please write us!
general@leeandlow.com
 |
Tell a Friend about this page |
Administrators — Teachers — Race — Homeschool — Editor's Desk — BookTalk — New Voices Award — Calendar
Event Tips — Locate an Author — Skype Visits — Activities — Desktop Backgrounds — Book Giveaway Contest — Blog
Our History — Kudos! — In the Press — Awards & Honors — Sitemap — How to Reach Us
Ordering — Request Catalog — Get E-News! — Careers at LEE & LOW — My Orders — My Account
Become a Fan 
— 
Follow Us Lee & Low Books is an independent children's book publisher that focuses on diversity. Peruse our site for books for school, school library, homeschooling, minority and Spanish children's books, free teacher reading resources for children, and more!
