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Grade Level: 4th Grade

Time: 45 minutes

Essential Question: How can we be stewards of Wyoming’s lands to benefit current and future generations?

Objective: Students will build a “team” of people representing different groups who play a role in Outdoor Recreation and Tourism.

Purpose:  Students will identify that Wyoming’s Outdoor Recreation and Tourism industry requires cooperation of a number of different groups.

Required Materials/Resources:

• • Baseball diagram
  • Stewardship Baseball Team Roster (one per student)
  • Stewardship Baseball Student Argument Sheet (one per student)
  • Highlighters
  • Agency Fast Fact Cards (from Lesson 2)

Suggested Teacher Preparation:

• • Decide whether students will present their arguments for step 11 or only write them on the Stewardship Baseball Team Roster.
  • Review baseball positions/information if needed.
  • Have Agency Fact Cards available from Lesson 2 for student reference for Stewardship Baseball Team Roster.

Standards: 

Social Studies: SS5.1.1, SS5.2.1, SS5.3.1 (Practiced/Encountered)

ELA:  4.W.1, 4.SL.4 (Practiced/Encountered)

CVE: CV5.1.1 (Explicit), CV5.2.3, CV5.3.3 (Practiced/Encountered)

Vocabulary:

• • Stewardship – As Wyoming citizens, we are stewards entrusted with the responsible development, care, and use of our resources to benefit current and future generations.

Instructional Procedure/Steps:   

1. Draw a diamond on the board. Have students share the positions on a baseball team. As they name the positions, place them in the appropriate spots on the board. Let the students come up with as many as they can but ensure that they cover pitcher, catcher, 1st base, 2nd base, 3rd base, shortstop, left field, center field, and right field.
2.  After the baseball field has been filled with positions, ask: “What happens in a baseball game if the pitcher was missing?” Continue asking that question with a few other positions. Direct the conversation, so students understand that each player is responsible for their position. If that player doesn’t show up to the game, it will affect the outcome of the game.

   Evaluation

   In this task, students will be engaged in the higher order thinking skill of evaluation by evaluating the outcome of a baseball game missing players.
3.  Continue the discussion by asking the following questions:

• • “What kind of people would you want on your team?”
    • • “Would you want players who understand the game?”
      • “Would you want players who can strategize?”
  •  “Would you want players who can analyze a given situation?”
  • “What happens if people don’t play as a team?”
  • “Does the team have a responsibility to each other as teammates?”

Help students reach the conclusion that it isn’t just the strongest or fastest players who are good teammates, but also players who understand the game, can think fast, and use their skills to help the team. Ask: “What happens when a team doesn’t work together? How does it feel and what happens when a team does work well together?” Allow students to discuss.

4. Say: “Think back to the agencies that we learned about in lesson 2. Can you name some of those agencies?” (BLM, National Parks, Wyoming Game and Fish, etc.) “Who are some of the other people that are economically impacted in the work related to Outdoor Recreation and Tourism?” Student might name business owners/workers in hotels, stores, and restaurants. They may also name tour guides, outfitters, etc.
5. Say: “These are the players on Wyoming’s team for Outdoor Recreation and Tourism. All these groups work together to make sure people can enjoy recreation and tourism in Wyoming. There are a variety of agencies that help provide management. Businesses provide important goods and services. Citizens also play an important role. Which members are essential to this team?” Help students come to the understanding that THEY are citizens, and everyone is essential to the team, especially the citizens.

   Teacher Note:

   Students may work individually or with a partner to complete their own team roster.  This will be used as a resource for the final assessment.
6. Distribute the Stewardship Baseball Team Rosters and highlighters to each student. Say: “Look at the Stewardship Baseball Team Roster. There is a member that is not filled in on our baseball team.  This member is a citizen who uses Wyoming’s land.  Your name can go on this line!”
7.  Say: “Decide how each team member contributes to outdoor recreation and tourism in Wyoming and write an explanation on the roster. You may use your Agency Fast Fact cards from Lesson 2 to support your explanations, but some of these explanations will require you to use your background knowledge from the unit.”

   Evaluation

   In this task, students will be engaged in the higher order thinking skill of evaluation by judging how each team member contributes to Wyoming Outdoor Recreation and Tourism and the stewardship of Wyoming land.
8. Hand out the Stewardship Baseball Argument Sheet and direct students to independently answer questions 1-3.  This is will be used as the final assessment for this unit.
9. After students complete the first three questions, say: “Now, imagine that you are taking on the role of one of the other team members.  Read the names of each team member and think about which one sounds most interesting to you. Use your highlighter to highlight the name of the team member that you have chosen.” Students highlight their choice.

   Evaluation

   In this task, students will be engaged in the higher order thinking skill of evaluation by choosing which position/agency they would want to be.
10. Say: “Due to budget cuts, your coach has decided to bench you because he doesn’t feel that you are pulling your weight. You will have ten minutes to defend yourself and convince your coach to keep you on the field.  In your defense, you must address the following questions:

• • Why are you important to Outdoor Recreation and Tourism in Wyoming?
  • How do you cooperate with other players on the team?
  • How does having you on the team benefit the other players?”

Allow students time to complete questions 4-6 on their student argument sheet and decide if students will only write their arguments or present them.

11. After deciding whether students will use the written response to convince the coach or present their arguments, follow the appropriate step below.

a). If students use the written response to defend themselves, collect rosters as completed, and say the statement in step 14.

b). If students will be presenting their arguments, say: “Once you have your reasons, spend the remaining time practicing your argument.”  Students will need to be ready to present in one minute or less.

12. After all students have had a chance to share, say: “It takes the whole team to make Wyoming’s Outdoor Recreation and Tourism the best it that it can be, and many citizens must be involved to manage Wyoming’s lands, including people like you. We are all stewards entrusted with the responsible development, care, and use of our resources to benefit current and future generations.”

Assessment: Review the Stewardship Baseball Team worksheets to check student understanding. Students should make connections between working together, responsibility, and taking care of lands.

Credits/Sources: Not applicable