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There is much more to explore in our calendar. Find other important events in literary history, authors' birthdays, and a variety of holidays, each with related lessons and resources.
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Home › Classroom Resources › Calendar Activities
August 14
Ernest Thayer, author of the famous poem "Casey at the Bat," was born in 1863.
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| Grades | 3 – 8 |
| Calendar Activity Type | Author & Text |
Ernest Thayer, author of the famous poem "Casey at the Bat," was born in 1863. Thayer published the poem on June 3, 1888, as a staff writer for the San Francisco Examiner. The poem has become a traditional part of the baseball season ever since.
Let Ernest Thayer's famous poem inspire your students!
In small groups or individually, students can make baseball cards for the players in the poem. Read "Casey at the Bat" aloud to students and ask them to listen carefully for the details and characteristics about each of the players involved in the fictional baseball game. Ask students to choose one of the characters, and think about what should appear on the front and back of his baseball card. Have students look at some real baseball cards if possible to provide inspiration. Finally, students can use a word processor or the interactive Character Trading Cards to create their cards.
For more ideas on making trading cards, see the Character Trading Cards page.
- Favorite Poem Project: "Casey at the Bat"
Featured in the Favorite Poem Project, "Casey at the Bat" is read by Lee Samuel, an Atlanta student.
- Aaron Shepard's RT Page: "Casey at the Bat"
Set up a small-group reading of "Casey at the Bat"using this Readers Theatre script. The script divides the text of the poem into parts for Casey, the umpire, and a series of fans.
- Baseball Books
If your students enjoyed "Casey at the Bat," they may enjoy the baseball-related books listed on this site. Brief descriptions of each title are given, as is a recommended age.
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Swish! Pow! Whack! Teaching Onomatopoeia Through Sports Poetry
Students explore poetry about sports, looking closely at the use of onomatopoeia. After viewing a segment of a sporting event, students create their own onomatopoeic sports poems.
