Current Events Lesson Plan: October 20-26, 2016
Current Event: The Wonderful World Series
On October 25, the 2016 World Series began when the Cleveland Indians defeated the Chicago Cubs 6-0 in game one. The Cubs and Indians have the two longest World Series droughts in baseball. A drought is a long period of dry weather, and when applied to baseball, it means a team hasn’t won a championship in a very long time. The Cubs haven’t won a World Series since 1908 and the Indians haven’t won it since 1948. Because somebody has to win, one team will end its title drought and elate generations of frustrated fans. To get to the World Series, the Cubs defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 4 games to 2 in the National League Championship Series. The Indians won the pennant when they defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 4 games to 1 in the American League Championship Series.
Objective:
The World Series is a series of games that determines the annual champion of Major League Baseball (MLB). It is played between the champions of MLB’s two leagues, the American League and the National League. The series is held each autumn following the completion of the regular season, and is the last in a sequence of four playoff rounds involving five teams from each of the two major leagues. The World Series is one of the world’s most popular sports events. It has been played every year starting in 1903, except for 1904 and 1994. In 1904, the owner of the National League champion New York Giants refused to play what he considered an inferior team, the American League champion Boston Americans. In 1994, the World Series was canceled because of a players’ strike. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore, the World Series, baseball’s 30 teams, and some of its best players.
Words to know:
- American League
- Baseball
- Chicago
- Chicago Cubs
- Cleveland
- Cleveland Indians
- National League
- World Series
Discussion Topics:
1. In Chicago, there is a joke about Halley’s Comet coming twice (1910 and 1986) since the last time the Cubs won the World Series (1908). Ask your students to name other historical events that have happened since the last time the Cubs won the World Series in 1908. (Students might say World War I [1914-1918], the Great Depression [1930’s], World War II [1939-1945], the development of the Internet [1960’s], the moon landing [1969], the Soviet Union collapse [1991], September 11 terrorist attacks [2001].) Ask your students what they think is the most important event since 1908.
2. Ask your students to name some famous baseball players. (Students might say Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Yogi Berra, Barry Bonds, Roberto Clemente, Ty Cobb, Joe DiMaggio, Bob Feller, Lou Gehrig, Bob Gibson, Bryce Harper, Reggie Jackson, Derek Jeter, Walter Johnson, Clayton Kershaw, Sandy Koufax, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Stan Musial, Albert Pujols, Cal Ripken, Jr., Pete Rose, Jackie Robinson, Alex Rodriguez, Babe Ruth, Mike Trout, Ted Williams, and Cy Young.)
3. Ask your students what their favorite sport is and why.
4. Ask your students to use World Book’s Timelines feature to view or add to the History of Baseball timeline. (Students may wish to use the World Book’s “Baseball” article for help.)