Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Black Diamond

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Score a home run with this packet of information on the very first player of the Negro League to be elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame — cultural groundbreaker and sports legend Satchel Paige. These worksheets include a...
Handout
Education World

Remembering Jackie Robinson

For Students 2nd - 6th Standards
A four-paragraph informational text details the life of the famous baseball player, Jackie Robinson. A prompt challenges scholars to write or discuss a time in their life when they were not included and how that made them feel. 
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Guide to Black History: Leon Spinks

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Brittanica's Guide to Black History features Leon Spinks, an American boxer who won an Olympic gold medal in 1976 and was the world heavyweight champion in 1978. He and Michael Spinks became the first...
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Guide to Black History: Robert L. Johnson

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Brittanica's Guide to Black History features Robert L. Johnson, an American businessman, founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET), and the first African American majority owner of a major professional...
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Guide to Black History: Venus Williams

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Brittanica's Guide to Black History features Venus Williams, an American tennis player who-along with her sister Serena-redefined the sport with her strength and superb athleticism. This site, rich in detail...
Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Louis, Joe

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about Joe Louis, successful boxer, in this encyclopedia article.
Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Muhammad Ali

For Students 9th - 10th
In this brief encyclopedia entry, you can read about Muhammad Ali, famous as a boxer, but, perhaps more so, as an ambassador of good will. There are links to other websites for more information.
Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Rudolph, Wilma

For Students 9th - 10th
This brief encyclopedia entry gives the high points of Wilma Rudolph's life and her success as an athlete.
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Tiger Woods

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Tiger Woods, an American golfer who enjoyed one of the greatest amateur careers in the history of the game and became a dominant player on the professional circuit in the late 1990s. In...
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Leon Spinks

For Students 9th - 10th
Biographical sketch of American boxer Leon Spinks, who won an Olympic gold medal in 1976 and was the world heavyweight champion in 1978. He and Michael Spinks became the first brothers to win gold medals in the same sport at the same...
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Bill Russell

For Students 9th - 10th
Biographical information on Bill Russell, an American basketball player who was the first outstanding defensive center in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and one of the sport's greatest icons.
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Venus Williams

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the life of Venus Williams, African-American tennis player who, along with her sister Serena, redefined the sport with her strength and superb athleticism.
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Reggie White

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Reggie White, an American professional gridiron football player who was one of the most dominant defensive lineman in the history of the sport. In his 15-year National Football League...
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Gene Lipscomb

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Gene Lipscomb, an American gridiron football player and larger-than-life "character" whose exploits helped make professional football the most popular sport in the United States during the...
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Marion Motley

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Marion Motley, an African American gridiron football player who helped desegregate professional football in the 1940s during a career that earned him induction into the Pro Football Hall...
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Michael Spinks

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Michael Spinks, an American boxer who was both the light heavyweight (1981-85) and heavyweight (1985-88) world champion and an Olympic gold medalist (1976). He and Leon Spinks became the...
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Wayne Embry

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Wayne Embry, an American professional basketball player and the first African-American to serve as the general manager of a professional sports franchise.
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Muhammad Ali

For Students 9th - 10th
Summary of the life and career of world heavyweight champion boxer Muhammad Ali.