American Experience

Suggestions for Classroom Activities

1. Students may want to consult the Hall of Fame’s official web page on Clemente’s career, which contains his batting statistics. Major League Baseball also provides a web page listing all-time leaders in various categories.

2. Before doing this activity, you might briefly discuss the concept of “role model” as a class. What is a role model? Is it important for people to have a role model? If so, why — and are role models important for all people, or only some? Interested students may want to watch this famous commercial the basketball star Charles Barkley made on the subject of athletes and role models.

3. You may want to ask interested students to prepare a list of well-known Puerto Ricans from the past and present.

4. As an additional (or alternative) activity, students may want to review the winners of individual awards such as the Most Valuable Player or Cy Young award over the past several decades to see how Latinos have become some of baseball’s most accomplished players. Interested students may also want to read this press release from Major League Baseball listing the members of its Latino Legends Team — the greatest Latino players of all time, as selected by baseball fans.

5. You might also draw students’ attention to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the threat of protests there in response to China’s policies toward Sudan and/or Tibet.