Image of kid envisioning Jackie Robinson as they hit the baseball
Illustration by Juan Carlos Ribas; Shutterstock.com (Background, Child); Bettmann Archive/Getty Images (Jackie Robinson)
Poetry,

Brave Like Jackie

Finding inspiration from a baseball hero

By Valerie Bolling
From the February 2024 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will identify examples of figurative language in this inspiring poem.

Complexity Factors
  • Levels of Meaning
    On one level, “Brave Like Jackie” is a fictional poem about a girl playing baseball. On another level, it is about how the girl is inspired by baseball legend Jackie Robinson.
  • Structure
    The poem contains 11 stanzas. The last words of the first nine stanzas rhyme. The last words of the last two stanzas also rhyme. These words have a similar sound to the first nine rhyming words.
  • Language
    The language is mostly simple but contains a few words—like clench and whizzes—that may be unfamiliar to students.
  • Knowledge Demands
    No prior knowledge is needed.
Featured Skill: Figurative Language,
Other Key Skills: plot, summarizing, interpreting text, elements of poetry, mood, text features, theme, synthesizing, narrative writing
Standards
  • Common Core
    RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.3, RL.3.4, RL.3.7, W.3.3, SL.3.1, SL.3.2, L.3.4, L.3.5
  • TEKS Grade 3
    1a, 1c, 3a, 3b, 4, 6a, 6c, 6d, 6h, 6i, 7b, 7c, 7f, 7g, 8a, 8c, 9b, 10b, 10c, 10d, 12b

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Brave Like Jackie

I stand brave.

Ready to try.


Step to the plate.

Dust in my eye.


Clench my bat. 

Hold it up high. 


Wait for the pitch.

It whizzes by.


“STR—IIII—KE!”

Comes the cry. 


Wipe my brow. 

Breathe and sigh.


Swing. Connect.

Ball to the sky! 


Throw my bat. 

Off I fly!


Round the bases.

Home run try.  


I slide home. 

Filled with pride.


Just like Jackie.

Brave inside.

THINK AND WRITE: FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

Explore the words that help you see, hear, and feel what’s happening in the poem. 

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Activities (3)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
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Skills Activities
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Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
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Table of Contents

1. Preparing to Read

2. Close Reading

3. SEL Focus

4. Skill Building

5. Differentiate and Customize

Struggling Readers, Multilingual Learners, Advanced Readers, Creative Writing

1. Preparing to Read

Set a Purpose for Reading

  • Read the title of the poem along with the poet’s name. Ask students to describe the illustration and predict what the poem will be about. Review the predictions after reading the poem.

  • Explain that the poem has 11 stanzas. A stanza is a group of lines in a poem. Explain that the last words of the first nine stanzas always rhyme (try, eye, high, by, cry, sigh, sky, fly and try). The last words of the last two stanzas also rhyme (pride and inside). These words have a similar sound to the first nine rhyming words.

Preview Text Features and Vocabulary 

  • Before reading, point out the words clench (grab tightly) and whizzes (passes by quickly) to students, and review their definitions. Go over any other vocabulary terms that may be challenging for your students.

2. Reading and Discussing the Poem

  • Read the poem to the class, play the audio Read-Aloud, or use Text-to-Speech.

  • Next, ask students to take turns reading aloud each line in the poem.

  • Discuss the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions. 

Close-Reading Questions

  • Read the first five stanzas, or groups of lines that appear together in a poem. What happens to the batter in this part of the poem? In this part of the poem, the batter tries to hit a ball and strikes out. (plot, summarizing)
  • How does the phrase “It whizzes by” help you imagine what is happening in the poem? The phrase “It whizzes by” helps me imagine how quickly the baseball speeds past the batter. (interpreting text, figurative language)
  • Which words rhyme in the first five stanzas of the poem? The words at the end of the second line of each stanza rhyme: try, eye, high, by, cry. (elements of poetry)
  • Read the next four stanzas. How did you feel after reading this part of the poem? What made you feel this way? Answers will vary. Sample response: I feel happy and excited when the batter hits the ball and starts to run around the bases. She’s trying for a home run. (mood)
  • Read the last two stanzas. How does the picture help you understand what the batter is thinking about as she slides home? In the picture the batter is thinking about Jackie Robinson. Jackie is someone who she thinks is brave. (text features)
  • Think about what you learned about Jackie Robinson’s life. Why does the batter say that when she slides home she’s “Filled with pride. / Just like Jackie. / Brave inside.” Answers will vary. Sample response: No matter what happened to Jackie Robinson, he was always brave inside and never gave up. The player in the poem feels that way too. She is brave and doesn’t give up. She hits a home run after first missing the ball. (theme, synthesizing)

3 Skill Building

Featured Skill: Figurative Language

Distribute or digitally assign our Figurative Language Skill Builder and have students complete it in class or for homework.

Text-to-Speech