Using Baseball in Social Studies Instruction: Addressing the Five Fundamental Themes of Geography.

This article discusses the significance of using baseball in social studies instruction. When developing teaching tools that engage learners in activities that can retain their interest, teachers may find baseball a useful springboard for teaching social studies skills. Teachers can capitalize on an area of interest that already exists for many youth. As a popular spectator sport in the U.S., baseball had more than seventy-four million paid attendees at major league games and another thirty-eight million at minor league baseball games. Moreover, the interest goes beyond simply spectating as participatory numbers for youth in organized baseball continue to grow. Little League Baseball, Inc., is the world's largest organized youth sports program. Lessons in which a study of baseball could be woven include the history, geography, culture, and economics of cities and regions where teams exist, map skills, charting and graphing skills, the study of time lines and development of time skills, and even the study of geographic regions and the historical significance of classic ballparks. By exploring Major League Baseball through the five themes of geography and research activities, children make real and practical applications that relate to their lives.