Standards Correlations

R.1, R.3, R.4, R.6, R.7, W.2, SL.1, SL.2, L.4, L.5, L.6

Learning Objective

As students read about Olympic athlete Wilma Rudolph, they will make inferences about the plot and characters.

Key Skills

inference, text features, vocabulary, character, author’s craft, figurative language, cause and effect, interpreting text, informational writing

Complexity Factors

Levels of Meaning: Through the story of Wilma Rudolph, who beat polio and won Olympic gold, the play conveys the idea that our struggles don’t define us.

 

Structure: The play is chronological and has six scenes and an epilogue.

 

Language: The play includes some figurative language. 

 

Knowledge Demands: Some familiarity with the play’s main setting (mid-1900s Tennessee) will be helpful.

Levels

Guided Reading Level: T 

DRA Level: 50

SEL Connection:

This play and lesson plan promote social awareness and self-management skills.

Lesson Plan: Go!

Essential Questions

  • What does it mean to be strong?
  • How can we challenge societal expectations of ourselves?

Literature Connection

  • Graphic biography: Wilma Rudolph: Olympic Track Star by Lee Engfer
  • Novel: The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

1. Preparing to Read 

Preview Text Features (10 minutes)

Guide students to locate the play. Then help them preview the text features using the following prompts:

  • Read the play’s title and the text beside it, and look at the accompanying illustration. Who was Wilma Rudolph? What does the illustration show? Wilma Rudolph was the fastest woman in the world. The illustration shows her getting ready to run a race, with a big crowd behind her.
  • Look at the photos and captions included in the play. What do they tell you about Wilma Rudolph? The photos and captions tell you that Wilma was an Olympic athlete. At a young age, she set a world record for running at the 1960 Olympics. She grew up during a time when the U.S. had racist laws meant to keep Black people and White people separate. She took a stand against this. She refused to attend a parade where she would be honored unless it was integrated. She died in 1994, after a lifetime of supporting and training young athletes.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary box. Read the terms (spinal cord, specialist, hobbles, potential) aloud and discuss their definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

  • Set a purpose for reading by telling students they’ll make inferences while reading “Go!” Explain that making an inference means using clues from the text to figure out something that isn’t stated.
  • Point out the activity at the end of the play. Tell students they will complete it after reading.

2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

  • Assign roles to students and read the play aloud as a class. Stop after each scene and ask students to summarize what happened.
  • After reading, discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (20 minutes)

  • Based on what you learn in Scene 1, what challenges did Wilma face as she was growing up? (character) Wilma faced many challenges as she was growing up. She lived in a house with no electricity, which suggests that her family was poor. Wilma became very ill with a serious disease called polio. As a Black girl, Wilma also encountered racism and racist rules that made her daily life and illness more challenging.
  • In Scene 3, the stage directions in italics say that Wilma says a line “to herself.” Why do you think the author included this line? (author’s craft) The author included the line because it shows how Wilma encouraged herself and boosted her own confidence. The line shows that even at a young age, Wilma had a strong drive to succeed.
  • Announcer 1 in Scene 6 says that Wilma is running “with fire in her eyes.” What does this mean? (figurative language) The Announcer means that Wilma is running with a look of determination. She wants to win, and the “fire in her eyes” shows that she is pushing herself hard to reach that goal.
  • Why do you think Wilma Rudolph became “a hero around the world”? (cause and effect) She became a hero because she overcame an illness and racism to become the fastest woman in the world, and she won three gold medals at the Rome Olympics.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

  • In Scene 4, Coach Gray calls Wilma Rudolph a “fighter.” How does what you learn about Wilma in this play support Coach Gray’s statement? (character) Wilma Rudolph battled many challenges to become a runner. She fought hard against her illness and defied the expectations of doctors, who thought she’d never walk again. Then she pushed herself to become a fast runner, practicing at every chance. Even when the competition was tough and she felt hopeless, she trained harder to become stronger and faster.
  • The last line of the play is a quote from Wilma Rudolph: “Every one of us has the potential to be great.” What does this mean? How does this quote inspire you? (interpreting text) With this quote, Wilma means that everyone is capable of achieving great things. Answers for the second part of the question will vary.

3. Skill Building and Writing

Learn Anywhere Activity

An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom

Learn About Another Amazing Female Athlete

After reading about Wilma Rudolph, learn more about incredible female athletes by watching our exciting video “Women for the Win.” 

After watching, choose one of the athletes mentioned in the video (or another female athlete that interests you) and learn more about her. (Try searching the athlete’s name on womenshistory.org, or see if the athlete has a website.) Answer these questions about the athlete:

  • What sport does she play?
  • When was she born?
  • What records has she set?
  • What challenges did she face?
  • What do you think is the most interesting thing about her?

Prepare a short presentation about your athlete, and share the facts you’ve learned with your class.

ELL Springboard

Teach contractions to improve fluency.

Before reading, review these common contractions that appear in the play. Reviewing the meanings and pronunciations of these words will make students less likely to stumble over them when encountering them in the text. 

  • don’t: do not
  • I’ll: I will
  • I’m: I am
  • I’ve: I have
  • it’s: it is
  • let’s: let us
  • she’s: she is
  • that’s: that is
  • we’ll: we will
  • what’s: what is
  • you’re: you are

Looking for more ELL support? Download our full lesson plan and scroll to p. 5 to find questions that will help your ELLs respond to the text at the level that’s right for them.

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Text-to-Speech