What makes your team great?

Activity Section

Make your own pennant

Context and Instructions

Jackie was a star athlete in many sports, excelling in baseball, football, track, and basketball while at UCLA. A strong competitor and a skilled athlete, he was also a loyal team player and leader. In breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball, Jackie’s athletic talent was only part of the reason “The Great Experiment” successful. Jackie also had the discipline and mental strength to handle racial abuse and insults.

Listen to Sharon Robinson’s Jackie Robinson: American Hero. Chapters 2, 6, and 7 are especially helpful when thinking about what made Jackie a great teammate. While you listen, use our warm up activity in the Got Game? section as a guide.

For this activity, you will use Jackie as inspiration for making a pennant representing yourself or your team, family, or class. A team is more than a group of people who play a sport. It’s any group of people who work together and help each other. So, you are a teammate on many different teams, such as your family or class.

Make your own pennant:

1. Decide what your pennant will represent. It can involve your family, your class, or a group of any kind to which you belong. It does not have to be a sports team, simply a group important to you. Check out some examples below.
2. Make a list of words, memories, and ideas that make this group a great “team” or you a great “teammate” – inspired by what you’ve learned about Jackie Robinson.
3. Make your pennant. Print our template or draw your pennant on a sheet of paper. To draw a pennant, use a ruler to make a triangle with two equal sides and one shorter side. Try measuring 11 inches for the long sides and 7 inches for the short side.
4. Cut out your pennant.
5. Collect or draw decorations. You can cut out decorations from the template or cut out pictures or words from magazines. You can also use stickers or draw and cut out your own decorations.
6. Decorate your pennant with the cut-outs using glue or tape. Use markers, crayons, or colored pencils to add words and drawings that represent your team.
7. Wave your pennant to show your team spirit! Use tape to secure your pennant to a broom handle or even a pencil to wave it around or just hold it up by hand.
8. Have an adult help you post a photo or video of your pennant on social media and tag @JRFoundation on Twitter and Instagram or @JRF42 on Facebook.