Writing 1 and 2—February 22, 2016 Journal: "A person is bullied when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons, and he or she has difficulty defending himself or herself." – This definition includes three important components: 1. Bullying is aggressive behavior that involves unwanted, negative actions. 2. Bullying involves a pattern of behavior repeated over time. 3. Bullying involves an imbalance of power or strength. In what situations do you and your friends see people bullied? Do you ever try to stop someone from getting bullied? Are there any risks to standing up for someone who is being bullied? What are they? How do they impact your decision to get involved in a situation?

Writing Questions 1. Branch Rickey tells his associates his primary motivation for bringing a black player into the Brooklyn Dodgers organization is to make money. Throughout the film it becomes clear that Jackie Robinson means a great deal more to Rickey than he initially suggests. Describe some of the scenes that depict this. At the end of the film, Branch Rickey tells Robinson he’s able to love the game of baseball again - why do you think he says this? 2. Branch Rickey tells Jackie Robinson he’s looking for a player with the courage not to fight back if he is persecuted, insulted, abused, and hated by players, officials, and fans. How can having a “thick skin” be an advantage in life? How might things have turned out differently if Jackie had given in and lost his temper on the field? 3. Success often results from adapting to change. How do the various players of the Brooklyn Dodgers and other members of the league adapt differently to the addition of Jackie Robinson to the team? What happens to those who don’t adapt?

Writing Questions 4. Are Jackie’s teammates, who at first do nothing when Jackie is ridiculed on the field, as guilty as the people who yell racial slurs? Why or why not? 5. It was obviously hard to watch the scene in which the Phillies manager, Ben Chapman, yells racial slurs at Jackie Robinson on the field. What thoughts did you have during this scene? How did you feel when Jackie’s teammate came out of the dugout to stand up against the Phillies manager’s racism? How can being “under fire” sometimes propel us to heroism we didn’t know we were capable of? 6. Why is April 15, 1947 such a significant date? What does Major League Baseball do annually to recognize this historic day? 7. We read that some of the events in this movie are left out or historically inaccurate. Do these omissions/changes effect the movie for you? Why or why not?