San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge

The week before school started, I finally made it to my first of the Seven Wonders of the World! Of course, I was going to California to visit friends and check out baseball in Los Angeles and San Francisco too! Since my class just finished reading Pop's Bridge (a great story about honesty and pride) in our Journeys reading series, I promised to upload my pictures and video of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed my trip!

 me at the Golden Gate Bridge...it's much colder and windier there than most of California...this picture was taken in August and I have a winter jacket on!

the bridge is covered by fog on most days

video of crossing the Golden Gate Bridge (it's very windy on top of a double decker bus so TURN YOUR SOUND DOWN!!!!)

360 degree view from the side of the Golden Gate Bridge

seals in the bay

2,866 miles to Cooperstown!

fog rolling in off the mountains at night at AT&T Park

Preview the book Pop's Bridge here.

Check out Pop's Bridge and videos with the author here.

Practice spelling words from the story here.

Find vocabulary games for the story here.

Read the story online here. (Requires password)

Some great paired reads with Pop's Bridge are:

You Wouldn't Want to Be a Worker on the Statue of Liberty!

A First Book of Bridge Problems

The First Book of Bridges

National Baseball Hall of Fame

I visited the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown this weekend. It was a perfect way to get ready for the postseason (Let's Go Yankees!) and to collect some pictures for our upcoming Journey's reading story, Roberto Clemente, Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  I often use baseball adages with my students, such as the fact that a player who gets 3 hits in every 10 at bats is considered a success! My students have also been blown away by the story of one handed pitcher Jim Abbott and struggle of Jackie Robinson. Here are some notable pictures from my trip:

Doubleday Field, site of the Hall of Fame Game

Built in 1920, and site of the reunion game scene from A League of Their Own

Women's Professional Baseball League uniforms circa World War II - Rockford Peaches!

 National Baseball Hall of Fame

"Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the earth..." -Lou Gehrig, dying of ALS

The Iron Horse, Lou Gehrig's uniform

Ruth and Gehrig struck out back to back by a 17 year old girl!

Record for most stolen bases in a season, 201, held by a woman.... the bases may have been closer in women's baseball, but she had to hit, run, and slide in a skirt! The closest male player had 138.

 Babe Ruth's plaque in the Hall of Fame

Babe Ruth's locker and uniform

Babe Ruth's bat and ball from "the called shot."

Babe Ruth hits the first All Star Game Homerun - 1933

The House that Ruth Built

Babe Ruth Central

Babe Ruth as Santa Claus

Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson Breaks Barriers video

Jackie Robinson Brain Pop video

Henry "Hank" Aaron exhibit

Hank Aaron Homerun Balls

Hank Aaron bats - 600th homerun and 3,000th hit

Hammerin' Hank Hits Homerun #715 to break Babe Ruth's record (video)

Old balls from the 1800s - they look like concrete!

Roberto Clemente:

12 time All Star, 12 time Gold Glove Award winner, 4 time batting champion, 2 time World Series Champion, 1961 NL MVP, 1971 World Series MVP

Roberto Clemente statue and picture at the entrance to the Hall

Pirates / Roberto Clemente memorabilia

MLB Roberto Clemente Award 

PNC Park

Roberto Clemente Jr. and Roberto Clemente bridge in Pittsburgh, PA

Roberto Clemente podcast

Roberto Clemente video clips

Roberto Clemente's 3,000 hit

 Ted Williams memorabilia

Ted Williams' predicted batting average when the ball was pitched in different areas of his strike zone - even ball players use math!

Joe DiMaggio - always give it your best!

Roberto would want you to remember...

...there's no crying in baseball!