From the Sugar Mills to the Majors: The Rise of Dominican Beisbolistas in Major League Baseball

Holly Bryk

In this unit designed for a World Language class, I will focus on the great American pastime, the sport of baseball, in the target language, specifically the recruitment of Major League players from the Dominican Republic, and why these beisbolistas are the most sought after recruits in Latin America by U. S. Major League Baseball teams. Students will learn how to read and interpret authentic texts, in the target language using the Visual Thinking Strategies method. The same strategies that students employ for close reading of text are easily applied to the interpretation of maps and infographics. Students will practice both strategies as they read about and research baseball in the Dominican Republic and the United States.