Mapping to MN State Standards
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The resources on this page have been selected by eLibraryMN and Minnesota Digital Library librarians and curators to support the MN English Language Arts and the Social Studies standards, both current and pending, specifically related to the history of sports. Resources in eLibraryMN and EbooksMN have unlimited simultaneous user access and are freely available to anyone geolocated in Minnesota. The primary source resources detailed are available to all, regardless of location.
Please reach out with questions or suggestions about linking to, using, or sharing these resources.
Academic Research
Below is a collection of available topic overviews that link to many related articles and resources within ELM.
POV Reference Center - choose the Sports Topic
There are many issues related to sports and the sports industry that are relevant to students. Use Points of View Reference Center to help students debate multiple sides of these questions.
Gale High School: Sports Issues
High schoolers will be able to use Gale's High School curated collection of sports content to access magazines, news articles, video, audio, primary sources, reference sources, and biographies covering a wide variety of sports content.
ProQuest: US Newstream
Sports are well covered in newspapers. Using ProQuest's US Newstream is an excellent way to offer students a one stop shop for locating up to date information.
Explora: Sports and Hobbies
Are your students ready to dive in to more complex aspects of sport? Use Explora's entry on Sports and Hobbies to expand inquiry into Sports Medicine, sporting events, and fitness.
Ebooks
This is a curated group of fiction and nonfiction ebooks, Grade Interest Level 9-12. All titles are available to students geolocated in MN without login. Linking directly to chapters is also possible. To link directly to the titles and share in your LMS or libguides, copy the link to the title(s) you want from our persistent link spreadsheet (if you are not accessing through the MackinVia app). Reach out to us with questions about linking.
The Warriors
Young Native American boy Jake is a strong lacrosse player on the reservation, but when he and his mother move to Washington, D.C., lacrosse players at his new school do not understand the Iroquois.
Shutout
Alex Paterson, the best goalie on his hockey team, is suspended when a photo emerges of him holding a beer at a party. Alex knows he's been set up so he begins to investigate not only to clear his name, but help lead his team in the playoffs.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Provides a biography of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. chronicling his childhood and racing career.
Muhammad Ali
A biography of boxer Muhammad Ali who won the world heavyweight championship three times. He was stripped of the title and banned from boxing when he refused to fight in the Vietnam War, but he made a tremendous comeback a few years later.
The Story of the Minnesota Vikings
Explores the history of the Minnesota Vikings football franchise, discussing its origins, the achievements of its famous players and coaches, and where the team stands in today's NFL rankings.
Minnesota Twins baseball: hardball history on the prairie
Provides a history of the Minnesota Twins baseball team, from early minor-league teams in the Twin Cities area that preceded the Twins, to the origins of the Twins team, to key players through the years.
Primary Sources
Resources below are recommended by MDL curators from partners in primary source history.
Thief River Falls organized its first football team around 1900. How is it different from today?
These women played field hockey in a physical education class while attending Winona State Teachers College in 1913.
Duluth Universal Milling Co. Curling Team
Team members and employees of the milling company pose with their trophies, brooms, and rocks after winning the 1916-1917 curling season.
These girls attended the Pipestone Indian Training School in southwestern Minnesota in the 1920s.
This 1926 map shows the locations and types of recreational activities, like baseball, football, basketball, tennis, volleyball, and more, in Minneapolis parks.
Watch a 1952 football game between the St. Cloud State Teachers College and St. John's University. More football footage from 1950s-1980s can be found in MDL.
These women won trophies at a Mora Country Club golf tournament in the 1960s.
The Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board ran a soccer clinic in the city during the 1980s.
Photo Collections:
Interlibrary Loan/Resource Sharing
For in depth research into these topics, sometimes you need to request materials from other libraries. These can be digital or they can sometimes be printed books. There are two main options for requesting these materials. One, MNLINK, allows you to search all Minnesota libraries for the requires the use of a public library card and PIN. While many educators use their own library card to help students, it is recommended that students use their own. However, this is not always possible, so there is a second option: Minitex Resource sharing for schools. This allows one staff member per school to request items on behalf of students and have the items sent directly to the school building. If you have questions about which option is better for you and your students, reach out to us and we can help.