A free classroom companion to The Adventures of Charlie Marley: Midnight's Moment in Time by Andrew Luria. Six real sports moments, each tied to a history theme and a reading skill for grades 3 to 6, with a printable worksheet and answer key for each.
Students read each stop in the Time Machine on charliemarley.com, answer its History Check, then complete the worksheet. Each stop takes about 30 minutes.
How to use it: Read the stop aloud or in pairs. Pause on the gold "What's that?" words for vocabulary. Finish with the worksheet's discussion question as a class.
Writing extension (any stop): "If you could ride the Flogtrac to one sports moment, which would you pick and why? Give two reasons."
Worksheet 1: Babe Ruth's Called Shot (1932)
Skill: Fact vs. opinion · Name: ____________________
Read: In Game 3 of the 1932 World Series, the New York Yankees played the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Babe Ruth made a pointing gesture during his at-bat, then hit the next pitch over the center field fence. Some people say he was pointing to where he would hit it. Others say he was pointing at the Cubs. Nobody knows for sure.
Vocabulary: gesture · legend · bleachers
Questions
Which team did the Yankees play in the Called Shot game?
Write one FACT from the reading.
Write one OPINION people have about the Called Shot.
Why do you think people still argue about this moment almost 100 years later?
Discussion: Can a story be famous even if we're not sure it's true? Name another story like that.
Answer key: 1. The Chicago Cubs. 2. Any of: it was Game 3 of the 1932 World Series; it was at Wrigley Field; Ruth made a gesture; he hit a home run over the center field fence. 3. He was pointing to where he would hit it, or he was pointing at the Cubs. 4. Answers vary: there's no clear proof, and it makes a great story.
Worksheet 2: The Play (1982)
Skill: Sequence of events · Name: ____________________
Read: In 1982, Cal played Stanford in their yearly "Big Game." With four seconds left, Stanford kicked off. Cal's players threw the ball backward to each other five times, called laterals. Thinking the game was over, the Stanford marching band rushed onto the field. Cal's Kevin Moen ran right through the band and crashed into a trombone player in the end zone. Cal won 25 to 20.
Vocabulary: lateral · kickoff · end zone
Questions
Put these in order (1–4): ___ the band runs onto the field · ___ Stanford kicks off · ___ Kevin Moen scores · ___ Cal makes five laterals
How many seconds were left when the play started?
What was the final score?
Why do you think the band ran onto the field too early?
Discussion: When have you thought something was over before it really was?
Answer key: 1. Stanford kicks off (1), Cal makes five laterals (2), the band runs onto the field (3), Kevin Moen scores (4). 2. Four seconds. 3. Cal 25, Stanford 20. 4. They thought Stanford had already won.
Worksheet 3: Mary Lou Retton's Perfect 10 (1984)
Skill: Cause and effect · Name: ____________________
Read: At the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, gymnast Mary Lou Retton needed a perfect score of 10 on her last event, the vault, to win the all-around gold medal. She landed it and scored a 10. Then she took her second vault anyway and scored another 10. She became the first American woman to win the Olympic all-around gold in gymnastics.
Vocabulary: vault · all-around · perfect score
Questions
What score did Mary Lou Retton need on the vault?
CAUSE: She scored a perfect 10. EFFECT: ______________
Why was her win important for American gymnastics?
She took her second vault even though she had already won. What does that tell you about her?
Discussion: How do you stay calm when everything depends on one try?
Answer key: 1. A perfect 10. 2. She won the all-around gold medal. 3. She was the first American woman to win it. 4. Answers vary: confident, hard-working, wanted to finish strong.
Worksheet 4: Jackie Robinson (1947)
Skill: Character traits and evidence · Name: ____________________
Read: On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers and became the first Black player in modern Major League Baseball. Before that, Black players were kept out of the major leagues. Some fans and players treated him badly, but he kept playing. He won the very first Rookie of the Year award. Today every big-league player wears his number, 42, on Jackie Robinson Day.
Vocabulary: barrier · segregation · courage
Questions
What team did Jackie Robinson play for in 1947?
Name one character trait Jackie Robinson showed. Give one piece of evidence from the reading.
What award did he win in 1947?
Why do all players wear number 42 on one day each year?
Discussion: What does it mean to "break a barrier"? Can you think of someone who broke one?
Answer key: 1. The Brooklyn Dodgers. 2. Example: courage or determination; he kept playing even though some people treated him badly. 3. Rookie of the Year (the first one ever). 4. To honor him and remember what he did.
Worksheet 5: Babe Didrikson (1932)
Skill: Compare and contrast · Name: ____________________
Read: At the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, Babe Didrikson won gold medals in the javelin and the 80-meter hurdles and a silver medal in the high jump. She also played basketball and baseball. Later she became one of the greatest golfers ever and helped start the LPGA, the professional golf tour for women.
Vocabulary: javelin · hurdles · versatile
Questions
How many medals did Babe Didrikson win at the 1932 Olympics?
List three sports she played.
Compare Babe Didrikson and Babe Ruth. Write one way they are alike and one way they are different.
Why do you think starting the LPGA mattered for women golfers?
Discussion: Is it better to be great at one sport or good at many? Explain.
Answer key: 1. Three (two gold, one silver). 2. Any three of: track and field (javelin, hurdles, high jump), basketball, baseball, golf. 3. Alike: both famous athletes in 1932, both nicknamed "Babe." Different: Didrikson starred in many sports and the Olympics; Ruth was a baseball player. 4. It gave women their own professional tour to compete and earn a living.
Worksheet 6: Michael Jordan and the 1996 Bulls
Skill: Main idea and supporting details · Name: ____________________
Read: In the 1995–96 season, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls won 72 games and lost only 10, the best record in NBA history at that time. In the NBA Finals they beat the Seattle SuperSonics. They won the championship on Father's Day, Jordan's first title since his father passed away.
Vocabulary: record · season · championship
Questions
How many games did the 1995–96 Bulls win? How many did they lose?
Who did the Bulls beat in the 1996 NBA Finals?
Write the main idea of the reading in one sentence.
Give two details that support your main idea.
Discussion: Why might winning on Father's Day have meant so much to Michael Jordan?
Answer key: 1. 72 wins, 10 losses. 2. The Seattle SuperSonics. 3. Example: The 1995–96 Bulls were one of the greatest teams ever. 4. Any two: the 72–10 record; best record at the time; won the NBA Finals; won the title on Father's Day.
What this site collects
charliemarley.com has no accounts, no ads and no tracking cookies. Students can play every game without typing anything. Game progress (points, badges, streaks) stays in the student's own browser.
The only things a student can send are an invention idea, a story idea and a vote. The site turns away anything that looks like a full name, email, phone number, address or web link before it is saved. Inventions appear publicly only if the author approves them, by first name at most. Full details are on the privacy page.
Book a school visit
Would you like author Andrew Luria, a 14-time Emmy Award-winning sports and news anchor, to visit your school? To ask about a visit, email info@charliemarley.com with your school, grade levels and preferred dates.