MVP'S of Character

Upcoming Speakers

The goal of this program is to offer teachers and students an opportunity to explore the relationship between healthy character development, mature decision-making and academic achievement.

Basketball stars and well-known figures from the community are invited to speak with school groups about their experiences as they relate to the "Most Valuable Pillars" of Character identified below.

The program is supplemented with both pre-visit and post-visit in-class curriculum available upon request.

Educational Mission

The Educational Department's mission at the Basketball Hall of Fame is to capture the attention and imagination of youth via their love and interest in basketball while providing learning tools and inspirational messages that teach in a fun and active learning environment.

At the Basketball Hall of Fame, we:

• Enhance students' understanding of good character by promoting proven traits that will help them make good ethical decisions and lead them on the path to success
• Inspire youth with stories of basketball celebrities who represent the traits of character that responsible and successful citizens would emulate
• Educate youth to understand the relationship between self-discipline, athletic achievement, good moral character, and how they impact academic achievement
• Apply useful life-skills education across a variety of subjects

Fastbreak Curriculum

Grades 3-8-provides learning opportunities for students in core subject areas. Basketball serves as a focal point for a variety of activities to help students better observe, interpret, evaluate and developing reflective and critical thinking.

The Fastbreak program consists of lesson plans in the areas of Math, Science, Geography, Social Studies, Language Arts, History and Health

ACTIVITES INCLUDE:

Crunching The Numbers
Explore math concepts such as statistics, measurement, and graphing.

Objects In Motion
Incorporates physics to explain the physical properties of basketball.

Around The World Of Basketball
Map skills are put to the test when locating international teams and players around the globe.

Scavenger Hunt
Explore the relationship of cause and effect as students hunt through the museum finding answers to basketball related questions.

Basketball's Elite
Practice vocabulary and critical writing skills as students prepare a report on a famous player in the sport.

Basketball And Its Glorious Past
Use a timeline to put historical basketball events in chronological order.

Team Building
Work cooperatively to gather information at the Hall of Fame to later answer a series of open-ended questions relating to teamwork.

Library Pass Program

The Library Pass Program is available to all local and regional libraries.

This program allows libraries to purchase two yearly discount passes that they in turn can have available for patrons to sign out and utilize at the Hall of Fame to receive a discount on admission.

The discount admission with the pass is $12 for an adult admission (regularly $16.99) and $8 (regularly $11.99) for youth ages 5-15. Under 5 years at the Hall of Fame is FREE. Each pass is valid for a party of 6 (three adults and three youth). The cost to the library for the two special discount passes is $75.

For more information, or to request an application, please contact Group Sales at (413) 231-5513.

Sports Management Program
During the school year, high school and college students have the opportunity to interact with experienced professionals from the Hall of Fame or area colleges. The Hall of Fame can provide discussion on such fields as Development, Marketing, Sales, Museum Curatorship, Media or Hospitality. Pre-registration required.

Available Dates
Thursday, November 20, 2008 – 10AM
Thursday, December 18, 2008 – 10AM
Thursday, March 26, 2009 – 10AM
Thursday, April 23, 2009 – 10AM

For more information or to book your school's visit, please contact Group Sales at (413) 231-5513 or 5550.