Description
This lesson explores the life and legacy of boxer Muhammad Ali. The lesson, which features biographer Jonathan Eig speaking at the 2017 Southern Festival of Books, opens with two reflective questions that ask students to list the athletes they consider the greatest of all time and reflect on whether athletes have roles or responsibilities outside of participating in their sports. Students then view an introductory video clip in which Eig talks about his process for researching Muhammad Ali's life while writing his book, "Ali." Next, students view and analyze six video clips that detail the life of Muhammad Ali. Students then view and analyze a final video clip in which Eig discusses why he thinks Muhammad Ali can be considered "the greatest of all time." Finally, students respond to a summative writing prompt that asks them to assess whether they "agree with Jonathan Eig’s statement that Ali can be considered “the greatest of all time.”"
Procedures
SET UP
This lesson offers several options for you to use with your students whether you are teaching in class, using a hybrid model, or engaging through distance learning. It can be completed in steps as a class or students can move at their own pace and complete the activities independently.
You can post links to the videos in the lesson along with the related handout and engage in discussion to share responses on a discussion board or learning management system.
You can also save and share the following Google resource for students to use with this lesson.
Handout: Graphic Organizer (Google Doc).
In Google, choose "File" then "Make a Copy" to get your own copy. You can make any needed adjustments in the instructions such as which activities students need to complete, when it is due, etc. and then make it available to them via Google.
WARM UP
Pose the following brainstorming questions to your students, directing them to record their responses in their graphic organizer, share with a partner, and then with the class if they choose.
- Which athletes do you consider the greatest of all time? Why?
- Do athletes have roles or responsibilities outside of participating in their specific sports? Explain.
INTRODUCTION
Play the following introductory video clip of biographer Jonathan Eig talking about his process for researching Muhammad Ali's life while writing his book, Ali. Direct your students to answer the related question on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.
Clip #1: Job of a Biographer (5:08).
- What is “important” for biographers to recognize?
- Define the “job” of a biographer.
- How did Jonathan Eig prepare to write his book, “Ali?”
- Based on the clip, what role does empathy play in writing biographies?
- What was one of the “first things” Eig did in preparing to write his book? Summarize what happened.
VOCABULARY
Direct your students to their graphic organizers to view and define the vocabulary terms that will appear in the lesson in the chart in their graphic organizer handout. The vocabulary words are also listed to the right on this webpage.
We recommend having your students complete the activity in a jigsaw format to save time. Or, depending on time and resources, you may consider having your students engage in a Frayer's Model activity, where each student is responsible for completing one or two items. Students can then post their models around the room for reference throughout the lesson.
Note: this is not an all-encompassing list of terms included in each video. We recommend you preview the video clips to determine any necessary additions/subtractions to this list for your specific students.
BIOGRAPHY
Direct students to the Biography section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following six video clips that detail the life of Muhammad Ali. Direct your students to answer the related questions on their graphic organizer and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.
Clip #2: Growing Up (4:11).
- Describe the home where Muhammad Ali grew up, as shown in the clip.
- Why did Ali become “quick” and a “class clown?”
- Summarize the true story of Ali’s “stolen bicycle” and its impact on his life.
- According to Jonathan Eig, did Ali race the bus to school? Explain what this story highlights about Ali’s personality.
Clip #3: Heavyweight Champion (3:43).
- Describe Muhammad Ali’s training routine, as discussed in the clip.
- Why was Ali a “hero” by 1960?
- According to Jonathan Eig, what did Ali discover about himself during the Olympics?
- Why were Ali and Sonny Liston both “unpopular?” Summarize the outcome of their 1964 fight.
- Based on the clip, what did Ali announce shortly after the fight?
Clip #4: Religion and Name (3:09).
- Based on the clip, how did Muhammad Ali come to view his birth name of Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. and his Christian upbringing?
- How did Ali’s “pronouncement” change the world?
- Why was the Nation of Islam considered “a threat” by the U.S. government?
- According to Jonathan Eig, how did Ali’s views contrast with his father’s views?
- Why were Ali’s words not “filtered” by the white media? Explain.
Clip #5: Draft Evasion and Frazier Fight (2:22).
- What was Muhammad Ali “convicted” of doing? Describe his evolution on the issue.
- Based on the clip, what did Ali lose as a result of the conviction?
- What “key moment” occurred three and a half years later? Summarize what happened and impact on Ali’s career.
Clip #6: Foreman Fight and Losses (4:04).
- Based on the clip, how were the 1970s different compared to the 1960s for Muhammad Ali?
- What was the “fight for black pride?”
- How was Ali’s “training” different by this point of his career? Why?
- According to Jonathan Eig, what happened after Ali won the fight?
- What else was “slowing down” toward the end of Ali’s career? Why?
Clip #7: A Third Act (2:22).
- According to Jonathan Eig, what was Muhammad Ali doing in the late 1980s and early 1990s?
- Based on the clip, what happened in 1996? Explain the significance of this moment.
- How do we “want to remember” Ali?
REFLECTION
After your students finish sharing their findings from the lesson, direct them to the Reflection section of their graphic organizers. Instruct your students to view the following final video clip in which biographer Jonathan Eig talks about his book, Ali, and why he thinks Muhammad Ali can be considered "the greatest of all time." Direct your students to answer the related questions and share their findings with a partner, small group, or the class when finished.
Clip #8: The Greatest of All Time (4:23).
- Why did Jonathan Eig want to “meet” Muhammad Ali? Detail his efforts to do so.
- Based on the clip, what happened when Eig met Ali? Summarize Eig’s reflections.
CLOSURE
After your students are finished with the lesson, direct them to complete the final culminating writing prompt and have students share their responses, comparing their perspectives with their classmates' perspectives: Having now learned about the life of Muhammad Ali, assess whether you agree with Jonathan Eig’s statement that Ali can be considered “the greatest of all time.” Be sure to include evidence from the video clips in the lesson to support your argument.
Related Articles
Additional Resources
- On This Day: Jesse Owens Wins First of Four Gold Medals
- Video Clip: Hanafi Movement
- Video Clip: 1963 Interview with Malcolm X
- Bell Ringer: The History of Black Athletes' Activism
- Bell Ringer: The Longevity of Jackie Robinson's Legacy
- Lesson Plan: Key Events of the Civil Rights Movement
