The amazing true story of Wilma Rudolph
Learning Objective: As students read this drama about Wilma Rudolph, who overcame great obstacles to become a sports champion, they will identify character traits that helped Rudolph succeed.
Characters
Choose the character you will play.
Choose the character you will play. *Starred characters have large speaking roles.
Narrators 1, 2, and 3 (N1, N2, N3)
Dr. Coleman
Wilma Rudolph, a young girl
Mama, Wilma’s mother
Papa, Wilma’s father
Edward, a classmate
*Narrators 1, 2, and 3 (N1, N2, N3)
Dr. Coleman
*Wilma Rudolph, a young girl
*Mama, Wilma’s mother
*Papa, Wilma’s father
Wesley, Wilma’s brother
Yvonne, Wilma’s sister
Robert, a classmate
Wesley, Wilma’s brother
Coach Gray, Wilma’s high school coach
Coach Temple, a college track coach
Announcers 1 and 2
Crowd, to be read by a group
Edward, a classmate
Robert, a classmate
Coach Gray, Wilma’s high school coach
Nancy, a teammate
Coach Temple, a college track coach
Announcers 1 and 2
Crowd, to be read by a group
Scene 1
Clarksville, Tennessee
1944
N1: Four-year-old Wilma lies in bed.
Dr. Coleman: How are you feeling, Wilma?
Wilma (weakly): Not good.
Mama: Wilma is often sick, Dr. Coleman. But this is different.
Papa: Her fever won’t go away.
Mama: And one leg has become crooked. See how her foot is twisted?
Dr. Coleman: Wilma has a virus called polio. It’s a disease that can affect children’s legs and how they walk.
Mama: Is her leg going to stay like that?
Dr. Coleman: Time will tell. She should see a doctor in Nashville.
Papa: That’s 50 miles away!
Dr. Coleman: That’s the nearest hospital that will treat Black patients.
N2: Many hospitals in this time refuse to treat anyone who isn’t white.
N3: Unfair rules make life difficult for Black people.
Mama: If it will help Wilma, then we’ll do it.
Dr. Coleman: Don’t get your hopes up. Wilma may never walk again.
N1: Dr. Coleman leaves. Wilma looks up at Mama, her eyes wide.
Wilma: Is it true, Mama? I can’t walk anymore? Mama: I don’t believe it. And Wilma, don’t you believe it either.
N1: Let us take you back to 1944.
N2: To a little town in Tennessee called Clarksville.
N3: The Rudolph family lives here in a wooden house with no electricity.
N1: As the sun goes down, Mama lights candles.
N2: Four-year-old Wilma lies in bed shivering, covered in blankets.
N3: Dr. Coleman sits at her side.
Dr. Coleman: How are you feeling, Wilma?
Wilma (weakly): Not good.
Mama: Wilma has been sickly since the day she was born, but this is something different.
Papa: Her fever won’t go away, and one leg has gone crooked with the foot twisted inward.
Dr. Coleman: I’m afraid Wilma has polio. It’s a disease that attacks the spinal cord.
Mama: Is her leg going to stay like that?
Dr. Coleman: Time will tell. She should see a specialist in Nashville.
Papa: That’s 50 miles away!
Dr. Coleman: It’s the nearest hospital that will treat Black patients.
N1: Many unfair, racist rules at the time make life difficult for Black people.
N2: Like not being allowed to go to the same hospitals as white people.
Mama: If it will help Wilma, then we’ll do it.
Papa: We’ll have to save up money for the bus.
Dr. Coleman: I must warn you: Don’t get your hopes up. Wilma may never walk again.
N3: Dr. Coleman leaves. Wilma looks up at Mama, her eyes wide.
Wilma: Is it true, Mama? I can’t walk anymore?
Mama: No, sweet girl. We’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you can.
A Feared Disease
In the mid-1900s, polio was a feared disease in America. In 1955, a polio vaccine became available. Children today no longer need to face the struggles that Wilma did.
Scene 2
Cobb Elementary School
Clarksville, Tennessee
1949
N2: Nine-year-old Wilma is at recess.
N3: She wears a heavy metal leg brace from her knee down to her shoe.
N1: Two kids are picking teams for dodgeball.
N2: Soon, Wilma is the only one left.
Edward (muttering): I guess we’re stuck with Wilma.
Wilma: I’m the same as you. My leg is just a little different.
Robert: But in dodgeball you need to be fast!
N3: Wilma's brother Wesley comes over.
Wesley: Don’t mind them, Wilma.
N1: Wilma unbuckles her brace and tosses it to the ground.
N2: Then she starts to hobble over to her team.
Wesley: Hey, you’re getting pretty good at walking. I can tell you've been working hard at it.
Wilma: I have. Whenever kids tease me, I think to myself, “Someday, I’ll show you all.”
N1: Now it is 1949. Nine-year-old Wilma is on her way home from school.
N2: She wears a long metal brace on her leg, from her knee down to her shoe.
N3: She hobbles behind her brothers and sisters, trying to keep up.
Wilma: Wait for me!
N1: Wilma finally reaches home and bursts through the door, panting.
Mama: Easy now, Wilma! Remember, the doctor says you should take it slow.
Wilma: Don’t worry, Mama. Those treatments in Nashville are making my leg stronger.
Mama: I’m glad to hear that. How was school?
Wilma: Kids still look at me funny—like there’s something wrong with me.
Papa: There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re just different.
Wilma: Sometimes they call me mean names.
Papa: Don’t pay them any mind.
Wilma: And they don’t want to play with me because I’m slow. I’m tired of being “the sick girl.” I just want to be normal.
Yvonne: Mama, come look at this drawing I did.
N2: Yvonne winks at Wilma.
N3: Once Mama is distracted, Wilma slips outside and takes off her brace.
N1: She practices walking without it.
Wesley: Wilma, don’t let Mama catch you without your brace on!
Wilma: Don’t you tell her!
N2: Wilma walks the length of the porch.
Wesley: Hey, you’re getting pretty good at that.
Wilma: Whenever kids tease me, I think to myself, “Someday, I’ll show you all.”
Scene 3
Clarksville, Tennessee
1952
N3: A group of boys stand in a dusty field.
Edward: We’re racing to that tree and back.
N1: Wilma, now 12, arrives.
Wilma: I’m in.
Robert: You?
Wilma: That’s right.
Edward: Where’s your leg brace?
Wilma: I don’t need it anymore. My hard work paid off.
Robert: OK, we’ll race you. But prepare to eat my dust.
Edward: Ready, set, GO!
N2: Wilma bursts forward, but the boys are faster.
Robert (shouting): Told you!
N3: Wilma works her legs harder, passing one boy, then another.
Edward: Wow. She’s really flying.
Robert: No way you’re going to win!
Wilma: Watch me!
N1: Wilma darts forward. Robert catches up.
Wilma (to herself): I can do this!
N2: Wilma runs past Robert and wins.
N3: She falls to the ground, laughing.
Wilma: It feels great to run really fast . . . and win!
N3: In 1952, Wilma feels healthy for the first time in her life.
N1: One day, she sees a group of boys in a field.
Edward: This race is going to be down to the big tree and back.
N2: Twelve-year-old Wilma approaches.
Wilma: Can I run too?
Robert: You want to race us?
Wilma: That’s right.
Edward: Where’s your leg brace?
Wilma: I don’t need it anymore.
Robert: You can race. But prepare to eat dust.
Wilma: We’ll see about that.
Edward: Ready, set, GO!
N3: Wilma bursts ahead, but the boys are faster.
N1: Dust flies in her face.
Robert (shouting): Told you so!
Wilma (to herself): Come on, Wilma. Push!
N2: She pumps her legs harder, passing one boy, then another.
Edward: Wow. She’s really flying.
N3: Wilma tags the tree and turns back. She catches up to Robert.
N1: They match each other stride for stride.
Robert: No way you’re going to win!
Wilma: Watch me!
N2: Wilma darts ahead, her long legs churning.
N3: Robert catches up, his fists clenched.
Wilma (to herself): I can do this!
N1: Wilma pulls ahead and finishes first.
N2: She collapses onto the ground, laughing.
Wilma: Oooh, winning is fun! I could get used to that.
Racing in Rome
Wilma Rudolph was the star of the 1960 Olympics. She set one world record and tied another. The crowds loved her. They went wild whenever she ran.
Scene 4
Tuskegee, Alabama
1956
N1: Wilma finds she has a natural talent for running.
N2: She joins her high school track team.
N3: She wins every race that she competes in.
N1: In 1956, her team travels to Alabama for a big race.
Coach Gray: OK, team. The best high school runners in the South are here.
N2: Wilma smiles.
N3: But the meet is a disaster for Wilma. She is beaten in every event.
N1: Afterward, Wilma sits in the empty stands, crying.
N2: Coach Gray comes over.
Wilma: I feel like a fool.
Coach Gray: Losing is not the end of the world, Wilma. What matters is how you deal with it.
N3: Wilma stares at her feet.
Wilma: What do I do?
Coach Gray: You pick yourself up and try to win the next one.
N1: Wilma wipes away her tears.
Coach Gray: You could be a champion someday.
Wilma: Really?
Coach Gray: Coach Ed Temple has invited you to train with his college track team.
Wilma: Why? I lost every race today.
Coach Gray: He can see what I see. You’re a fighter.
N3: Wilma discovers she has a natural talent for running. She joins her high school track team.
N1: In every race, she outdoes the competition.
N2: In 1956, her team travels to Alabama for a big track meet.
N3: Wilma and her teammates warm up.
Coach Gray: Listen up, everyone. The competition will be fierce. The best high school runners in the South are here.
Nancy: Wilma’s got nothing to worry about. She’s won every race she’s ever been in.
Wilma (smiling): What can I say? It’s true.
N1: But the meet turns out to be a disaster for Wilma. She is outrun in every event.
N2: Afterward, Wilma sits in the empty stands, tears spilling down her cheeks.
N3: Coach Gray comes over.
Wilma: I feel like a fool. How am I ever going to race again? My confidence is gone.
Coach Gray: Losing is not the end of the world, Wilma. What matters is how you deal with it.
N1: Wilma takes a deep breath.
Coach Gray: Coach Ed Temple wants you to train with his college team.
Wilma: Why? I just lost all those races.
Coach Gray: It doesn’t matter that you lost. He can see that you’re a fighter.
N2: Wilma wipes her eyes.
Coach Gray: You can choose to be crushed by defeat, or you can pick yourself up and try to win the next race.
Wilma: You’re right, Coach. I’ve got to train even harder. I’ll be back stronger and faster than ever.
Scene 5
Olympic Tryouts
Seattle, Washington
1956
N2: Coach Temple helps Wilma continue to improve.
N3: Later that year, he brings her to the Olympic tryouts.
Coach Temple: The fastest runners here will make the U.S. Olympic Team.
N1: Wilma paces back and forth, holding her stomach.
Coach Temple: What’s the matter?
Wilma: I’m nervous. I don’t want to let you down.
Coach Temple: Block out all those negative thoughts.
Wilma: But I’m only 16. You really think I can make the team?
Coach Temple: I know you can.
N2: After the tryouts, Wilma calls home.
Wilma (excitedly): I did it! I made the team!
Mama: We’re so proud of you!
Wilma: Imagine me—Wilma Rudolph from Clarksville, Tennessee—going to the Olympic Games in Australia.
Mama: I never doubted you. Not once.
Wilma: Not so long ago, I could barely walk. Thank you, Mama.
Mama: For what?
Wilma: For believing I could get better. And for teaching me to never give up.
N3: While still in high school, Wilma starts training with Coach Temple and the athletes from Tennessee State University.
N1: She practices whenever she can.
Nancy: Wilma, why weren’t you in English class?
Wilma: You promise not to tell?
Nancy: I promise.
Wilma: I’ve been sneaking into the stadium across from school. I need to work on my sprints, and that’s the best track in town.
N2: One day, Coach Temple pulls her aside.
Coach Temple: Wilma, I think you have a chance to run in the Olympics. I want you to come with us to the trials in two weeks.
Wilma: Really, the Olympics? Yes sir, Coach!
Coach Temple: And Wilma, don’t hold back.
N3: After the trials, Wilma calls home.
Wilma: Mama! I made the Olympic relay team!
Mama: Oh, Wilma. I’m so proud of you!
Wilma: Imagine me, 16-year-old Wilma Rudolph from Clarksville, Tennessee, going all the way to Australia.
Mama: How exciting!
Wilma: Not so long ago, I could barely walk.
Mama: All those trips to the doctor in Nashville paid off.
Wilma: Thank you, Mama.
Mama: For what?
Wilma: For believing I could get better.
Scene 6
Rome, Italy,
1960
N3: Wilma’s team wins a bronze medal at the 1956 Olympics.
N1: Four years later, she is at the Olympics again.
N2: This time, Wilma is aiming for three gold medals.
Announcer 1: Welcome back to the 1960 Olympic Games.
Announcer 2: Next up is the women’s 100 meter final.
Announcer 1: This race will determine the fastest woman in the world.
Announcer 2: In lane two is American Wilma Rudolph.
Announcer 1: She’s got gold on her mind.
Crowd: Wil-ma! Wil-ma!
N3: The athletes crouch down. The starting gun fires.
Announcer 2: The women burst from the starting line.
Announcer 1: Here comes Rudolph with fire in her eyes.
Announcer 2: She’s sprinting into the lead.
Announcer 1: She crosses the finish line.
Announcer 2: And it’s GOLD for Wilma Rudolph!
Crowd: Hooray! Wil-ma! Wil-ma!
N1: Wilma’s relay team wins a bronze medal for third place in Australia.
N2: Wilma spends the next four years training harder than ever.
N3: The 1960 Olympics are held in Rome, Italy.
N1: Coach Temple is there with Wilma.
Coach Temple: Wilma, I keep dreaming that you are going to win three gold medals here.
Wilma: I’ve been dreaming the same thing.
Coach Temple: You’d be the first American woman in track-and-field history to do that.
N2: Days later, Wilma stands at the starting line in a huge stadium with 80,000 fans.
N3: In Tennessee, Wilma’s family crowds around a neighbor’s small television.
Announcer 1: It is a sweltering hot day here in Rome, Italy.
Announcer 2: Next up is the finals in the women’s 100 meters.
Announcer 1: American Wilma Rudolph is a favorite.
Crowd: Wil-ma! Wil-ma! Wil-ma!
Announcer 2: She ran like the wind in the qualifying heats.
Announcer 1: But next to Wilma are the best female sprinters in the world.
N1: The athletes crouch down into the starting blocks. The starting gun fires.
Announcer 2: The women burst from the line. Dorothy Hyman from Great Britain is in the lead.
Announcer 1: But here comes Wilma Rudolph with fire in her eyes.
Announcer 2: She is sprinting into the lead.
Announcer 1: And it’s GOLD for Wilma Rudolph!
Crowd: Hooray, Wilma!
Mama: She did it!
Papa: Our baby won gold!
Mama: From a girl who may never walk again to the fastest woman in the world.
An Inspiration
Wilma Rudolph (above right) later became a teacher and coach. She worked to support and train young athletes across the country. She died in 1994. Rudolph is still an inspiration to many, especially Black and female athletes.
Epilogue
Papa: Wilma Rudolph won three gold medals at the Rome Olympics.
Wesley: She became a hero around the world.
Mama: And a role model for young female athletes everywhere.
Coach Gray: To this day, Wilma is considered one of the greatest sprinters of all time.
Coach Temple: We can all learn from her story.
Wilma: We all have the potential to be great.
Coach Temple: Wilma Rudolph won three gold medals at the Rome Olympics.
Coach Gray: In the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4 x 100-meter relay.
Nancy: She became an instant hero worldwide.
Yvonne: And a role model for young female athletes everywhere.
Wesley: When Wilma returned to Tennessee, there was a parade in her honor.
Mama: The streets of Clarksville were lined with thousands of people, both Black and white. It was the town’s first integrated event ever.
Papa: Wilma waved and smiled at them all.
Wilma: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.
THINK AND WRITE
Imagine your friend wants to become a great athlete. Write a letter of encouragement to your friend describing the experiences and character traits that helped Wilma become a champion.
THINK AND WRITE
Imagine your friend wants to become a great athlete. Write a letter of encouragement to your friend describing the experiences and character traits that helped Wilma become a champion.
Can't Miss Teaching Extras
After the 1960 Olympics, Wilma Rudolph was dubbed “the fastest woman in the world.” Who are other female runners who have achieved greatness in track? Share this ESPN website with students to find out!
Your students will love this real footage of Wilma’s 1960 Olympic race!
For another historical-fiction play that features boundary-breaking female athletes, share “When Girls Ruled Baseball” with your students.
More About the Article
Content-Area Connections
Social Studies: notable Americans, civil rights
Social-Emotional Learning: self-awareness (growth mindset, sense of purpose); self-management (self-discipline and self-motivation, setting goals); responsible decision-making (promoting well-being)
Key Skills
character traits, text features, vocabulary, fluency, main idea, problem and solution, key idea, summarizing, interpreting text, figurative language, narrative writing
A Special Note About Capitalizing B in Black
In recent months, there has been much discussion in the publishing industry about capitalizing the word Black. We’ve decided to join other newspapers and publishers in doing so to signify when we are referring to people who share an experience of underrepresentation and marginalization in history, literature, and society. We will not capitalize black when using the term generally to describe color (e.g., objects, animals).
We will continue to use a lowercase “w” when discussing white people or culture. Why the different approach? White people do not share the legacy of being discriminated against because of their skin color. In addition, capitalizing the “w” in white risks validating an approach championed in white supremacist literature and propaganda.
For more details, please read our official statement.
In addition, we want to make you aware of some resources designed to support educators in teaching these important topics. You will want to choose the materials that work best for you and your students. We hope these tools are helpful as you work with your students on developing a meaningful understanding of these critical concepts.
Scholastic’s Teaching Our World site:
https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/teaching-our-world.html
“It’s Not So Black and White: Discussing Race and Racism in the Classroom” from Scholastic’s Teacher magazine:
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/its-not-so-black-and
-white/
Teaching Tolerance’s resources for teaching about race and ethnicity:
1. PREPARING TO READ
Set a Purpose for Reading/Explore Text Features (10 minutes)
Look at pages 22-23 with the class. Point out the labels “Play” and “Read-aloud historical fiction.” Explain that historical fiction is a story set in the past. Because we can’t know every single thing that people in the past said or did, authors need to make up some details. These details are based on careful research that writers do to best understand the time, place, and people they’re writing about. This play is based on a real person, Wilma Rudolph, and events that really happened in her life.
Read the title and subtitle with students. Ask them to describe the illustration.
Have students look at the illustrations and photos and read the captions throughout the play. Then show students this archival video of Wilma’s incredible victory at the 1960 Olympics. Ask: What story do the photos and captions tell? How do they relate to what you saw in the video?
Call on volunteers to read aloud the Think and Read box and the Think and Write box. Remind students to keep in mind the Think and Read prompt as they read the play.
Introduce Vocabulary (15 minutes)
While the play does not include definitions of vocabulary words with the text, a Vocabulary Skill Builder (available in your Resources tab) online previews seven challenging words. You may also play our Vocabulary Slideshow, in which audio and images help students with pronunciation and comprehension.
2. FOCUS ON FLUENCY
Bridging Decoding and Comprehension
Storyworks 3 plays provide a perfect opportunity for students to build fluency.
3. CLOSE READING
Before reading: Point out the Characters box. Remind students that this is a list of all the characters in the play. How many narrators are there? Which “character” should be read by a group of people?
First read: Assign parts and read the play as a class. (If you’re meeting in a virtual classroom, have students write the name of the character they’re portraying on a piece of paper to tape or pin to their shirts—or help them change their display name to their character name. This will make it easier for everyone to follow along.)
Second read: Project, distribute, or assign the Close-Reading Questions (available in your Resources tab). Discuss them as a class, rereading lines or scenes as necessary.
Pair each student with a partner to discuss the Critical-Thinking Questions. Then ask pairs to share their answers with the class.
Close-Reading Questions (30 minutes)
Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)
4. SEL FOCUS
Overcoming Obstacles
Wilma Rudolph faced many obstacles in her life, both big and small. She overcame many of them with the help of others and by working hard and focusing on her goals. Ask students to think of a time they faced a challenge in their life, and how they overcame this challenge. It can be as small as not having enough materials for an art project or something big like having to move to a new town.
5. SKILL BUILDING AND WRITING
Featured Skill: Character Traits
Distribute the Character Traits Skill Builder (available in your Resources tab) and have students complete it in class or for homework.
GREAT IDEAS FOR REMOTE LEARNING
Gather a small group in your remote classroom for a virtual play reading. Share the play on your screen and assign parts. (Students can read more than one part, depending on the size of the group.) Then read the play aloud together. Encourage students to be expressive as they read! Repeat with other groups until all students have had a chance to participate.
Differentiate and Customize
Each scene of this play takes place during a different time in Wilma Rudolph’s life, which may make the timeline of this play challenging for some readers to follow. Before performing the play as a class, read through it together and create a timeline of events.
Help your ELLs with some of the idiomatic language in this story. Find the following phrases and discuss what they mean: “my hard work paid off” (p. 25); “eat my dust” (p. 25); “really flying” (p. 25); “not the end of the world” (p. 25); “pick yourself up” (p. 25); “gold on her mind” (p. 27); “fire in her eyes” (p. 27).
The story of Wilma’s winning race in Scene 6 is told by the Announcers and Narrators. Have students rewatch the archival video and rewrite the scene so it’s all told from Wilma’s point of view.
Ask students to research another female runner who has achieved greatness in track. Share this ESPN website with students. Invite them to pick one of the athletes and find out more about her. Students can do a brief oral or written report to share with the class.
