Playing Up: Coaches' Playbook and Teaching Resources

by Vaughn McKoy, Angela Gonzalez, Marnie McKoy

Overview

Vaughn L. McKoy's autobiography, Playing Up: One Man's Rise from Public Housing To Public Service Through Mentorship, recounts the life and struggles of a young African American male, born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey, a depressed and impoverished community. Vaughn works his way to Rutgers University on a football scholarship, and after graduating presses on to become a successful attorney, civil servant and business leader. Vaughn acknowledges and makes clear to readers the critical role that effective mentors can play in the lives of today's youth.

Throughout the autobiography, you will discover a number of recurring themes that are pivotal in Vaughn's life and successes: "playing up," loyalty, education, commitment, love, and family. Each of these themes should be openly discussed including how they guide Vaughn's development and his ability to overcome many obstacles. In particular, the theme of "playing up" is one that permeates almost all stages of Vaughn's life, hence the title of the book. Exploring the various ways in which Vaughn chooses to "play up" will help readers gain a clear understanding of the common sacrifices and challenges often necessary to persevere and to surmount great challenges. By sharing his successes, failures, and development of some key relationships, Vaughn takes the reader on his very honest and reflective journey, using personal journal entries and time capsules to provide historical context.

This book, Playing up: Coaches' Playbook and Teaching Resources, is an effective interdisciplinary resource for teachers, coaches and youth workers that prompts critical thinking and problem solving, including mini-writing lessons to help students improve their writing skills while reading the book. The Playbook can be scaffolded to meet varying skill levels and contains diverse question types, including true/false, multiple choice and short answer.

For each chapter of Playing Up, you will find these resources in the Playbook, which can be adapted based upon the target audience:

A. Chapter Summary
B. Questions, Class/Group Discussion, Essay Prompts
For middle school students, these may be discussed as a class.
For high school students, these may either be discussed as a class or assigned as short-answer essay prompts.
For college students, these may be assigned as essay prompts.
C. Class/Group Activities
D. Web Sites of Relevance
E. Chapter Quiz
For each chapter, there are 12 multiple choice, 10 true or false, and 2 to 4 short-answer response questions for middle to high school students.
Writing Techniques
For each chapter, there is 1 writing technique, instruction and practice that corresponds to writing techniques employed in the book Playing UP.

Playing Up and its companion Playbook are unique in that they both start before Vaughn attends middle school, more definitively engaging its middle-school and high-school audiences, and continues past his university years to professional and civic successes where he diligently works to help youth and young professionals reach their potential. Playing Up and the Playbook provide a true-to-life compass that readers can follow to "play up" in their own lives.

Let the journey begin.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940151498753
Publisher:	The McKoy Group, LLC
Publication date:	04/22/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	217
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Vaughn L. McKoy, JD, MBA is a corporate lawyer and executive with Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc., New Jersey’s largest energy company. Prior to joining the company, Mr. McKoy served as a federal and state prosecutor, respectively. As an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, he conducted numerous complex federal investigations and successfully prosecuted several noteworthy cases. Thereafter, Mr. McKoy was appointed by the Attorney General to lead the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, the State’s largest prosecutor’s office. Active in the community, Mr. McKoy serves on several boards including the Rutgers University Board of Overseers and the St. Peter’s Healthcare System Board of Governors. He is also a member of the Corporate Advisory Council for the Boys and Girls Clubs of New Jersey, Inc. and Chair of the New Jersey Leadership Council of the United Negro College Fund. He also served as Chair of the New Jersey Community Development Corp. and Vice-Chair of the Newark Watershed and Conservation Development Corp. for many years. A native of Paterson, New Jersey, Mr. McKoy was a scholar-athlete and received his BS from Rutgers University and his JD from Rutgers Law School, Newark. He is admitted to practice law in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The love of learning and meeting new challenges motivated Mr. McKoy to pursue and earn an MBA from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business. Mr. McKoy has received numerous awards and recognition for his professional accomplishments. The Record and Star Ledger identified Mr. McKoy as one of the “People to Watch” in 2011 and 2007, respectively. In August 2006, Mr. McKoy was featured on the cover of New Jersey Super Lawyers, Rising Stars Edition as one of the top young lawyers in New Jersey. He also received the prestigious “40 Under-Forty Achievement Award” bestowed by The Network Journal in 2004. Mr. McKoy is a 2000 Fellow of Leadership New Jersey, a public-private partnership that prepares emerging leaders to confront statewide challenges. In connection with his many roles, Mr. McKoy has many media appearances to his credit and continues to emerge as a leader and public speaker. Other book projects now in the works include a teacher's guide for Playing Up, titled Playing Up: The Coaches’ Playbook; A Mentee’s Guide to Creating Powerful Relationships with Mentors; and The Monday Morning Call: Ten Powerful Keys To Maximize Your Mentoring Relationship.