#3678. Olympic Awareness

Reading/Writing, level: Middle
Posted Tue Feb 14 08:57:02 PST 2006 by Kathy Stahl (stahlk@pickens.k12.edu).
Pickens Middle School, Pickens, USA
Materials Required: Computer, toilet paper rolls, Olympic ring colored paints, computer paper, markers
Activity Time: three days
Concepts Taught: Writing an essay based on research gained from the World Wide Web

Objectives: Students will research the winter Olympic games in Turino using the World Wide Web. Students will construct a decorated journal page that highlights what information they have learned about the sport of their choice.

Activity:
Day 1:
Students will be put into groups of two. They will choose a sport from the winter Olymics to research. Students should find out how athletes train to compete, what skills are needed for athletes to make it to the Olympics compete,and how long the athletes have trained for the events they compete in. They should also find out what days their sport is shown on television and when the medal ceremonies are. Students should place this information in a thinking map to encourage higher order thinking. Once students have completed their research, they should make sure that they have all of the information required by the teacher and put the information in their classroom research folder.
For homework, students are to watch one winter Olympic game in order to have a better understanding of the process athletes go through in order to win.

Day 2:
Students are to write a three paragraph essay detailing the information that they have gathered about the Olympics and why it is important. They should talk about what they like and dislike about the sport that they researched. They should also discuss whether or not they would like to participate in the Olympic games. Four questions of focus for the essay are:(1)What are some of the most important qualities that an athlete needs to succeed in Olympic competition? (2)Do you feel that these qualities are important when searching for a career outside of sports? (3)What are the similarities and differnces between rewards given for Olympic performances and job perforamces? (4)What types of beliefs and traits do Olympic athletes share with you? have students revise their drafts upon completion.

Day 3:
Have students type their final drafts. Have students use the toilet paper rolls dipped in the various paints in order to create the Olympic rings at the top of their journal entry. have students decorate their journal page with the paint and markers.