UNIT TITLE: The Olympics
UNIT TITLE: The Olympics
Author:
Katie Zdenek
E-Mail Address:
kzdenek@aol.com
School: Meadow
Ridge: Orland Park, IL
School Home Page URL: N/A
THEME:
Olympics
BROAD CONCEPT: Motivation, Sportsmanship, Accomplishing Goals, and Dedication
GRADES: 4th Grade
INTEGRATED SUBJECTS: Math, Social Studies, Reading, Fine Arts, and Writing
UNIT GOALS AND PURPOSE: The
students will learn about different cultures and countries. They will
learn about teamwork, fair play and competition in a variety of sports.
The students will also gain an understanding of dedication and the importance of
accomplishing goals. The students will also have an opportunity to learn
about the variety of sports played during the Olympics. The
assessment will be summative and on going.
TIME FRAME:
The unit will take 12 days to complete.
OBJECTIVES:
In this lesson, students will:
MATERIALS:
__Desktop
Publishing (Print Artist)
__Word Processing
(Microsoft Word)
__CD-ROM
Encyclopedia (Encarta, World Encyclopedia)
__ Multimedia
__Spreadsheet (Microsoft Excel)
__ Venn
Diagram (Inspiration)
STATE STANDARDS ADDRESSED BY THIS UNIT:
1.B.2b
Identify structure (e.g., description, compare/contrast, cause and effect,
sequence) of nonfiction texts to improve comprehension.
1.B.2c
Continuously check and clarify for understanding (e.g., in addition to
previous skills, clarify terminology, seek additional information).
3.B.2a
Generate and organize ideas using a variety of planning strategies (e.g.,
mapping, outlining, drafting).
3.B.2b
Establish central idea, organization, elaboration and unity in relation to
purpose and audience.
3.C.2a
Write for a variety of purposes and for specified audiences in a variety of
forms including narrative (e.g., fiction, autobiography), expository (e.g.,
reports, essays) and persuasive writings (e.g., editorials, advertisements
4.B.2a
Present oral reports to an audience using correct language and nonverbal
expressions for the intended purpose and message within a suggested
organizational format.
4.A.2b
Ask and respond to questions related to oral presentations and messages in small
and large group settings.
6.B.2
Solve one- and two-step problems
involving whole numbers, fractions and decimals using addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division.
6.C.2a
Select and perform computational
procedures to solve problems with whole numbers, fractions and decimals.
10.A.2a
Organize and display data using pictures, tallies, tables, charts, bar graphs,
line graphs, line plots and stem-and-leaf graphs.
10.B.2b
Collect, organize and display data
using tables, charts, bar graphs, line graphs, circle graphs, line plots and
stem-and-leaf graphs.
18.B.2b
Describe the ways in which institutions meet the needs of society.
17.A.2b Use
maps and other geographic representations and instruments to gather information
about people, places and environments.
Fine Arts
26.B.2d Visual
Arts: Demonstrate knowledge and
skills to create works of visual art using problem solving, observing,
designing, sketching and constructing.
25.B.2
Understand how elements and
principles combine within an art form to express ideas.
Technology Standards:
Language Arts
Use appropriate instruments, electronic
equipment, computers and networks to access information, process ideas and
communicate results.
Computers
and telecommunications have become basic means for creating messages and
relaying information. In offices and homes, people write using word processors.
Audio and visual media are used for both creative and practical forms of
communication. The use of on-line services is now commonplace among researchers,
authors, farmers and auto mechanics. Skilled use of these technologies provides
students with necessary opportunities to search and process information, be in
touch with experts, prepare documents, and learn and communicate in new, more
effective ways.
Math
Use appropriate instruments, electronic
equipment, computers and networks to access information, process ideas and
communicate results.
Technology
provides a means to carry out operations with speed and accuracy; to display,
store and retrieve information and results; and to explore and extend knowledge.
The technology of paper and pencil is appropriate in many mathematical
situations. In many other situations, calculators or computers are required to
find answers or create images. Specialized technology may be required to make
measurements, determine results or create images. Students must be able to use
the technology of calculators and computers including spreadsheets, dynamical
geometry systems, computer algebra systems, and data analysis and graphing
software to represent information, form conjectures, solve problems and
communicate results.
Social Science
Use appropriate instruments, electronic
equipment, computers and networks to access information, process ideas and
communicate results.
Technology today provides a channel through which students can gather knowledge of the past, search information about today and make hypotheses regarding the future. This technology includes databases, computer programs, on-line services and interactive telecommunications. It allows students to gather and process data from a variety of sources, from archives in the Library of Congress to historical art works from around the world. Students can share ideas and information not only with their classmates, but with a "virtual classroom" of students from across the world—social science in action.
Fine Arts
Use appropriate instruments, electronic
equipment, computers and networks to access information, process ideas and
communicate results.
Computers, synthesizers, film and video provide opportunities to create and record sound composition, animated images, montages and other works. These experiences can lead to careers in areas such as music, graphic arts, video and film production, scene design and choreography. Technology (CD-ROM, slides, film, video, laserdisk, on-line services) also can link the classroom with the work of renowned artists and performers.
N.C.T.M.
STANDARDS ADDRESSED BY THIS UNIT:
Numbers and Operations
*understand numbers, ways of
representing numbers, relationships among numbers, and the number systems
Measurement
* apply appropriate techniques, tools, and
formulas to determine measurements
Representations
* create and use representations to organize,
record, and communicate mathematical ideas
*represent and analyze patterns and
functions, using words, tables, and graphs
Communication
* organize and consolidate their mathematical
thinking through communication
* use the language of mathematics to express
mathematical ideas precisely
Connections
* recognize and apply mathematics in contexts
outside of mathematics
Measurement
* apply appropriate techniques, tools, and
formulas to determine measurements
STUDENT ACTIVITIES WHICH WILL PROMOTE ENGAGED LEARNING:
Activity
1: Where in the World Have the Olympics Been?
In
Activity 1, the teacher will begin the lesson by discussing how the Olympics are
held in a different location every four years. The students will use the World
Almanac or CD-ROM encyclopedia programs such as World Book to find
the sites of the Summer Olympic Games from 1984-2000. Next, provide the
students with a copy of a world map and ask them to locate these cities and
countries on the world map provided. Give the students colored stickers to
allow them to place a different colored sticker on each site.
Tell
the students to pretend that they are attending the Summer Olympics. Use
the scale to calculate the distance in miles from Chicago to city where the
Olympic Games are being held. Round the distance to the nearest ten.
The students can write their answers on the back of the map. Ask the
students to reflect on their maps by asking them questions such as: Do you
think this is the most direct route? If not, what do you think would be?
The
students will use the General Index in the World Almanac to help them
locate information on the Olympic Games. Their job is to find five countries
that earned the most GOLD medals during the 2000 Summer Olympics. Once the
children have located the information, they will use Microsoft Excel to
graph each country’s gold medals. The students can select a bar graph to
represent their data. Remind the students to include a title for the graph
as well as all the necessary labels.
In
Activity 3, the teacher will discuss how the Olympic Oath is a promise made by
all of the Olympic athletes. Each participant in the Olympics must recite
the oath before they can take part in the event. The students will use the
Encarta CD ROM or World Encyclopedia CD ROM to look up the Olympic Oath.
Allow the students to think of a sport or activity that they take part in.
The students will write an oath that they think would be meaningful for their
teammates and opponents to recite before taking part in the activity or sport.
Write a rough draft of your oath on a sheet of notebook paper. Once the
students are satisfied with their oath, they will type a final copy using Microsoft
Word.
Tell
the students that Chicago, Illinois (or the city they live in) would like to
host the Olympics. How would you convince the International Committee that
your city could host the Games. Use the Internet using search engines
like “Google” to find information on Illinois or Chicago. The
students can find information such as facilities to hold the games (ex. stadium,
dorms for athletes and accommodations for spectators). Brainstorm other
qualities about Chicago that would be a good selling point. While using
the Internet, the students must find at least four reasons why Chicago would be
an excellent place for the Olympics. Once the students have gathered all
of their information, ask them to write a letter to the Olympic Committee
telling them why Chicago should host the next Olympics. Review the parts
of an effective business letter. The children can use Microsoft Word
to type their letters.
In Activity 5, the students become familiar with the decimal system to help them understand the scoring during the Olympic Games. Give the students a worksheet called “A Scoring Challenge” with some actual times from swimming and alpine swimming events. Include three swimming events, and three skiing events. Ask them to rewrite the athletes’ times for each event from least (the winner) to greatest. Once the times are in order, have the students subtract each time from the one just above to find the difference in finishing times. Have the students check their answers by adding each of the differences. Below the athletes’ scores for each event is a target number. If the sum equals the target number, you deserve to share the gold. The students can use a calculator to help them solve the math problems.
The
teacher will ask the students to pretend that the United States Postal Service
is having a contest to decide on a new postage stamp to sell during the Olympic
Games. The children will design a postage stamp to honor their favorite
Olympic sport. They will use Desktop Processing to design
the sport of their choice. Remind them to include how much the stamp is
worth. After the children finish their drawing, have them write a
paragraph trying to persuade the United States Postal Service to choose and sell
their stamp. Include specific reasons about why yours should be chosen.
The students can type their final drafts on the computer using Microsoft
Word.
Activity
7: Olympic Games Past and Present
The
discovery of the ruins of Olympia in 1875 prompted a French educator, Baron
Pierre de Coubertin, to organize the modern Olympic Games. Their purpose
was to promote world peace, foster international good will, and encourage
individual excellence. Read aloud books such as Journey to Olympia
and Olympics about the history of the Olympic Games. Have the
students create a Venn Diagram to compare the games in ancient Greece and the
modern-day competition. Have them use Inspiration to create a Venn
Diagram on the computer.
In
Lesson 8, brainstorm a list of Olympic sports the students have watched on T.V.
or read about in the newspaper. When the list is complete, ask them to
choose which Olympic Game is their favorite. Once they have chosen the
game, the teacher tallies the students’ choices next to the sport. When
the data is collected, the students will take the results and create a Pie
Graph in Microsoft Excel. Depending on the students’
experience with Microsoft Excel, the teacher may wish to create
directions to help guide them through the program.
In
Lesson 10, the students will create a Timeline using Inspiration.
Allow the students to choose a format of their choice. On the timeline,
the students will write the dates where each Olympics has been held and the city
that it took place. They will start their timeline with the first Olympic
Games and end the timeline with the most current Olympic Games that were held in
Salt Lake City, Utah in 2002.
In
Lesson 11, the students will learn about the Olympic rings. Discuss how
five interlocking rings have come to represent the Olympic games. Using
the site http://teacher.scholastic.com
to answer the following questions: What do the five rings symbolize?
Why were the colors-red, blue, green, black, yellow- chosen? What might
have been some other good ideas for Olympic symbols? Once the students
have finished their research, they will open up the Paints program on the
computer. They will draw the Olympic Rings and type a paragraph using Microsoft
Word to explain the five rings and what the colors mean.
Activity
11: My New Olympic Event
In the next lesson, discuss how new events are introduced on a trial basis at the Olympic Games. We call these “demonstration” sports. These are sports that have become very popular, have national competitions, and are in the public eye. When they are fist introduced into the Olympic competitions, there are no medals awarded. The sport is being “demonstrated.” If the Olympic sport is included in the next Olympics, it will become a medal sport.
Give
students examples of events that recently became part of the Olympic Games.
Their challenge is to invent their own sport or event for introduction at the
Olympic Games. The students name their new Olympic sport, write what the
rules are, and how an athlete would participate. Last, ask the students to
imagine that they need to persuade the International Olympic Committee to
include their sport in the Games. The students will create a
computer-generated brochure using Microsoft Publisher.
Thousands of
athletes travel from their homes all over the world to the Olympic Games
destination. They will travel many miles and cross many time zones.
Divide the class into small groups to trace the journeys of Olympic athletes
from their hometowns to city where the Olympic is held that year. The
students can use the Internet web site http://encarta.msn.com
to view the world map. Assign one athlete to each team. After
locating their athlete’s hometown on the world map, each team should
calculate: How many miles is it from the athlete’s hometown to the Olympics?
How many time zones will the athlete cross in traveling to the Olympics?
Will he or she cross the International Date Line to get there? If it 12
noon at the Olympics, what time is it in the athlete’s hometown?
SHARE YOUR IDEAS:
Culminating Activity: Athlete Report
Create a list of Olympic heroes who have participated in the Olympics. The students choose one of the Olympic heroes that interest them from the list. Have the students use the Media Center to find information on their hero. They may use CD-ROM encyclopedia programs such as World Book, the Internet (i.e. Google), books, or magazines. They will look for the following information about their hero: Full name, personal information (date of birth), career information (Olympic event), highlights and accomplishments, (championships and awards won), present activities or activities after retirement, and any other interesting facts.
When the students have completed the research, they will put themselves in the “shoes” of the competitor. They will use their information to create an oral presentation about their athlete. The students must take the point of view of the athlete during the presentation. While the students present their heroes, the teacher will use Camcorder to record the students’ presentations.
Grading Rubric
Personal information
/10
Two Biographical Facts
/10
Career information
/25
Sport played
Three Chronological Events (Name at least three)
Highlights and
Accomplishments (Name at least two)
/15
Records
/10
Championships and awards won /15
Present activities or
activities after retirement
/15
Total out of 100:
____________
Letter Grade: _______
STUDENT AND TEACHER ROLES:
The teacher will explain his/her
expectations for the Olympics unit at the beginning that will in turn help
students to be successful throughout the experience. The teacher will act
as facilitator and guide for the class. The teacher will provide a
connection between classroom activities and real-life situations.
The students will
research various topics about the Olympics. The students will share their
information with the class through oral presentations and cooperative group
discussions. The students will take an active role in the learning
process by investigating and encouraging. The students will use technology
in a variety of ways.
ADDITIONAL REFERENCE PRINT RESOURCES STUDENTS MAY USE:
World Book Encyclopedia
World Almanac
The Olympic Games
THE FOLLOWING BOOKS CONTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT THIS TOPIC:
Skiing and Snow Sports by
Jackie Hall
Olympics by
Dennis Fraden
Timetable of Sports History: The Olympic
Games by William Jarrett
The Olympics
by Peter Tatlow
The Olympic Glow
by Barbara Birenbaum
Journey to Olympia
by Tessa Duder
FOR ADDITIONAL ONLINE INFORMATION
AND MEDIA PERTAINING TO THIS UNIT, TEACHERS MAY WANT TO USE THE FOLLOWING
INTERNET ARTICLES:
Title1: Scholastic Theme Units
URL1: http://teacher.scholastic.com
Description1: Lesson plan ideas for the Olympics
Title2: Olympic Museum
URL2: www.museum.olympic.org
Description2: Past Olympics and sports
Title3: Olympic Games
URL3: http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/index_uk.asp
Description3: Information on games since 1896
Title4: Olympics
URL4: www.enchantedlearning.com
Description4: History of the Olympics
Title5: The Olympics of Ancient Greece
URL5: www.infoplease.com/ce6/sports/A0860127.html
Description5: Learn about the Olympics in Greece
and the Olympics through the years
Title6: Athens 2004
URL6: http://www.athens2004.com
Description6: Learn about events and plans for
the 2004 Olympics
RELEVANT INFORMATION, STUDENTS WILL VISIT THE FOLLOWING WEB SITES:
Title 1: Winter Olympics
URL 1: http://www.saltlake2002.com
Purpose of Use1: Find the most
current news on the Olympics and view pictures
Description1: This is the
official site of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Title 2: A Journey Through the Olympics
URL 2: http://library.thinkquest.org
Purpose of Use2: There are message boards for
you to voice out your opinions on Olympic issues, interactive puzzles and
quizzes to keep you entertained and test your knowledge on the Olympics.
Description2: The students will learn about a
variety of Olympic Sports.
Title3: The Olympics
URL3: www.abcteach.com/Olympics/olympicsTOC.htm
Purpose of Use3: Learn about goal attainment and integrate the Olympics into a variety of subject areas
Description3: The students will find
out about the games while completing reading, writing, spelling, and geography
activities.
Title4: The Olympics Virtual Library
URL4: www.library.unisa.edu
Purpose of Use4: The students will learn how the Ancient Greece Games compare to the Olympic Games today.
Description4: Students can gather information
about past Olympic Games and future plans for the Olympics.
Title5: The Olympics
URL5: http://www.educ.uvic.ca/Faculty/sockenden/edb363/internetprojects/ancientgreece/test.html
Purpose of Use5: Students may visit Ancient
Greece sites to complete the suggested activities.
Description5: Compare and contrast the Ancient Olympic Games with today's modern Olympic Games. Choose an athlete that competed in the Ancient Olympic Games, and research them.
Title6: Women's History
URL6: http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/olympics/
Purpose of Use6: History of Women at the
Olympics -- notable female athletes, women's events.
Description6: A guide to women's history and
links to information on the life and accomplishments of women athletes. An
overview of the history of women's participation in the Olympics.