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Gateway to the Summer Games - Lesson Plans
Why Here? Why Not There?
Origin of the Modern Olympic Games
  Grade Level: 6-8
Subject: Geography, Science, P.E.
Time needed: 2 X 45 min. sections
 
Lesson Overview
Concept

Human sports activities are influenced by climate and topography.

Background Information

Few human activities, including sports, are capable of taking place without making an impact on and being impacted by the natural environment. Sports have developed over the centuries both because of and despite typical weather conditions under which they are played. Cities who wish to bid for the right to host Olympic Games must first take into consideration the environment their region has to offer. This activity is designed to help students combine what they know about various cultures and climates with basic map-reading skills to predict the best locations to host winter and summer Olympic Games.

Objectives

Students will read and analyze basic map and graph information to complete a chart of information on 11 world countries.

Students will forecast the possibility of hosting either the Summer or Winter Olympic Games, based on the physical geography, cultural philosophies, and economic strengths of a given country.

Materials

Video Segment #2: The Origin of the Modern Summer Games
Video Segment #3: The Spirit of the Olympic Winter Games. Video available from Griffin Publishing Group at http://www.griffinpublishing.com/.
(Note: While the video segment is a good addition to this lesson plan, it is not essential for successful completion of the activities.)
Student Data Sheet: World Climates (Frost-Free Days)
Student Information Sheet: Origin of the Modern Summer Games (blank)
Teacher Answer Key: Teacher Information Sheet (completed version of Student Information Sheet: Origin of the Modern Summer Games)
Student Data Sheet: Olympic Summer Games
Student Data Sheet: Olympic Winter Games
Student Handout: Timeline of Modern Olympic Games Events
Almanacs, political and relief maps, culture data resources (Not required for lesson implementation)

Introduction
Procedures

Suggested Lesson Plan:

Show Video Segment #2 and #3: The Origin of the Modern Summer Games, and The Spirit of the Olympic Winter Games, focusing on the climates needed to host the Olympic Games.


Activities

Hand out the Student Data Sheet: World Climates (Frost-Free Days). Have students locate the approximate latitudes of the six continents.

Explain the physical relationship between latitude and climate.

  • Generally speaking, the farther one travels both north or south of the Equator, the cooler the climate will become.

Hand out the blank Student Information Sheet: Origin of the Modern Summer Games and have students fill in the "Physical Geography" column for each country, using the world climate map and a topographical map of the world's countries.

  • Students may need access to a political map to locate each country and identify it according to latitude.

Using reference books and culture data information fill out the second column, titled "Culture."

  • This category should not be a research project initially. A brainstorming session should be used first. Forecasting or predicting is best done when students combine current information to generate new assumptions.
  • Follow-up research could be used to verify predictions. Praise students for their ability to make logical predictions even though all predictions may not be accurate.
  • The Teacher Answer Key: Teacher Information Sheet (completed version of Student Information Sheet: Origin of the Modern Summer Games) provides an answer key for the first two columns of information.

Hand out the Student Data Sheets: Olympic Summer Games and Olympic Winter Games to help students decide which Olympic sports would best be suited to the information they have generated in the first two columns.

Allow students to work in groups to create their own explanations, justifying sports choices in the fourth column.

Use the Student Handout: Timeline of Modern Olympic Games Events, to compare actual host countries of the past century with their own predictions.

  • How many of the countries in the list have actually hosted either the Summer or Winter Olympic Games?
  • Discuss perceptions and misperceptions once comparisons are made.
Products
Student Products

Students will forecast the ability of example cities to host future Summer or Winter Olympic Games, based on class discussion and information gathered on the various charts.

(c) 1996 By Griffin Publishing / United States Olympic Committee

Published by Griffin Publishing under license from the United States Olympic Committee. This publication is a creative work fully protected by all applicable rights. All rights reserved. A classroom teacher may reproduce copies of the material in this book for classroom use only.

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