UNIT TITLE: OLYMPICS

Author: Nada Milanovic
E-Mail Address: nada331@aol.com
School: Henry Clay School, 13231 S. Burley Ave., Chicago, IL 60633
School Home Page URL: N/A

THEME: Olympics

BROAD CONCEPT: Teamwork, Sportsmanship, Perseverance, and Accomplishing Goals

GRADES: 5-8^th grade

INTEGRATED SUBJECTS: Social Studies, Reading, Math, English/Language Arts & Fine Arts

UNIT GOALS AND PURPOSE: Both the students and teacher(s) will learn about different cultures and countries; they will learn about diversity in people and their cultures; they will learn about competition, fair play, and teamwork in sports; they will learn about different sports and what sports are more important and more popular in a variety of countries. The students and the teacher(s) will gain an understanding of different languages, cultures, rituals, ideals and values. They will gain an understanding for perseverance and goal attainment and how very important both of these attributes are. The grading will be summative and on going.

TIME FRAME: The Olympic Unit will last for three and half weeks (18 days).

OBJECTIVES:

In this lesson, students will:

Learn about new cultures and nationalities
Learn about the history of the Olympics—where and why they originated
Learn about sportsmanship, fair play, honesty, losing and winning graciously
Learn about perseverance—they will learn how not to give up; they will learn to keep trying
Learn about setting goals and obtaining them
Learn more about geography
Learn to write more descriptively
Learn to apply math to real life situations

MATERIALS:

General materials and equipment: worksheets, paper, pens, markers, books: Journey to Salt Lake City, U.S. Olympics, and U.S. Olympic Brain Teasers

Technology tools computer, scanner, digital camera, printer

Software Used in this Unit

Desktop Publishing (Print Artist, Print Shop)

Brainstorming (Inspiration)

Word Processing (MS Word, Student Writing Center)

Spreadsheet (Microsoft Works)

CD-ROM Encyclopedia (Encarta, World Encyclopedia)

Database (MS Works)

Multimedia

-Hyperstudio

-Story Book Weaver

-Sim Town

Other software pertaining to unit

-Olympic Games

STATE STANDARDS ADDRESSED BY THIS UNIT:

English/Language Arts/Reading:

State Goal 1: Read with understanding and fluency.

State Goal 3: Write to communicate for a variety of purposes.

State Goal 4: Listen and speak effectively for a variety of purposes.

State Goal 5: Use the language arts to acquire, assess and communicate information.

Mathematics:

State Goal 6: Demonstrate and apply a knowledge and sense of numbers, including numeration and operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), patterns, ratios and proportions.

State Goal 10: Collect, organize and analyze data using statistical methods; predict results; and interpret uncertainty-using concepts of probability.

Social Science:

State Goal 16: Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States and other nations.

State Goal 17: Understand world geography and the effects of geography on society, with an emphasis on the United States.

Fine Arts:

State Goal 26: Through creating and performing, understand how works of art are produced.

USING TECHNOLOGY….

Use appropriate instruments, electronic equipment, computers and networks to access information, process ideas and communicate results.

English/Language Arts/Reading…

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.

Mathematics…

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…

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 also with a "virtual classroom" of students from across the world—social science in action.

Fine Arts…

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, laserdisc, on-line services) also can link the classroom with the work of renowned artists and performers.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES WHICH WILL PROMOTE ENGAGED LEARNING:

In Lesson One (Day 1), the students will read a worksheet about Ancient Olympic Events and Modern Olympic Events. They will the type a 100 word minimum essay using Microsoft Word on the computers comparing the events of the Ancient Olympics to the events held today in the Modern Games. This lesson will be easily adapted to meet the special need of the individual students by varying the length of the essay. The students will also be able to add one or two sports’ clip art pictures to go along with their essays.

In Lesson Two (Day 2 and 3), the students will complete a multimedia presentation about a “Glossary of Greek Words” using Kid Studio Deluxe. In this presentation, the students will create six slides defining six different Greek Olympic-related words. They will write the Greek word, then write the English word and definition. Finally, the students will add pictures and graphics to go along with their words and definitions. The students can also use any information they find on the World Wide Web, Encarta CD ROM, or the Encyclopedia CD ROM. This lesson will be easily adapted to meet the special need of the individual students by varying the length of the slides required.

In Lesson Three (Day 4), the students will create a multimedia presentation of an Olympic Village using Sim Town. The students will create an Olympic Village by adding housing, venues, parks, laundry facilities, recreation arenas, dormitories, dining areas, etc. using the Sim Town CD ROM. The students will have to use their imagination and peruse the information/worksheets given to them about the real Olympic Villages throughout the past and present Olympics to create their own village during a multimedia CD ROM.

In Lesson Four (Day 5), the students will complete a spreadsheet assignment using Microsoft Works. The students will each have different topics pertaining to the Olympics. For example, one student will create a spreadsheet and then a pie chart or bar graph by asking the rest of the students in the class to choose their favorite Olympic Summer Sport. Another students can create a spreadsheet and then a pie chart or bar graph by asking the rest of the students in the class to choose their favorite Olympic Winter Sport. Still, another student can create a spreadsheet and then a pie chart or bar graph by asking the rest of the students in the class to choose their favorite Olympic Athlete, and so on. Once the students have gathered all of the needed information, they will enter it into the spreadsheet to create a pie chart or bar graph.

In Lesson Five (Day 6), the students will create an Olympic Timeline using Inspiration. The students will map out, in whichever format they desire (they can make a straight line, they can make boxes, they can make arrows, etc…), an Olympic Timeline. They will start with the very first Olympics and end with the Salt Lake City Games in 2002. They will write the city and dates where each Olympic has been held. This lesson will be easily adapted to meet the special need of the individual students by varying the length of the time-line.

In Lesson Six (Days 7 and 8), the students will go on the Internet to various Olympic sites. Each student will choose a different web site to peruse and become familiar with. They will cut and paste pertinent pieces of information in the writing program Student Writing Center. The students will learn how to keep both programs open at the same time while switching back and forth between the two to work simultaneously. Once the students have collected all of their information off of the Internet, they will then write one paragraph of at least 75 words about the pertinent information from their web site. The students will also learn how to document the information they obtained from the Internet so that they can document their information when writing their paragraphs.

In Lesson Seven (Day 9), the students will all receive outlines of the United States without any of the states’ names displayed. The students will read a worksheet entitled, “The Olympic 2002 Torch Relay” out loud in class with the teacher. Once the reading is complete, the students will work in small groups of three or less students to draw the relay of the 2002 Olympic Torch. Clues are given from the reading worksheets, and the students have to figure out what cities/states are being described to come out with the right relay marks and end up in Salt Lake City, Utah--their final destination.

In Lesson Eleven (Day 14), the students will complete an Olympic Worksheet entitled, “In the Olympic Spotlight” by typing the answers in complete sentences using Microsoft Word. The students will pretend to be a famous athlete who will be “performing” in the 2002 Salt Lake City Games in Utah. The students will explain their childhood—before they became Olympic stars, their athletic achievements, their liking for the sport, etc. Once the student completes the written assignment and prints (without spelling or grammatical errors) he/she will then have his/her picture taken using the digital camera. We will print the students’ pictures out using the computer, and the students will paste their photos on their “In the Olympic Spotlight typed sheet.

In Lesson Twelve (Day 15 and 16), the students will use the multimedia program, Story Book Weaver, to create a three-five-page story explaining a few of the different sports. The story will also explain how now the Olympics are every two years, alternating between summer and winter, instead of every four years, like they were a few years ago. The story will also include at least two other pertinent Olympic details that the student chooses. The students will also be able to use the scanner to scan an Olympic picture that they found in a book, a magazine, or a newspaper to include in their stories.

In Lesson Thirteen (Day 17), the students will use the multimedia program, Hyperstudio, to create an Olympic Limerick with three slides. The first slide and third slide will be of pictures that describe the limerick, while the second slide has the Olympic limerick written on it. The first slide of pictures will give the audience an idea or two about what the limerick describes. The third slide will finish off the multimedia presentation by wrapping up the limerick with more pictures.

In Lesson Fourteen (Day 18), the students will go on the Internet for a “Salt Lake City 2002 Scavenger Hunt”. The students will be given a worksheet with questions that they have to find answers for by going to the website http://www.saltlake2002.com. The first two students who finish the scavenger hunt will be able to demonstrate for the class (by taking turns) where they found their answers and how they knew where to look. The class will then also be able to peruse other “Gold Medal Web Sites”. The teacher will pass out a sheet a paper with Olympic Web Sites for the students to access more information and just have fun with.

SHARE YOUR IDEAS: The students will share their knowledge from the whole unit with others by completing culminating projects. They will write an essay/research project about what sport they would compete in in the Olympics if they were an Olympic Athlete. They will research their sport and describe the sport in their paper. They will explain what training they would have to do. They will explain how long they would have to train before competing. They will explain why they chose their particular sport. They will explain how their sport originated, where it originated, when it originated, and who invented it. They will also add any other pertinent information they feel is relevant. The students will also create an Olympic Sports Brochure about their chosen sport using Print Artist to go along with their essay/research project. The rubric for this final project (essay/research paper and brochure) is as follows:

A (100-93)	Includes all requirements listed above and MORE.	No/Minimal Grammatical Errors No/ Minimal Spelling Errors	Neat, organized, well developed thought provoking, interesting, insightful, colorful, and very creative.
B (92-85)	Includes all of the requirements listed above.	Some Grammatical Errors Some Spelling Errors	Neat, organized, colorful, creative.
C (84-78)	Includes most of the requirements listed above.	Some Grammatical Errors Some Spelling Errors	Not exceptionally neat, lacks some organization, could use more color and creativity.
D (77-70)	Includes some of the requirements listed above.	Many Grammatical Errors Many Spelling Errors	Not much effort lacks organization and creativity.
F (69-0)	Includes less than two requirements listed above.	Many Grammatical Errors Many Spelling Errors	No effort, no organization, and no creativity.

STUDENT AND TEACHER ROLES: The students will become engaged learners in a cooperative learning setting. Each group will become experts on one Olympic specific (i.e. sports, countries participating, venues, events, opening/closing ceremonies, etc.) throughout the unit: they will teach their lesson to the rest of the class throughout the three-week unit. The teacher will guide the class and monitor from the side. The teacher will allow the students to teach each other while offering feedback, assistance, and guidance. The students will do the research; the teacher will help the students locate the information while giving them clues/ideas where to look for information. The teacher will also give his/her expectations for the class, while guiding the students as they research, learn, and teach.

ADDITIONAL REFERENCE PRINT RESOURCES STUDENTS MAY USE:

World Book Encyclopedia

Chronicle of the Olympics

THE FOLLOWING BOOKS CONTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT THIS TOPIC:

Chronicle of the Olympics by: DK Publishing, Inc.

Olympic Portraits by: Annie Leibovitz

The Olympic Spirit: 100 Years of the Games

FOR ADDITIONAL ONLINE INFORMATION AND MEDIA PERTAINING TO THIS UNIT, TEACHERS MAY WANT TO USE THE FOLLOWING INTERNET ARTICLES:

Title 1: Scholastic at the Olympic Games

URL1: www.scholastic.com/olympicgames/

Description1: Feature articles, meeting the athletes, and learn about the countries participating in the Olympics.

Title 2: The Ancient Olympics

URL 2: www.perseus.tufts.edu/Olympics/

Description 2: History of Olympics, background information on the first Olympics in Greece, comparison of Ancient and Modern Olympics.

Title 3: Olympic Museum

URL 3: www.museum.olympic.org

Description 3: Learn about past Olympics, sports, ceremonies.

Title 4: Science and the Olympics

URL 4: http://whyfiles.org/019olympic/

Description 4: Learn about the role of science and technology in the Olympics.

Title 5: Welcome to Linguistic Olympics

URL 5: www.uoregon.edu/~tpayne/lingolym

Description 5: An interesting and educational website for teachers; competitions, puzzles.

Title 6: United States Olympic Committee

URL 6: www.olympic-usa.org

Description 6: Sports, Committees, Events, and Venues.

Title 7: Olympics

URL 7: www.infoplease.com/cgi-bin/id/A0114094.html

Description 7: Olympics through the years; historical.

RELEVANT INFORMATION, STUDENTS WILL VISIT THE FOLLOWING WEB SITES:

Title 1: Unusual Sports in the Olympics

URL 1: http://library.thinkquest.org/J002862/main.htm

Purpose of Use 1:To see how the Olympics have developed and to see the diversity in athletics and athletes. Students can also vote for new sports.

Description 1: Learn about a variety of Olympic Sports and their year of origin.

Title 2: Ancient Greek Olympics in the Classrooms

URL 2: http://members.aol.com/MrDonnUnits/GreekOlympics.html

Purpose of Use 2: To see that there is more to the Olympics than just sports.

Description 2: Prepare for the Olympics! Learn to work in cooperative groups.

Finish flags, Olympic Creed, and Olympic Pledge.

Title 3: Special Olympics, Illinois

URL 3: www.ilso.org/

Purpose of Use3: To learn about the Special Olympics and see in what ways they differ from regular Olympics.

Description 3: Explains about year-round sports training and athletic competitions.

Title 4: Olympics Flags Geographic

URL 4: www.geographic.org/flags/olympics_flags.html

Purpose of Use 4: To learn about the different participating counties’ flags and Olympic Flags.

Description 4: Different flags of various countries; different Olympic Flags.

Title 5: Olympics

URL 5: www.abcteach.com/Olympics/olympicsTOC.htm

Purpose of Use 5: To learn about goals, how to reach them, and why they are important.

Description 5: Classroom Olympics; a fun way for students to meet their goals in different areas of study.

Title 6: Olympics Virtual Library

URL 6: www.library.unisa.edu.au/vl/olympic/olymwelc.htm

Purpose of Use 6: To teach students about how the Olympics have

changed over long periods of time. To see how the Ancient Games

compare to today’s Games.

Description 6: Information about past, present, and future

Olympics.

Title 7: Olympics

URL 7: www.macomb.k12.mi.us/wq/sw1cl.htm

Purpose of Use 7: To teach students that Olympics deal with math—the students will learn how to use medal standings to make a divided bar graph.

Description 7: Olympics Math

Ten Reading/Writing/Technology Activities (described in detail):

In Lesson One (Day 1), the students will read a worksheet about Ancient Olympic Events and Modern Olympic Events. The entire class will read the worksheet silently, and then we will read the worksheet aloud together as a class—each student taking turns reading. They will then type a 100 word minimum essay using Microsoft Word on the computers comparing the events of the Ancient Olympics to the events held today in the Modern Games. The students will choose a partner to pair up with to proofread each other’s work. The students will then spell check their work and print. This lesson will be easily adapted to meet the special need of the individual students by varying the length of the essay. The students will also be able to add one or two sports’ clip art pictures to go along with their essays.

In Lesson Two (Day 2 and 3), the students will complete a multimedia presentation about a “Glossary of Greek Words” using Kid Studio Deluxe. The students and the teacher will discuss various Greek words pertaining to the Olympics in class. Then, the students will begin working on Kid Pix Studio Deluxe. In this presentation, the students will create six slides defining six different Greek Olympic-related words. They will write the Greek word, then write the English word and definition. Finally, the students will add pictures and graphics to go along with their words and definitions. The students can also use any information they find on the World Wide Web, Encarta CD ROM, or the Encyclopedia CD ROM. This lesson will be easily adapted to meet the special need of the individual students by varying the length of the slides required.

In Lesson Three (Day 4), the students will create a multimedia presentation of an Olympic Village using Sim Town. The students and the teacher will discuss the requirements before the class begins designing their Olympic Villages. Each village must have at least two housing units, dining centers, parks, recreation centers, dormitories, and venues. The students will create an Olympic Village by adding housing, venues, parks, laundry facilities, recreation arenas, dormitories, dining areas, etc. using the Sim Town CD ROM. The students will have to use their imagination and peruse the information/worksheets given to them (and read over in class) about the real Olympic Villages throughout the past and present Olympics to create their own village during a multimedia CD ROM.

In Lesson Four (Day 5), the students will complete a spreadsheet assignment using Microsoft Works. The students will each have different topics pertaining to the Olympics. For example, one student will create a spreadsheet and then a pie chart or bar graph by asking the rest of the students in the class to choose their favorite Olympic Summer Sport. Another students can create a spreadsheet and then a pie chart or bar graph by asking the rest of the students in the class to choose their favorite Olympic Winter Sport. Still, another student can create a spreadsheet and then a pie chart or bar graph by asking the rest of the students in the class to choose their favorite Olympic Athlete, and so on. Three students at a time will walk around the classroom to interview the rest of the students by asking the students his/her spreadsheet question. Once the students have gathered all of the needed information, they will enter it into the spreadsheet to create a pie chart or bar graph. The students will proofread and spell check their own work and print.

In Lesson Five (Day 6), the students will create an Olympic Timeline using Inspiration. The students will map out, in whichever format they desire (they can make a straight line, they can make boxes, they can make arrows, etc…), an Olympic Timeline. They will use the timeline worksheets given to them in class to draw their own using Inspiration. They will start with the very first Olympics and end with the Salt Lake City Games in 2002. They will write the city and dates where each Olympic has been held. This lesson will be easily adapted to meet the special need of the individual students by varying the length of the time-line.

In Lesson Six (Days 7 and 8), the students will go on the Internet to various Olympic sites. Each student will choose a different web site to peruse and become familiar with. They will cut and paste pertinent pieces of information in the writing program Student Writing Center. The students will learn how to keep both programs open at the same time while switching back and forth between the two to work simultaneously. Once the students have collected all of their information off the Internet, they will then write one paragraph of at least 75 words about the pertinent information from their web site. The students will also learn how to document the information they obtained from the Internet so that they can document their information when writing their paragraphs. The teacher will teach/go over documentation and writing skills on the overhead as the students complete their written assignments. This lesson will be easily adapted to meet the special need of the individual students by varying the length of the essay.

In Lesson Seven (Day 9), the students will all receive outlines of the United States without any of the states’ names displayed. The students will read a worksheet entitled, “The Olympic 2002 Torch Relay” aloud in class with the teacher. Once the reading is complete, the students will work in small groups of three or less students to draw the relay of the 2002 Olympic Torch. Clues are given from the reading worksheets, and the students have to figure out what cities/states are being described to come out with the right relay marks and end up in Salt Lake City, Utah--their final destination. To begin this lesson, the students and teacher will first review a map of the United States with the states’ names on the map. The teacher will then cover up various states to quiz the students before beginning the “Torch Relay” project.

In Lesson Eight (Day 10 and 11), the students will use an Encarta CD ROM or Encyclopedia CD ROM to look up the Olympic Creed. Once they locate the Creed, they will cut and paste it onto Microsoft Word so that they can write in 25 words or less what the Olympic Creed means. The students will then use the Print Artist CD ROM to create a banner, card, postcard, sign, brochure, etc… displaying the Olympic Creed, its meaning, and photos, clip art pictures, backgrounds, borders, etc… describing/representing the Olympic Creed. The teacher will walk around the room monitoring the students’ work. The teacher will also help the students locate the Olympic Creed if they are having difficulties. Each student will spell check and proofread his/her own work before printing.

In Lesson Nine (Day 12), the students will access the World Wide Web to research the Olympic Rings—Why are there five of them? What do the colors mean? Once they have completed the research, the students will open the Paints program on the computer. Next, the students will draw the Olympic Rings, and underneath their drawing, they will explain why there are five rings and what the colors mean. The students will then print their work and glue the final product to a sheet of colored construction paper—the only colors available will be those that are represented on the Olympic Rings.

In Lesson Ten (Day 13), the students will complete an Olympic worksheet entitled, “Olympic Calculations”. First, the students will do the Olympic math problems using scratch paper. Then, only after they have finished, will they access the calculator on the computer to check their work. The teacher will demonstrate to the class how to do the first one using the overhead projector. A student will then demonstrate a problem as well using the overhead projector to make sure the directions were comprehended.

In Lesson Thirteen (Day 17), the students will use the multimedia program, Hyperstudio, to create an Olympic Limerick with three slides. The teacher will explain the requirements of a Limerick to the students. The teacher will make sure the students understand Limericks before getting started on the project. The first slide and third slide will be of pictures that describe the limerick, while the second slide has the Olympic limerick written on it. The first slide of pictures will give the audience an idea or two about what the limerick describes. The third slide will finish off the multimedia presentation by wrapping up the limerick with more pictures. The students will spell check and proofread their Hyperstudio slides before printing.