Subjects
Arts & Humanities
--Art History
--Language Arts
--Visual Arts
Mathematics
--Applied Math
--Measurement
--Statistics
Physical Education
--Games
--Team Sports
Social Studies
--Current Events
--Geography
--Regions/Cultures
Grades
Grades 2-up
News Content
More than 2,500 athletes from about 80 nations will compete in this years Winter Olympic Games.
Anticipation Guide
Ask students to identify the location of Canada on a world map. Point out that Canada borders the states that comprise the northern border of the continental United States. You might share with students that Canada comprises ten provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan) and three territories (Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon). [see map] The 2010 Winter Olympic Games are being held in and around the city of Vancouver in the province of British Columbia.
You might share the video below with students (a cute and cleverly disguised commercial for Wonder bread) and ask them to identify the Winter Olympic sports that they see in it. They will see little kids acting out the roles of athletes in skiing, bobsledding, speed skating, figure skating, curling, and hockey.
News Words
Next, introduce these words that appear in the News Word Box on the students printable page: shuttle, ceremony, route, disabilities, vie, and underway. Discuss the meanings of any of those words that might be unfamiliar. Then ask students to use one of those words to complete each of these sentences:
Read the News
Click for a printable version of this weeks news story Olympic Athletes to Compete in Winter Games February 12-28.
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More Facts to Share
Use the News
Answers
Use the News: Reading for Detail
1. d, 2. j, 3. e, 4. h, 5. c, 6. f, 7. i, 8. g, 9. a, 10. b.
Language Practice: Find the Mistakes
Corrections are marked in bold type.
1. Norway has won more Olympic medals than any other country in the world.
2. The symbol of the Olympic Games has rings of five colors -- blue, yellow, black, green and red.
3. Each ring represents a region of the world -- Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceana.
4. Did you know that no country south of the equator has ever hosted the Winter Games?
5. Three continents -- Africa, South America and Antarctica -- have never hosted the Olympic Games.
6. A cross-country skier from Norway has won more medals than any other Olympic athlete.
7. Only four athletes have won medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
Critical Thinking: Do the Math
The false statement is: The last time the Winter Olympic Games were held in Canada was 24 years ago. (The Winter Olympics were last held in Canada in 1988, which is 22 years ago: 2010 1988 = 22.)
The other statements are true:
Follow-Up Activities
Countdown to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games
Let the Games Begin! Let the Learning Begin!
Click the two links above for Olympic lesson ideas across the grades and the curriculum.
Think About the News
Challenge students to think about the traits of athletes that will compete in this years Olympic Games. Ask: What traits do you think those athletes have in common? Could you ever see yourself competing in Olympic events?
Assessment
Use the Comprehension Check (above) as an assessment. Or have students work on their own (in their journals) or in their small groups to respond to the Think About the News questions on the news story page or in the Follow-Up Activities section above.
Lesson Plan Source
Education WorldNational Standards
LANGUAGE ARTS: English
GRADES K - 12
NL-ENG.K-12.1 Reading for Perspective
NL-ENG.K-12.2 Reading for Understanding
NL-ENG.K-12.9 Multicultural Understanding
NL-ENG.K-12.12 Applying Language Skills
MATHEMATICS: Number and Operations
GRADES 3 - 5
NM-NUM.3-5.2 Understand Meanings of Operations and How They Relate to One Another
NM-NUM.3-5.3 Compute Fluently and Make Reasonable Estimates
GRADES 6 - 8
NM-NUM.6-8.2 Understand Meanings of Operations and How They Relate to One Another
NM-NUM.6-8.3 Compute Fluently and Make Reasonable Estimates
GRADES 9 - 12
NM-NUM.9-12.2 Understand Meanings of Operations and How They Relate to One Another
NM-NUM.9-12.3 Compute Fluently and Make Reasonable Estimates
PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND HEALTH: Physical Education
GRADES K - 12
NPH.K-12.3 Physical Activity
NPH.K-12.4 Physical Fitness
NPH.K-12.5 Responsible Behavior
NPH.K-12.6 Respect for Others
NPH.K-12.7 Understanding Challenges
SOCIAL SCIENCES: Civics
GRADES K - 4
NSS-C.K-4.4 Other Nations and World Affairs
GRADES 5 - 8
NSS-C.5-8.4 Other Nations and World Affairs
GRADES 9 - 12
NSS-C.9-12.4 Other Nations and World Affairs
SOCIAL SCIENCES: Geography
GRADES K - 12
NSS-G.K-12.1 The World in Spatial Terms
NSS-G.K-12.2 Places and Regions
NSS-G.K-12.4 Human Systems
SOCIAL SCIENCES: World History
GRADES 5 - 12
NSS-WH.5-12.8 The 20th Century
See recent news stories in Education Worlds News Story of the Week Archive.
Article by Gary Hopkins
Education World®
Copyright © 2010 Education World
01/21/2010