| OLYMPICS 2002 |
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Arrange the class into five different squad lines | |
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Make two contact lines about 30 feet apart | |
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Place half the students on each contact line facing each other | |
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Place the equipment in front of each line while the others wait at the other contact line. | |
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Here are the events : | |
| 1. Speed skating - place the feet in shoe boxes and shuffle to their other side and that next person goes |
| 2. Luge- place three scooterboards together with duct tape |
| 3. Slalom - Sit on one scooterboard with two plungers to propel to the other side |
| 4. Bobsled- one pesrson sits in a cardboard box while the other pushes and on the way back each person switches positions- this is done on the return trip after the othe side goes , too |
| 5. Ski jump - place a large , gymnastic crash mat on the floor with marked lines for distance. The students shuffle in small boxes or shoe boxes and jump out of them landing in the crash mat . |
| ____________________________________________________________ |
| Time the students scores and post them on the bulletin board and compare with other classes . As an integrative project have the students put the scores in using the metric system .This can be used for a medal count for points per class . |
Check out these websites to get information about the Olympics and some games and activities: |
| http://www.uen.org/2002 |
| http://www.nbcolympics.com |
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| Subtopic: Olympics (World Celebrations) |
| Grade level(s) of mini-unit: 2-3 |
| Author: Ressa Budge |
| Background: |
| The first Olympic Games took place over 3,000 years ago in Greece. The Greeks believed that they honored the Gods by using and displaying their athletic abilities. Religious festivals were held often for this purpose. In fact, every four years a month-long festival was held by a large city-state. These celebrations were so important that during the month of the festival all fighting among them stopped. The festival that our modern Olympic Games were patterned after was held at the foot of Mount Olympus, the peak of which was believed to be the home of the Gods. This festival was one of the largest and most important to the Greeks because of its location and religious purpose. To show further honor with this festival they built a temple and very large stadium to hold the Games. During this festival (and all the early festivals) the events only included a few foot races, but as time went on additional sports were added. |
| This growth continued in events as well as participants. Originally only male Greek citizens could compete but it was later opened to women and foreigners as well. Pageants, parades and feasts were added to the festivals, and religious rituals including sacrifices became an element of importance. Unfortunately, the upward trend didn't continue. There was an Olympic decline that lasted for several decades, beginning when the Roman Empire conquered Greece around 100 BC. The festival lost its religious significance and money became the center of the Games. In AD. 393 the Roman emperor Theodosius I declared an end to the Olympics because of its contradiction with Christianity. |
| It wasn't until 1889 that the idea of the Olympic Games returned. A French educator named Baron Pierre de Coubertin felt that by encouraging athletics for the youth, people of the world would come to have a better understanding of one another, thus promoting peace. People did not embrace his idea right away but through perseverance and belief in his cause he finally met with a group of representatives from 12 countries in June of 1894 and formed the International Olympic Committee (the IOC). This group decided to organize an international sports competition, much like those Games of ancient Greece, which would take place every 4 years in different cities around the world each time. The first modern Olympics was held in Athens, Greece in 1896 where 285 people from 13 countries participated. Since then the games have been held every 4 years with the exception of the years during the World Wars (1916, 1940, 1944). |
| These games consisting only of summer sports were under way. Winter sports were not included in the organized games despite their popularity in cold-weather countries. Many winter sports which had developed from the need to get around in cold weather had been popular for years. During the 1908 Olympic Games, ice skating was included as an event for the first time and then again in 1920 along with ice hockey. People really enjoyed these events and because of their popularity, many wanted to organize a separate Olympics for these winter sports. During this time, Nordic Games (competition of winter events) were being held in Sweden every 4 years and so the Scandinavian countries were strongly opposed to this idea. Nevertheless, it was decided that there was enough interest to do both, and so the Winter Olympics were organized. In 1924, the first Winter Games were held in Chamonix, France, in the French Alps consisting of 300 athletes representing 16 nations. |
| As a result of the success in 1924, the IOC decided to make them a permanent event. Like the Summer Games, the Winter Games have been held every 4 years (except those during the World Wars) each time in a different country. The cities desiring the privilege of hosting the Olympics must apply 8 years in advance, then 6 years before the games the IOC chooses one of these cities to be the official site. It was announced in 1996 that the 2002 Winter Olympic Games would be held in Salt Lake City, Utah. |
| Having the Winter Olympics during the same year as the Summer Olympics began to produce conflict. In order to eliminate these problems, the IOC decided in 1991 to organize the Winter Olympics so that they occurred in alternate even years of the Summer Olympics. This made 1994 the first alternate even year of this new organization. |
| Despite the religious significance of the ancient Olympics, the modern Olympics have come to signify something new. Two of the most symbolic elements of the Olympics have come to represent this new significance. First, the Olympic Flag contains the interlocking circles which was designed after a similar pattern found on an ancient alter in Greece. This has come to represent the international sporting friendship. The rings also stand for the 5 parts of the world that were represented in the early modern Olympic Games (Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas), each being connected to its neighbor to symbolize the friendship connection. The colors used on the flag are represented at least once in most nations flags as well. Second, the torch symbolizes the athlete's work toward perfection and their struggle for victory. It also symbolizes the continuity between the ancient and modern Olympic Games. The heart of the Olympic Games is now the uniting of countries in friendship to celebrate and honor the finest Olympians from each country. |
| References: |
| Arnold, C. (1991). The Olympic Summer Games. New York: Franklin Watts. |
| Arnold, C. (1991). The Olympic Winter Games. New York: Franklin Watts. |
| Hennessy, B.G. (1996). Olympics! New York: Viking. |
| Knight, T. (1991). The Olympic Games. San Diego, CA: Lucent Books Inc. |
| Hadfield, et al. (1996). Olympism: Lighting the Way to a Legacy of Peace. Glendale, CA: Griffin Publishing. |
| Objectives: |
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• Students will identify historical events leading up to the present day Olympics. | |
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• Students will identify the economical benefits and disadvantages the Olympics can have on a State/Country. | |
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• Students will be able to identify ways in which the 2002 Olympics may benefit or hinder their family or members of their community. | |
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• Students will become familiar with the various events of the Olympics through researching and presenting one particular event to the class. | |
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• Students will recognize the meanings and symbolism of the Olympic Flag and Torch and apply this to their own feelings of the classroom by creating their own symbol/flag to represent these feelings. | |
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• Students will understand the concept of an Olympian in relation to the concept of a hero, and then identify one hero in their lives. | |
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• Students will identify healthy foods that would be used by Olympians in training. | |
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• Students will have a deeper desire for peace and identify one way in which they can promote it. | |
| Time allotment: Approximately 5 class periods. |
| Resources Needed: |
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• World Map | |
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• 7-8 pieces of butcher paper (approximately 3 feet long each) | |
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• The book Olympics by, B.G. Hennessy. | |
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• Paper (lined, plain white, and construction) | |
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• Crayons, markers or colored pencils | |
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• magazines | |
| Procedures: |
| A. Mini-lecture: Give a brief lesson on the history of the Olympics using the background information provided. Show the students significant locations on the map (Mount Olympus, Athens, Greece, France, and Utah) as the lesson is taught. Then have the students share elements of the history lesson they felt to have had historical significance. Write these along with their dates on the board. Divide the students into cooperative learning groups. Have them make a time line and include important events spanning from the ancient Games to the announcement of the 2002 Winter Games in SLC, Utah. Encourage creativity. Students should have at least 6 events on their timeline. Display these around the room. (Time needed: one class period.) |
| B. Literature Connection/ Extension: Read the book Olympics! by, B. G. Hennessy. After the book has been read, have the students brainstorm how people/businesses in the country/state are able to make money through the Olympics focusing on pages 8-10 of the book. Also, have them brainstorm some of the disadvantages of having the Olympics in your coutry/state. (As they are brainstorming relate this to the 2002 Olympics coming here to Utah. What businesses will benefit? What groups will not see this Olympics as a positive event? Will it affect any of their families or community members directly? How?.) After they have been allowed time to brainstorm, have the students write down at least 2 benefits and 2 disadvantages on paper. Divide the students into groups and have them share their ideas with the group. (Time needed: half of a class period.) |
| C. Think-Pair-Share: Have the students think of all the Olympic Winter events they are familiar with. Then have the students pair up and share their ideas with their teammate. Then have the pairs share at least 2 ideas with the class. (List these on the board to use as research topics for the next activity). (Time needed: half of a class period.) |
| D. Mini-Research: Assign each pair of students one event to research. Topics to choose from are: |
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Alpipine | |
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Skiing | |
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Biathlon | |
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Bobsled | |
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Cross-Country Skiing | |
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Figure Skating | |
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Hockey | |
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Luge | |
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Nordic Combined | |
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Ski Jumping | |
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Speed Skating | |
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Curling | |
| Students will research the topic so that they can give a short 2-3 minute presentation of the sport (including where it takes place, how it is "played", and how many people participate per team). Research should be done during their weekly library visit. Extra time in the library should be provided if needed. (Time needed: one class period-25 minutes for research, 35 minutes for presentation.) |
| E. Centers: During this class period, students will be involved in centers. A brief mini-lesson on each topic will need to be given before they divide into groups. Each lesson should run only 5 minutes (at the longest) and include directions on the activity they will be doing in the center. This will allow 15 minutes at each center. |
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Center 1: Hands-on: During the mini-lesson, discuss how the Flag and the Torch have come to represent the true spirit of the Olympics, (see the background information for details). Have the students design their own flag or item that represents the united spirit of the classroom and its members. | |
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Center 2: Concept Development: During the mini-lesson discuss the concept of an Olympian (determined individual, physically fit, strong in mind body and will, fair, hard worker, etc.) in relation to the concept of a hero (someone we admire, one who is courageous, strong, noble, etc.). Discuss why we often see Olympians as heroes. Give an example of one of your personal Olympic heroes and explain why he or she is your hero. In the center, have the students write about one of their own personal heroes. Have them name the hero and list at least three qualities about them that makes them a hero (this does not have to be an Olympian as they may not know of any at this age). | |
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Center 3: Hands-on: Give a brief mini-lesson on nutrition (the Food Pyramid may be good to use at this time). Discuss foods that are healthy and those that are not. In the centers have crayons, paper, glue and magazines. Have the students make a collage of nutritional foods they would eat if they were training for the Olympics. Share with the students special foods the Olympians intake. Be sure to point out that atheletes intake a high amount of calories and why. | |
| F. Discussion: The modern day Olympics were established to promote peace among the various countries of the world. During the Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics, all participants gather together to celebrate their successes and accomplishments. The hope and dream of Baron Pierre de Coubertin was that through athletics people would come to understand one another better which in turn would promote peace in the country. World peace has not been attained as of yet, but it is something we continually work towards. Discuss this with the students and have the students share reasons why they feel world peace is so difficult to attain. Is their constant peace in the classroom? If not, why is this? Share with the students that there are things we can do as individuals that will help us promote peace among others. Have the students discuss things they can do to promote peace. Examples of this are: learn about other cultures, be a good listener, be open to other's feelings, etc. Following the discussion, the students should write one idea on paper and illustrate it. Make a book from these ideas. Keep this in your class library for students to read. |
| Assessment: |
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• Time lines will be assessed. | |
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• Mini-presentation will be assessed. | |
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• Hero identification will be assessed. | |
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• Statement of peace promotion will be assessed. | |
| Appendix: |
| Parent letter: |
| Dear Parents/Guardians, |
| In two weeks we will be starting a unit on the Olympics. This unit will last approximately one week and will consist of many activities. We could really use your help! If you have any time during the week of that you could come in and help with activities (centers, discussions, research, cooperative groups, or constructing a class book), please sign and return this letter by . Please include your telephone number and times available. If you are unable to volunteer time but would still like to contribute, we are in need of some old magazines. If you would be willing to donate these to the class, please indicate this in the appropriate space. I will be calling you within the next week to work out the details. Our class really appreciates your help! |
| Thank You, |
| Ressa Budge |
| Name:_____________________ |
| Telephone Number:___________________ |
| Times Available:_________________________________________ |
| Supplies: _____ Old magazines |
| Return to Celebrations Table of Contents <intro.html> |
| Time Traveler |
| A WebQuest for Optional 6th Grade (Social Studies) |
| Designed by |
| Leslie Blakeburn <mailto:LBlakeburn@aol.com> |
 |
| Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits |
| Introduction |
| Have you ever heard people say, "Those were the good old days?" In this WebQuest you will have an opportunity to look at the really old days. You will create a manual for a modern Olympic athlete to use as he/she travels in time to 400 B.C. to participate in the ancient games. Of course we all know that the games are not the same now as they were in ancient times. You will need to develop this handbook so the athlete will know how to act and how to compete in the games. By the time you are finished, you should know something about the "good old days." |
 |
| The Task |
| Your task will be to develop the handbook. You will need to generate a hard copy so the athlete will be able to take it along when he/she goes back in time to ancient Greece. You should follow these steps in completing the process: |
 gather information for the handbook: |
|
research daily life in the ancient Greek cities of Athens and Sparta; | |
|
|
research ancient Olympic games, focusing on: | |
|
|
what events were included in the ancient games? | |
|
|
how were the ancient games different from the modern games? | |
|
|
geography and climate of Greece | |
|
| create an illustrated handbook using either paper and pencil or using word processors. Include the following sections: |
|
introduction | |
|
|
what to pack | |
|
|
where to go | |
|
|
etiquette | |
|
|
Olympic Games | |
|
 |
 |
| The Process |
| To accomplish the task, you will work with the members of your team gathering information to use in the development your handbook.You may divide the tasks when you are ready to create your handbook. |
|
Begin by researching life in ancient Athens and Sparta <http://www.greekciv.pdx.edu/dailylife/life.htm>. There were many other cities in ancient Greece, but these two are the most well-known and are representative of two different lifestyles. As you research, consider the following questions: |
|
What were the classes of people found in each city? | |
|
What was a typical day <http://www.emory.edu/CARLOS/ODYSSEY/GREECE/daily.html> for citizens of each city? | |
|
How did the people dress? | |
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What special customs or habits should the athlete know about? | |
|
What was life like for athletes? | |
|
Next, research Olympic Games <http://www.upenn.edu/museum/Olympics/olympicintro.html> in ancient times. As you research, consider the following questions: |
|
What was the purpose of the ancient Games? | |
|
What were the major events in the ancient Games? | |
|
How were the games different in ancient times than they are today? | |
|
Next, research the geography and climate <http://www.one-world.net/info/geog.htm> of Greece. You should look for the following information: |
|
Location of Athens, Sparta, Site of Olympic games | |
|
Climate of Greece | |
|
Important sites the athlete might want to visit before or after the games | |
|
A map of Greece | |
|
After completing your research, you are ready to make your handbook. There are five parts to the handbook. You may wish to have a different team member to complete each section. Be sure to include illustrations in each section of your handbook. |
|
I. Introduction: Do this section last. It should include: | |
|
Purpose | |
|
Summary of the handbook | |
|
II. What to pack: Tell the athlete what kinds of clothing and other items might be required on the trip. Remember the person is going back in time and will not be able to use modern conveniences that require electricity or other things that have not been invented. Consider the climate and the purpose of the trip in planning what to pack. | |
|
III. Where to go: Tell the athlete where he/she should go for the Olympic competition as well as where he/she might want to go before or after the games. You should include a map of Greece either drawn by you or one you located during your research. Remember, it will be 400 B.C. Don't tell them about modern hotels and museums that have not been built. | |
|
IV. Etiquette: Be sure to inform the athlete about any customs of the people he/she must observe. Also explain about proper behavior during the games. | |
|
V. Olympic Games: Explain the procedures, ceremonies, and events that will take place. You should also point out the important differences between the ancient and modern games. | |
|
Once your book is completed, carefully proofread the entire publication, design a cover and a table of contents, compare it to the rubric, and bind or staple your book. |
 |
|
| Evaluation |
| Describe to the learners how their performance will be evaluated. Specify whether there will be a common grade for group work vs. individual grades. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
| Conclusion |
| This quest will help you develop a greater understanding of Greece, the Olympic Games, and how they began.You should be able to: |
|
Describe the climate of Greece. | |
|
Explain key elements of the ancient Olympic Games | |
|
Compare the ancient and modern Olympic Games | |
|
Draw conclusions about the influence of the ancient games on the modern games | |
| Time Traveler |
| A WebQuest for Optional 6th Grade (Social Studies) |
| Designed by |
| Leslie Blakeburn <mailto:LBlakeburn@aol.com> |
|
| Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits |
| Introduction |
| Have you ever heard people say, "Those were the good old days?" In this WebQuest you will have an opportunity to look at the really old days. You will create a manual for a modern Olympic athlete to use as he/she travels in time to 400 B.C. to participate in the ancient games. Of course we all know that the games are not the same now as they were in ancient times. You will need to develop this handbook so the athlete will know how to act and how to compete in the games. By the time you are finished, you should know something about the "good old days." |
 |
| The Task |
| Your task will be to develop the handbook. You will need to generate a hard copy so the athlete will be able to take it along when he/she goes back in time to ancient Greece. You should follow these steps in completing the process: |
| gather information for the handbook: |
|
research daily life in the ancient Greek cities of Athens and Sparta; | |
|
|
research ancient Olympic games, focusing on: | |
|
|
what events were included in the ancient games? | |
|
|
how were the ancient games different from the modern games? | |
|
|
geography and climate of Greece | |
|
| create an illustrated handbook using either paper and pencil or using word processors. Include the following sections: |
|
introduction | |
|
|
what to pack | |
|
|
where to go | |
|
|
etiquette | |
|
|
Olympic Games | |
|
 |
|
| The Process |
| To accomplish the task, you will work with the members of your team gathering information to use in the development your handbook.You may divide the tasks when you are ready to create your handbook. |
|
Begin by researching life in ancient Athens and Sparta <http://www.greekciv.pdx.edu/dailylife/life.htm>. There were many other cities in ancient Greece, but these two are the most well-known and are representative of two different lifestyles. As you research, consider the following questions: |
|
What were the classes of people found in each city? | |
|
What was a typical day <http://www.emory.edu/CARLOS/ODYSSEY/GREECE/daily.html> for citizens of each city? | |
|
How did the people dress? | |
|
What special customs or habits should the athlete know about? | |
|
What was life like for athletes? | |
|
Next, research Olympic Games <http://www.upenn.edu/museum/Olympics/olympicintro.html> in ancient times. As you research, consider the following questions: |
|
What was the purpose of the ancient Games? | |
|
What were the major events in the ancient Games? | |
|
How were the games different in ancient times than they are today? | |
|
Next, research the geography and climate <http://www.one-world.net/info/geog.htm> of Greece. You should look for the following information: |
|
Location of Athens, Sparta, Site of Olympic games | |
|
Climate of Greece | |
|
Important sites the athlete might want to visit before or after the games | |
|
A map of Greece | |
|
After completing your research, you are ready to make your handbook. There are five parts to the handbook. You may wish to have a different team member to complete each section. Be sure to include illustrations in each section of your handbook. |
|
I. Introduction: Do this section last. It should include: | |
|
Purpose | |
|
Summary of the handbook | |
|
II. What to pack: Tell the athlete what kinds of clothing and other items might be required on the trip. Remember the person is going back in time and will not be able to use modern conveniences that require electricity or other things that have not been invented. Consider the climate and the purpose of the trip in planning what to pack. | |
|
III. Where to go: Tell the athlete where he/she should go for the Olympic competition as well as where he/she might want to go before or after the games. You should include a map of Greece either drawn by you or one you located during your research. Remember, it will be 400 B.C. Don't tell them about modern hotels and museums that have not been built. | |
|
IV. Etiquette: Be sure to inform the athlete about any customs of the people he/she must observe. Also explain about proper behavior during the games. | |
|
V. Olympic Games: Explain the procedures, ceremonies, and events that will take place. You should also point out the important differences between the ancient and modern games. | |
|
Once your book is completed, carefully proofread the entire publication, design a cover and a table of contents, compare it to the rubric, and bind or staple your book. |
 |
 |
| Evaluation |
| Describe to the learners how their performance will be evaluated. Specify whether there will be a common grade for group work vs. individual grades. |
|
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 |
| Conclusion |
| This quest will help you develop a greater understanding of Greece, the Olympic Games, and how they began.You should be able to: |
|
Describe the climate of Greece. | |
|
Explain key elements of the ancient Olympic Games | |
|
Compare the ancient and modern Olympic Games | |
|
Draw conclusions about the influence of the ancient games on the modern games | |
| Olympics Math |
| Olympics on NBC <http://www.olympic.nbc.com/results.html> |
| COMMENT: You will use the table of medal standings to make a divided bar graph. |
| ACTIVITY: |
|
You will need graph paper and a pencil. |
|
On the horizontal axis, place the names of the top 12 medal-winning countries. Leave space between each. |
|
Choose a scale for the vertical axis so the total number of medals won can be shown. |
|
Choose 3 colors and make a key for gold, silver, and bronze. |
|
Make a single bar for each country which will consist of the colors in your key. The top of the entire bar should match the number in the total column for that country. |
|
Label each axis with a title and give the graph a title. |
|
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Going for the Gold Canada's Bid to Host the Winter Olympics 2010 A WebQuest for 8th Grade World Geography Designed by Denise Frederick ride0881@ride.ri.net 
Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Teacher Page <teacherpg.htm> Introduction Playing host to the Olympics is a role that many cities would love to play. Selection for a host city for the 2010 Winter Olympic games will begin shortly. Canada wants to be selected! To guarantee making a strong proposal to the selection committee, Canada will conduct a preliminary competition among five cities to determine which Canadian city will vie for the right to host the 2010 Olympic games. You are a member of a team which will develop and present a proposal for one these cities. Your team must create an effective, informative, creative and original oral presentation. You must also develop graphs, maps, diagrams, and other visual aids to supplement your presentation. Each team member will take on a special role and focus on a different aspect of the chosen city. Persuade the committee that your city is Canada's best hope for hosting the Olympic games. Your classmates and parent visitors will be asked to select the city that makes the most convincing argument. The Task Each group will develop a 10 minute oral presentation designed to convince members of the Canadian selection committee that their city should be Canada's entry for Olympic consideration. The presentation must involve all group members and include visual aides.Use plenty of persuasive and descriptive language! The information must be factual and presented in a dynamic and convincing manner. The categories of information reflect actual information which candidate cities must sumit. The details of the Olympic city selection process are available at this site <http://www.olympic.org/ioc/e/facts/cities/host_city_elect_proc_e.html>. The five cities which will present proposals are Quebec, Toronto, Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver. The Process Each group will consist of 5 members. Group members will assume one of the following roles: cultural attaché, city planner, weather consultant, road guide, and advertising entrepreneur. The specific assignments for each group member are described below. After reading the descriptions and assessing the talents of the group members determine who will assume each of the roles. If you have difficulty with this please consult me for help. Before beginning individual assignments, each group should gather general information about their city as well as background information on the Olympic games and the host city selection process. Each group must complete a city worksheet <citywksh.htm> and an Olympic worksheet <olymwk.htm> before moving to individual assignments. Print and electronic resources for completing these worksheet are referenced. General Resources about Canada Population Statistics by City <http://www.un.org/Depts/unsd/demog/124.htm> CIA World Factbook <http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ca.html> An excellent source for printable maps is the NGS Xpedition <http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/index.html> site Visit UN Infonation <http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/infonation/e_infonation.htm> for basic facts about the county About Canada <http://about.com/aboutcanada/> has a great deal of useful information Canadian Information <http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/caninfo/ecaninfo.htm> : an extensive collection of resources related to Canada compiled by the National Library of Canada Teaching and Learning about Canada <http://www.canadainfolink.ca/teach.htm> Resources by City: Quebec City: <http://quebec.about.com/mbody.htm> MacLeish, Kenneth. "Quebec: French City in an Anglo-Saxon World". National Geographic Society Magazine , March, 1971. White, Peter, T. "One Canada - or Two?".National Geographic Society Magazine, April 1977. Calgary <http://calgary.about.com/mbody.htm> Boyer, David S. "Calgary: Canada's Not-So-Wild-West".National Geographic Society Magazine, March,1984. Garrett, W.E. "Canada's Heartland, the Prairie Provinces"..National Geographic Society Magazine, October, 1970. Montreal <http://montreal.about.com/mbody.htm> Billard, Jules B. "Montreal Greets the World (Expo 67)". National Geographic Society Magazine. May,1967. Philips, Alan. "Canada, My Country"..National Geographic Society Magazine, Dec.,1961. Vancouver <http://vancouver.about.com/mbody.htm> City of Vancouver <http://city.vancouver.bc.ca/> Edwards, Mike. "Dream On, Vancouver". National Geographic Society Magazine.October, 1978. Billard, Jules, B. "Window on the Pacific: The British Columbia Coast".National Geographic Society Magazine. March, 1972. Boyer, David, S. "British Columbia: Life Begins at 100". National Geographic Society Magazine. August, 1958. Toronto <http://toronto.about.com/mbody.htm> Toronto city profile <http://www0.un.org/cyberschoolbus/habitat/profiles/toronto.asp> Starbird, Ethel A. "Toronto:Canada's Dowager Learns to Swing". National Geographic Society Magazine. August, 1975. Boyer, David S. "Ontario, Canada's Keystone".National Geographic Society Magazine. Dec., 1978. Role descriptions / responsibilities Advertising entrepreneur: After doing research on the city's distinctive characteristics develop a logo for the 2010 Winter Olympic games. The logo must include the official Olympic insignia (five city interlocking rings), the year, and an image which uniquely represents the city and the specific Olympic games. Be prepared to present and explain the symbolism of the logo. The advertising entrepreneur will also develop a poster promoting the city as an Olympic host city. The Olympic Museum <http://www.museum.olympic.org/> has logos from previous Olympic games as well as a host of additional background information on the Olympics. City Planner: After doing research the city planner will develop and present a profile of the city's political, social, and economic characteristics. Emphasis should be placed on those characteristics which are most appealing and present the city in the most positive light. Attention should be given to the system of government and issues around safety. Use photographs, charts and diagrams to enhance the presentation. Weather consultant: Because many of the winter Olympic events require cold temperatures for snow and ice events, climate is an important consideration in selecting a host city. As the weather consultant, you must gather weather statistics for your city and present them graphically for the selection committee. In addition to temperature and precipitation data, the altitude for Olympic venues should also be included. In the event that additional snow is required artificial snowmaking capabilities of the site should be included. Canadian Weather <http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/canada_e.html> World Climate <http://www.worldclimate.com/climate/index.htm> World Weather Almanac <http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/worldcli.htm> : enter a city name and get temperature averages by month as well as other weather data Road Guide: The Olympics bring hundreds of thousands of people to the host city. In the most recent Olympics there were 16,000 athletes. The host city must have a transportation infrastructure capable of handling the movement of athletes, coaches, media representatives, and spectators. It will be the responsibility of the road guide to research the various transportation networks (air,rail,road,subway,etc) of their city and report on it. The report should include a series of maps detailing the present transportation networks. After an analysis of existing transportation networks, the road guide will make recommedations on additions or modifications to the existing systems needed to handle anticipated Olympic visitors. This site has general information about travel in Canada <http://www.virgin.net/travel/guides/usa_canada/canada/travelinternal.htm> . There are also links to travel information by province. Visit the Map Machine at National Geographic to created street maps of the area. Cultural attaché: An important part of the Olympic games are the ceremonies. There are four types of ceremonies that each host city must develop: the opening and closing ceremonies, the welcoming ceremony for the athletes at the Olympic village, torch relay, and the medal ceremonies. The cultural attache will be responsible for developing an overview of the opening ceremonies. The ceremonies must reflect the Olympic ideal, a balance of mind and body. In addition it must showcase the local culture of the host city through dance, song, art and drama. While highlighting local traditions the ceremony should reflect international themes and include artists from a variety of countries and cultures. Virtual Museum of Canada <http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/English/Exhibits/index.html> Evaluation Each student will receive three grades for this project.Two will be individual grades and one will be a group grade. Each student will receive an individual grade for the product created for the assigned role. Each student will also receive an individual grade for his / her portion of the oral presentation. A third grade, a group grade will be determined by how well the members worked as a team to produced a well-integrated product. Conclusion As a result of this unit you will understand that hosting the Olympic games is a tremendous honor, a huge responsibility, a great deal of work and requires a significant financial committment. Once your city is selected, it is showcased to the world in and scrutinized in minute detail. It joins an elite group of cities which have earned this unique honor. Your city will forever be remembered by the events, good or bad, heroic or catastrophic, of the Olympiad that it hosted. Credits & References Special thanks to the Rhode Island Geography Education Alliance for providing me with the opportunity to visit Vancouver, British Columbia. That visit was the inspiration for this WebQuest. I am indebted to the WebQuest Page (http://edweb.sdsu.edu/ webquest/webquest.html)created by Bernie Dodge.This site provided an insight into this technique for effectively using the internet to create engaging and challenging instructional activities. Additional books and web sites are referenced throughout this project. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page <http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/webquest.html>
Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits Introduction This year our class will be contributing a weekly column to the school newspaper. We will deal with various subjects through the school year. I will ask you to be thinking of some subjects that you would like to see covered in our column. However, in order to get started with this I have chosen our first topic. We will be writing and reporting on the summer Olympic games. This will be your chance to find information about the Olympics. The Task 
The class will be doing a weekly newspaper column. Our first topic for research and writing will be the summer Olympics. We will cover not only what is happening currently but we will also be reporting on the history and other interesting aspects of the Olympics. The Procedure 1. First you will be assigned to a group of four people. 2. Look at a copy of the school newspaper to see what the articles look like. 3. Choose one of these people: Jessie Owens, Carl Lewis, Peggy Fleming, Muhammad Ali, Jim Thorpe, Wilma Rudolph, or Mary Lou Retton. Research that person using the links provided below or other reference sources. Write an article to be submitted to the newspaper. Remember to tell who the person is, where he/she is from, and why they should be included in an article about the Olympics. 4. Find out where the first Olympics was held, how often are they held, how many countries participate, and what type of events are included in the games. Do a poster using some of the information that you find to publicize the games. 5. Where are the Olympic games this year? Use the map that I will give you to locate the country and write a brief summary about the country, its people, and an interesting place to visit in that country. 6. Choose an event that is part of the Olympic games and write a paragraph telling exactly what the event is, who are the leading athletes in that event, and what country do you think has the best chance of winning the gold medal. 7. Finally, your group is required to complete all of the assignments, but you may choose the one that you feel is your best effort to be published. I have provided various sites for you to use to complete this assignment. The links are below. However other types of reference material that we have in our library such as encyclopedias, atlases, almanacs, etc may be used for this assignment. Official Site of the International Olympic Committee <http://www.olympic.org> Olympic Hall of Fame <http://www.olympic-usa.org/games/ga_2_5_1.html> NBC Olympics <http://www.olympic.nbc.com/> Scholastic At the Olympic Games <http://www.scholastic.com/olympicgames/index.htm> The Real Story of the Ancient Olympic Games <http://www.upenn.edu/museum/Olympics/olympicintro.html> All About Australia <http://web.one.net.au/~kware> Official Site of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games <http://www.olympics.com/eng/> Evaluation Your project will be evaluated using the following criteria: 1. Was your project interesting and informative? 2. Did you include all of the information that was required? 3. Was the project completed in the required time frame? 4. Did you use correct grammar and spelling? 5. Finally, please write a paragraph telling how you felt the group worked together, why you think your project should be included in the newspaper, and your opinion on the entire project. Conclusion Congratulations, you have completed your first webquest. I hope this was an enjoyable experience for you and that you learned something about the Olympics that you didn't already know. Hopefully you will be ready for our next project which will be coming soon. Credits & References I used the following sources for this webquest: Yahooligan.com <http://www.yahooligan.com> Google.com <http://www.google.com> The Web Quest Page <http://www.edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/webquest.html> by Bernie Dodge All of the links that I have provided to the students were also helpful in completing this webquest. Last updated on August 15, 1999. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page <http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/webquest.html>