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Summer Olympics 2008 Unit Study & Lapbook
Submitted by
Louise Fadina
Photos contributed by Heather L.
Lapbook Templates
Bible
1 Corinthians 9:24
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize”. Discuss this verse. This verse is not talking about a physical race, but a spiritual one and the prize is salvation. What can we learn from athletes that can help us as we seek to run this spiritual race? Some of the things we can learn may include working hard, being disciplined, not cheating, making the most of your time, not getting sidetracked and not giving up. Discuss these character traits with your children; using real life applications from their lives or yours that may help illustrate this even more.
Lapbook
components:
Bible verse pocket and card (in
NIV and KJV)
Social Studies
Geography
China is the largest country in Asia and the third largest in the world next to
Russia and Canada.
The Chinese flag is a solid red background with five gold stars in the upper left corner. The design was adopted in 1949 following a nationwide competition where over 3,000 entries were submitted. The large star is said to symbolize the leadership of the Chinese government and the four smaller stars the four classes of people. Red is generally recognized as the color associated with Communism and gold is said to symbolize the yellow race of the Chinese people.
China’s written language system is one of the oldest in the world. A number of different dialects are spoken in China but the most common is Mandarin. There is no alphabet in the Chinese language, only characters. A character could be a word or a part of a word. There are about 20,000 characters in the Chinese language. In High school children are required to learn up to 3500 of them. However, if you learn the 1000 most frequently used Chinese characters you can create about 3000 words with them.
Learn to write 1-12 in Chinese
Lapbook
Components:
Flag of China Minit Book
Plot the route of
the Olympic torch:
The Olympic torch is traditionally started in Olympia, Greece where it is lit.
From there the Torch will visit 23 different countries ending in a tour of
China. The places visited in order are:
Olympia, Greece
Beijing China
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Istanbul, Turkey
St.Petersburg, Russia
London, England
Paris, France
San Francisco, USA
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Muscat, Oman
Islamabad, Pakistan
New Delhi, India
Bangkok, Thailand
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Jakarta, Indonesia
Canberra,
Australia
Nagano, Japan
Seoul, South Korea
Pyongyang, North
Korea
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Hong Kong
Macao, China
…and a tour of many of the different provinces of China.
Using a map, plot the route that the Olympic torch will take.
Lapbook components:
Pocket to store map of Torch's
journey
Pick a team:
Have each student pick a country to support during the Olympics. Here is a list of all 135 competing countries for you to choose from. Have the student research the flag of the country, find the country on the map, and research other interesting facts about their chosen country. You may want to have them listen to their country’s national anthem and also find out in which competitions their country will be competing.
Lapbook
components:
My Team Twice Folded
Find other resources to use with the study of China or the study of your
student's chosen team in HSS's Country Lapbook.
History
The very
first Olympics for which written records are available were held in 776BC in
Olympia, Greece. At the first Olympics the only event was the 200yd dash, called
a stadium. This was the only event until 724 BC. The Olympic games were held
every four years from 776BC to 393AD when they were abolished by the then
Emperor Theodosius I. A campaign to revive the Olympics
was started in France in the late 19th century. The first Modern Summer games
started on March 24 1896 in Athens, Greece.
Olympic Timeline with dates
Olympic Timeline blank
Symbols and traditions of the Olympic games
Motto –
The Olympic motto is “Citius – Altius – Fortius” which is Latin for “ Faster,
higher, stronger”. The meaning behind this motto is intended to focus on trying
your best and not on winning first place.
Olympic Emblem & Flag– The emblem consists of five interlocking rings (blue, yellow, black, green & red) on a white background. It was designed in 1913 by Baron Pierre de Coubertin (the founder of the modern Olympics). Each of the five rings represents one of the significant continents in the world, and each color was chosen as at least one of them appeared on the flag of each country in the world. They are interlaced to represent the idea the games are universal and bring countries together.
An Olympic flag is raised in the opening ceremony of each Olympic games. On it are the same Olympic rings on a white background. At the closing of each Olympic games the mayor of the host city presents the flag to the mayor of the next host city. This mayor then keeps the flag in his town hall until the next Olympic games. Printable Olympic Flag
Olympic Flame – The ancient Greeks considered fire to have sacred qualities, and in the ancient Olympic games a fire was kept burning throughout the games. The fire was reintroduced during the 1928 games and has remained a part of it ever since as a symbol of peace between the continents. The flame is lit at the site of the ancient Olympic games in Olympia, Greece and continues on a tour of many of the participating countries ending at the home of the current year’s Olympic games.
Olympic Oath – During the opening ceremony one athlete recites the oath on behalf of all athletes. It states, “In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic games, respecting and abiding by the rules that govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams”.
Olive wreath – The Olive tree was sacred to the ancient Greeks and therefore a reward of a wreath made from a branch of this sacred tree was considered great.
Olympic Anthem – This is also know as the Olympic Hymn and was composed by Spyros Samaras with words from a poem by the Greek poet Kostis Palamas. It was performed for the first time at the Games of 1896 and was declared the Olympic Anthem in 1958. Lyrics
Lapbook Components:
Symbols and Traditions of the Olympics Flap
Science
This unit lends itself well to a discussion about general health fitness and
diet. Discuss the major food groups. Discuss what each food group provides
our bodies and why we need it. An athlete’s diet has specific needs
including increased carbohydrates. Discuss why this is (increased output of
energy).
The recommendation for a child's diet is as follows
Grains
* 4- to
8-year-olds need 4–5 ounce equivalents each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old girls need 5 ounce equivalents each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old boys need 6 ounce equivalents each day
Vegetables
* 4- to
8-year-olds need 1½ cups of veggies each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old girls need 2 cups of veggies each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old boys need 2½ cups of veggies each day.
Fruits
* 4- to
8-year-olds need 1–1½ cups of fruit each day.
* 9- to 13-year-olds need 1½ cups of fruit each day.
Milk and other Calcium Rich Foods
* 4- to
8-year-olds need 2 cups of milk (or another calcium-rich food) each day.
* 9- to 13-year-olds need 3 cups of milk (or another calcium-rich food) each
day.
Meats, beans, fish, and nuts
* 4- to
8-year-olds need 3–4 ounce equivalents each day.
* 9- to 13-year-olds need 5 ounce equivalents each day.
Food pyramid for young children
Print
the
food pyramid for athletes and
compare what your child should consume to what an athlete should consume.
Lapbook component:
Compare & Contrast Diets Matchbook
Math
Pick a country to support (see Geography section). Record the number of events they participate in and the number of medals they win. This information can be displayed in a bar graph.
Lapbook
component:
Bar Graph
Language Arts
New Words
Learn the terms for the different sports played in the summer olympics.
Archery- the sport of shooting arrows with a bow
Badminton- a game played on a court with light long-handled rackets used to volley a shuttlecock over a net
Croquet- a game in which players hit a wooden ball through a series of hoops; the winner is the first to traverse all the hoops and hit a peg
Equestrian- horse riders compete in three disciplines—dressage, jumping, and eventing
Fencing- the art or sport of fighting with swords (especially the use of foils to score points under a set of rules)
Field Hockey- a game resembling ice hockey that is played on an open field; two opposing teams use curved sticks try to drive a ball into the opponents' net
Judo- a Japanese form of wrestling that combines techniques from many jujutsu schools
Lacrosse- a field game played by two teams of ten players each who use a long-handled stick with a net pouch on one end to carry or throw a ball into a goal
Modern Pentathlon- a sports contest consisting of five events-- fencing, pistol shooting, 200 m freestyle swimming, show jumping on horseback, and a cross-country run
Synchronized Swimming- combines swimming, gymnastics, and dance; teams of swimmers perform together
Triathlon- an endurance sports event consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances
Weightlifting- a sport in which competitors attempt to lift heavy weights mounted on steel bars called barbells
Lapbook
Component:
Sport Matchbooks
Famous Olympian Research
Research and learn more about a famous Olympian. Record information in
file folder minit books.
Art
Design a logo for the next Olympic games. You might want to pretend that the country you have been studying as part of this unit is hosting the next Olympics and design one with this in mind.
See
previous logos
Lapbook Component
Cut and paste your student's logo into this
Olympic Emblem minit book.
Just
for Fun
Hold an Olympics competition with your family members. Here are some
ideas: "Javelin" Throw (you can use a wooden dowel rod), Soccer Kick
(who can kick the ball the longest distance), Paper Plate or Frisbee
Discus Throw, Cotton Ball Shot Put, Hoola-Hooping (who can hula-hoop the
longest), Obstacle Course, etc. You could even make up your own
three challenge triathlon or let your children invent a game! Be sure
to include
opening ceremonies, closing ceremonies and an award ceremony.
Lapbook Component
Log your results in this
Family Olympics Tri-fold
Additional Resources
Library List
(books have not been previewed)
Eric Liddell: Something Greater than Gold – Janet Benge
Eric Liddell: Olympian and Missionary – Ellen W. Caughey
The Flying Scotsman – Sally Magnusson
Hour of the Olympics – Mary Pope Osbourne
Ancient Greece and the Olympics – Mary Pope Osbourne
Olympics – Chris Oxlade
Olympics!
– B.G Hennessey
Swifter, Higher, Stronger: A Photographic History of the Summer Olympics
by Sue Macy
Cover Page Ideas
Find a Front Cover Page (or something for the back cover of your lapbook)
from one of the following websites:
http://www.kidsturncentral.com/coloring/olympiccolor.htm
http://www.awesomeclipartforeducators.com/olympiccoloringpages.cfm
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