Elementary (Grades 3-5)

Middle School (Grades 6-8)

CASEL Core Competencies

• Self-Awareness

• Self-Management

• Social Awareness

• Relationship Skills

Common Core ELA-Literacy Standards

• Listening and Speaking

• Reading

NCSS Social Studies Themes

• Individual Development and Identity 

• Civic Ideals and Practices

• Describe some ways that ancient Olympic traditions have been passed down to the modern Olympics

• Explain the traditions of the Opening and Closing ceremonies

• Identify key people who participate in the Opening and Closing ceremonies

• Create a plan for the opening and closing ceremonies of the school/program’s Olympic Games and submit it to the Organizing Committee for consideration

Preparation Before Class:

Provide each student with a copy of The History of the Olympic Games and ask them to read it for homework. Tell students to put a star in the margin next to any passage they do not understand and to underline any word they had to look up at home.

Day 1

Ask: Think about what you learned about the Opening and Closing
Ceremonies at the Olympic Games. What one thing about the Opening
Ceremony did you like the most? (Chart multiple responses.)

Ask: What one thing about the Closing Ceremony did you like the
most beside the party? (Chart responses.)

Tell the class that today the group is going to design the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for their own Olympic Games and submit its proposal to the school/program Organizing Committee. To do this, we need to organize our ideas and create a schedule for each ceremony.

• Begin with the People Who Must Be Part of the Opening Ceremony chart. Ask students to list the school/program people they think should take part in the Opening Ceremony. Next to each person’s name, ask for the role the person will play.

• When the list is complete, ask students to look at the list and decide whether anyone needs to be removed from participating in the Closing Ceremony. Ask for an explanation of why the person should not be included. If the class agrees, put a star or check mark next to the person’s name.

Post the chart Parts of the Opening Ceremony.

• Ask the class what they want to call the beginning of the ceremony. Then ask what should happen in that beginning section. Make a list.

  • For example, if students say opening speeches, then ask them to state who they think should speak and what they should speak about. Ask who should speak first, second, and so on. Chart the responses.

• Ask what the next section should be named.

  • Ask: What should happen in this section? Be as specific as
    possible. (For example, if the students like the idea of doing an artistic presentation, which person or groups from the school/program should be asked to perform?)

• Continue this process until a proposed schedule for the entire Opening Ceremony has been completed.

When the class has created a schedule for the Opening Ceremony, go to the charts and ask: How much time should we allocate to the start of
the program section? Put time next to the section with a red marker.

For each section, ask the class to consider what events should take place and estimate the time they think the events will take. Chart the time next to the section with a red marker.

When all sections have been given a time, ask the class to add up the amount of time the Opening Ceremony will take. Put the total time (hours and minutes) at the top of the chart in red.

Ask the class if they think they have allocated too little or too much time to the Opening Ceremony. Depending on the response (too much or too little) ask where more time should be added or where time should be taken away. (For example, if they have allocated 40 minutes to artistic performance and realize that this is too long, then engage them in problem-solving about how they can reduce the amount of time.)

Tell the class you will go home tonight and bring back a neatly typed schedule for the Opening Ceremony that everyone will get to review. Tell them that tomorrow they will create the schedule for the Closing Ceremony. Ask students if they have any suggestions they want to add.

Day 2

Distribute a copy of the Opening Ceremony to each student. Ask them to take two to three minutes to read the schedule carefully and make notes on their copies if they have any questions or concerns.

Ask students if they have any questions or concerns about the Opening Ceremony schedule. Address all questions and concerns and adjust the schedule as suggested and agreed to by the class.

When the Opening Ceremony has been completed, post chart paper and repeat the process for the Closing Ceremony, first listing people and what they are expected to do, and then adding the estimated time for each section. Finally, total the time and ask students to adjust as needed.

Post the Who to Invite chart and ask students to brainstorm who should be invited to be audience members for the Olympics. Chart each answer and ask students to explain why they think the person or group they suggested should be invited.

When the invitation list is completed, thank students for their hard work in putting together the group’s proposal.

Ask: What was the best part about
making our proposed schedules? Why? What was the most difficult part?
Why?

Ask: What did you learn from working on this proposal that you
never knew before?

Type the finalized proposal and submit it to the Organizing Committee. Be sure to find out when the decision about the final schedule will be made so you can tell students when they will hear from the committee about their proposal.