Understanding the Evolution of the Olympic Games

Unit	World Olympics, p. 76
Lesson Name	Understanding the Evolution of the Olympic Games
Grade Band	Elementary (Grades 3-5) Middle School (Grades 6-8)

Unit

World Olympics, p. 76

Lesson Name

Understanding the Evolution of the Olympic Games

Grade Band

Elementary (Grades 3-5)

Middle School (Grades 6-8)

Required Materials	Have copies of the handouts from the previous lesson on the Games’ symbols and traditions. Have a deck of index cards on which are printed different facts about the Olympics. The deck must contain at least one card for every student in the group. Some students may pick two cards. Have chart paper and markers. Have masking tape cut into strips so students can use a strip to post their index card. Pre-print two pieces of chart paper with the title Ancient Olympics and another two pieces of chart paper with the title Modern Olympics.
Standards / Competencies	CASEL Core Competencies Self-Awareness Self-Management Social Awareness Relationship Skills Common Core ELA-Literacy Standards Listening and Speaking Reading Writing NCSS Social Studies Themes Individual Development and Identity Time, Continuity, and Change Civic Ideals and Practices
Recommended Time	1 hour

Required Materials

Have copies of the handouts from the previous lesson on the Games’ symbols and traditions.
Have a deck of index cards on which are printed different facts about the Olympics. The deck must contain at least one card for every student in the group. Some students may pick two cards.
Have chart paper and markers.
Have masking tape cut into strips so students can use a strip to post their index card.
Pre-print two pieces of chart paper with the title Ancient Olympics and another two pieces of chart paper with the title Modern Olympics.

Standards / Competencies

CASEL Core Competencies

Self-Awareness
Self-Management
Social Awareness
Relationship Skills

Common Core ELA-Literacy Standards

Listening and Speaking
Reading
Writing

NCSS Social Studies Themes

Individual Development and Identity
Time, Continuity, and Change
Civic Ideals and Practices

Recommended Time

1 hour

Essential Question	Why is it important to know how the Olympic Games are similar to, and different from, the Ancient Games?
Learning Objectives	Compare and contrast the Modern and Ancient Olympic Games Describe ways in which the Olympic Games have changed over time Give reasons why they think it is important to know why the Olympics have both held on to traditions and made changes to the Games

Activating Prior Knowledge	Ask: By a show of hands, how many of you think you are a very different person from the person you were five years ago? Ask three or four students who have raised their hands to give one example of how they are different. Ask: Why don’t you want people to treat you the way you were five years ago? Get three or four answers. (For example, “I’m more mature or grown up,” “I’ve learned new things,” “I act differently,” etc.) Now ask: What have you held on to that makes you still the same person? The teacher should model an answer such as: I have a lot of ways that I have changed, but one thing about me that has stayed the same is my ___ (sense of humor, or love of animals, or my thinking that it is wrong to cheat, etc.) Get responses from three or four students. Ask: Why is it important for me or anyone who knows you to know how you’ve changed and how you’ve remained the same? Get answers from several different students and chart their responses on the board.
Core Instruction	Tell the students: Today we are going to look at how the Olympics are like us: we all have changed over time, but we all have important things that we hold on to. Post the two Ancient Olympics papers on one wall and the Modern Olympics papers on the opposite wall. Walk around the room with the Olympic Card Deck face down and ask students to pick a card and put it face down on the desk. Continue to have students pick cards until all cards are taken. (Some students may get two cards.) Ask students to read their card (or cards) and decide where it belongs, on one of the Ancient Olympics charts or one of the Modern Olympics charts. Tell students to go up by rows or small groups to take a piece of tape and post their card or cards on the charts. When all cards are posted, read the cards on the Ancient Olympics charts aloud to the class. Ask the class if they think any of the cards should be moved to the Modern Olympics charts. Repeat this procedure for the Modern Olympics charts. Post a new piece of chart paper titled Similarities and one titled Differences, or use the board to record student responses. Ask students to identify the major differences they see between the Ancient and the Modern Games. (Be sure to elicit from the students that there was a ban on women in the Ancient Games; only Greeks could participate; the Games were part of a religious rite; only able-bodied men competed; married women could not attend; the men competed in the nude; and the Games were always held at Olympia. The Modern Games are held all over the world; there are now Para-Olympics and Special Olympics, Summer and Winter Games and many more sports; women athletes compete now, etc.) Ask students to identify the important similarities they see between the Ancient and Modern Games. Chart responses. (Make sure to elicit similarities such as an oath is taken; a flame burns throughout the games; the games follow a four-year schedule; athletes still prepare for years to compete; the core belief of the games is still excellence, etc.) Ask: Were there things that were unfair about the Ancient Games? Point out that the Modern Games are not perfect either. Point out that most Modern Olympic Games have been hosted in Europe and North America. As of 2020, no countries in Africa have ever hosted the Olympics, though Dakar is scheduled to host the 2022 Summer Youth Olympics, and no Olympic Games have ever been held in the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, the Middle East, Central America or the Carribean. Only a few Games have been hosted in Asia, South America or Oceania. Ask: Why do you think countries from these parts of the world have not been selected in the past? What do these countries have in common? What do the countries that have been selected have in common? Why might these countries want to be selected? Is there something unfair about the selection process? What do you think may happen in the future? Why?
Wrap-up	Ask students to look at the two lists they have made and sum up what kind of changes have been made over the years and what has been held onto. Ask the students to remember how the class started with everyone thinking about how they have changed and how they have stayed the same. Ask: How do you think the Olympics are like us? What have the Games done that we have done? Why do you think that it is important for us to know about these changes?

Activating Prior Knowledge

Ask: By a show of hands, how many of you think you are a very different person from the person you were five years ago? Ask three or four students who have raised their hands to give one example of how they are different. Ask: Why don’t you want people to treat you the way you were five years ago? Get three or four answers. (For example, “I’m more mature or grown up,” “I’ve learned new things,” “I act differently,” etc.)

Now ask: What have you held on to that makes you still the same person? The teacher should model an answer such as: I have a lot of ways that I have changed, but one thing about me that has stayed the same is my ___ (sense of humor, or love of animals, or my thinking that it is wrong to cheat, etc.) Get responses from three or four students.

Ask: Why is it important for me or anyone who knows you to know how you’ve changed and how you’ve remained the same? Get answers from several different students and chart their responses on the board.

Core Instruction

Tell the students: Today we are going to look at how the Olympics are like us: we all have changed over time, but we all have important things that we hold on to.

Post the two Ancient Olympics papers on one wall and the Modern Olympics papers on the opposite wall.

Walk around the room with the Olympic Card Deck face down and ask students to pick a card and put it face down on the desk. Continue to have students pick cards until all cards are taken. (Some students may get two cards.)

Ask students to read their card (or cards) and decide where it belongs, on one of the Ancient Olympics charts or one of the Modern Olympics charts. Tell students to go up by rows or small groups to take a piece of tape and post their card or cards on the charts.

When all cards are posted, read the cards on the Ancient Olympics charts aloud to the class. Ask the class if they think any of the cards should be moved to the Modern Olympics charts. Repeat this procedure for the Modern Olympics charts.

Post a new piece of chart paper titled Similarities and one titled Differences, or use the board to record student responses.

Ask students to identify the major differences they see between the Ancient and the Modern Games. (Be sure to elicit from the students that there was a ban on women in the Ancient Games; only Greeks could participate; the Games were part of a religious rite; only able-bodied men competed; married women could not attend; the men competed in the nude; and the Games were always held at Olympia. The Modern Games are held all over the world; there are now Para-Olympics and Special Olympics, Summer and Winter Games and many more sports; women athletes compete now, etc.)

Ask students to identify the important similarities they see between the Ancient and Modern Games. Chart responses. (Make sure to elicit similarities such as an oath is taken; a flame burns throughout the games; the games follow a four-year schedule; athletes still prepare for years to compete; the core belief of the games is still excellence, etc.)

Ask: Were there things that were unfair about the Ancient Games? Point out that the Modern Games are not perfect either. Point out that most Modern Olympic Games have been hosted in Europe and North America. As of 2020, no countries in Africa have ever hosted the Olympics, though Dakar is scheduled to host the 2022 Summer Youth Olympics, and no Olympic Games have ever been held in the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, the Middle East, Central America or the Carribean. Only a few Games have been hosted in Asia, South America or Oceania. Ask: Why do you think countries from these parts of the world have not been selected in the past? What do these countries have in common? What do the countries that have been selected have in common? Why might these countries want to be selected? Is there something unfair about the selection process? What do you think may happen in the future? Why?

Wrap-up

Ask students to look at the two lists they have made and sum up what kind of changes have been made over the years and what has been held onto.

Ask the students to remember how the class started with everyone thinking about how they have changed and how they have stayed the same. Ask: How do you think the Olympics are like us? What have the Games done that we have done? Why do you think that it is important for us to know about these changes?

Download this lesson to access handouts.

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