This lesson introduces students to the modern and ancient Olympic Games. They will discuss the concept of competition, see pictures of people participating in Olympic sports, and compare and contrast ancient and modern sports. Students will conclude by drawing pictures of themselves participating in both the ancient and the modern games.

Geography, world history

Standard 17: "How to apply geography to interpret the past"

Two hours

• Computer with Internet access
• Drawing materials

Students will

• discuss their favorite games and the meaning of competition;
• describe the types of competitive games played at their school and in the community;
• discuss and view pictures of modern summer Olympic sports;
• discuss and view pictures of ancient Olympic sports;
• explain why the Olympics are popular today, just as they were in ancient Greece;
• draw pictures of themselves participating in ancient and modern Olympic sports; and
• share their pictures with the class.

Ask students what their favorite games are. What do they like to play on the playground? What about in the gym? What games do they play in their homes?

Ask students what they like about the games. Do they like to play alone, with one other person, or in larger groups? How do they feel when they win? How do they feel when they lose?

Discuss the meaning of the word "competition." Explain that competition can be good, as when people or teams play games against each other and stick to the rules. It can also be bad, such as when two people fight or when someone tries to cheat at a game. Can students think of any other examples of good and bad competition?

Ask students to describe the types of competition they participate in at school. They might say sports, games, or spelling competitions. What about at home?

Students are probably familiar with some examples of sports competition near their homes, such as their city's baseball team or the high school basketball team. Discuss these questions:

• What's it like when this team is playing?
• Do adults, teenagers, and kids get excited about it?
• Do people sometimes get nervous or angry when the team loses?
• Do people celebrate when the team wins?
• Why do you think people behave this way about their favorite teams?

If possible, bring in some banners or other paraphernalia from popular local teams, and look around the classroom to see if anyone is wearing t-shirts or caps from those teams.

Have students heard of the Olympics? Provide a brief description, explaining that it's a competition between athletes from different countries held every other year, alternating between winter and summer games. Most countries of the world participate in the summer Olympics. Have they ever watched the Olympics? If so, what sports do they remember seeing?

Have students look at pictures of some modern Olympic sports. Which ones are their favorites? Do they know the rules?

Inform students that Olympic winners are awarded bronze, silver, or gold medals and are generally honored in their home countries. What do they think about the idea of winning a small medal and an honor, rather than a new car, video game system, or other expensive prize? Can they think of times when they were proud to be winners and didn't need a fancy prize?

Tell the class that the Olympics started with ancient Greeks almost 3000 years ago. Point out Greece on a world map, and explain that ancient Greek city-states competed against each other for the honor of winning. Winners became heroes in their towns, just as today's winners often become heroes in their countries.

Have students look at pictures of ancient Greek Olympic sports. As they view the pictures, read to them some of the descriptions of the games so they understand how they were played. Ask them to point out similarities and differences between these games and modern ones.

Remind students that today, most countries participate in the summer Olympics. Why do they think the Olympics are so popular throughout the world today, rather than just being played in Greece? What is so exciting about competing against other countries?

Ask students to imagine that they live in the ancient Greek city-state of Athens and have been selected to participate in the Olympics. Point out Athens on a map, and then point out Olympia, where the games were held (Olympia is located in the western Peloponnese, just inland from the Ionian Sea).

Have students choose the ancient Greek sport they would most like to compete in, and have them draw pictures of themselves participating in this sport.

Have students draw pictures of themselves participating in a modern Olympic sport.

Have students share their pictures with the class, explaining why they've chosen each sport and telling the class a little about the rules of the game.

Help the class create its own Olympic Games. Have students list their favorite games and sports, and choose the ones that can reasonably be played in the classroom or on the playground. Help students list the rules for each game.

Divide the class into small groups, and have each group choose a city or country to represent. They can make flags, uniforms, and any other "patriotic" symbols for their team.

Before beginning the games, help the class create a map of its participants. This can be a world map with countries labeled, if teams are grouped by countries, or a map of the classroom with team names and desk locations.

Supervise the competitions, and award medals for sportsmanship as well as for winning the games.

International Olympic Committee
The Ancient Olympics