Curated OER
Light the Torch: The First Modern Olympic Games
Explore many aspects of the first modern Olympic Games in your classroom.
Time Warp Trio
My Big Fat Greek Olympics
The Olympic Games are indeed a significant and far-reaching cultural component in our international community today, but from where do they originate? Where do our traditions stem from, and how do we choose the sports that constitute...
US Holocaust Museum
Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936
The Olympics are about more than sports—at times, the games are also a place of racism and prejudice! Pupils investigate the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. They analyze the meaning behind the materials included in the United States...
ProCon
Olympics
Are the Olympic Games a benefit for their host countries and cities? Scholars decide for themselves in preparation for a class debate or discussion. After reading a brief background and overview of the topic, pupils read the top three...
School Family Media
Summer Olympic Sports Word Scramble
Let the games begin! Pupils unscramble 15 different words related to summer Olympic sports. A great addition to your unit on the Olympic games.
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Victor's Virtue: A Cultural History of Sport
Pupils explore the meaning of the ancient Greek word aretê and the place of virtue in historical athletic competition and modern sports. They begin by reading an informational text on the goal of sports in education, and then...
Anti-Defamation League
Is Olympic Coverage Sexist?
Women Olympians have come a long way since 1900 when 22 women competed for the first time. News coverage of the Olympics has also changed dramatically. What has been slow to change, however, is the language used in the coverage of female...
Curated OER
Winter Olympic Games Lesson Plans
While the world watches the Winter Olympic Games, children can learn about the history, and traditions of this great event.
Curated OER
The Sporting Life
Students read and discuss "When the Games Began: Olympic Archaeology," examining the significance of the first Olympic Games in Greece. They research and reenact scenes from these Games and reflect on the Games' original importance.
Curated OER
Go for the Gold!
The options are vast with this Ancient Greece and Olympics research project! Using Scholastic online resources, historians have interactive and educational supports to guide them through researching and writing about the 2004 Olympics in...
Curated OER
The Birth of the Ancient Games: The Olympics
This exercise includes a lengthy article on the history of the Olympics as well as a map of Ancient Greece. The last page includes 15 reading comprehension questions about the passage. A fairly thorough look at this topic - geared toward...
Federal Reserve Bank
The Legacy of the Olympics: Economic Burden or Boon?
Do the economic benefits of major sporting events such as the Olympics or the World Cup outweigh the expected costs? Using fundamental economic terms, discover the explicit and implicit costs and benefits for countries that host these...
Curated OER
Politics and the Olympics
Students discover details regarding Olympics controversies. For this international politics lesson, students research Olympic games of the Modern Era noting the controversies surrounding Beijing Olympics. Students create brochures that...
ProCon
Drug Use in Sports
The ancient Greeks used performance enhancing drugs, such as opium juice, when they participated in the original Olympic Games. Pupils research a website with debate topics to decide if athletes' use of such drugs in modern sports is...
National First Ladies' Library
Opening the Olympic Games
Learners examine the history of the Olympic Games, including the opening ceremonies. In small groups, they create Olympic flags using symbols that represent their country and communities. In phase two of the instructional activity,...
Curated OER
Gold-Worthy Ideas for the Upcoming Games
Gather some ideas for bringing the Winter Olympics into your classroom.
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Tooning into the Olympics
In this current events worksheet, students analyze political cartoons about the commercialism of the modern Olympics. Students then respond to 3 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Social Studies: The Birth of Olympism
Students complete maps of Ancient Greece identifying key sites of the ancient Olympic games. After watching a video, they complete worksheets about the games and the athletes. Students discuss how the spirit of Ekecheiria, the "Sacred...
Curated OER
Olympic Games: History
Students use the internet to research the history of the Olympic Games. They identify the mascots and symbols of the Games. They watch a short video on the types of sporting events as well.
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Windy City tries for 2016 Olympics
Students collect background information about costs of hosting Olympics, prepare presentation about Chicago's bid to host 2016 Summer Olympics, debate pros and cons of going to Chicago, and present findings to classmates.
Curated OER
The Winter Olympics' Tale
Students look back at the athletes, events and related news surrounding the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City and present brief newscasts recapping the highlights of individual sports.
Curated OER
Olympic Challenges
Students consider the impact of the Olympic Games. In this current events lesson, students prepare for the 2006 Olympics by visiting selected websites to learn how the Olympic games began, political issues of the games, and preview the...
Curated OER
Live from Ancient Olympia!
Students study online resources to examine the ancient Olympic Games and athletes. They investigate the qualities of ancient Olympic athletes and role interviews with the athletes.
Curated OER
Bearing the Torch: A Study of Ancient Greece
Second graders research Ancient Greece. In this Ancient Greece activity, 2nd graders survey the geographical, historical, and cultural aspects of Greece. Students discover stories of Greek mythology and explore the beginning of the...