The 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, were not just a celebration of sport and international unity, but also an excellent opportunity for educators to bring the excitement and culture of the games into the classroom. Teach Starter provided a treasure trove of ideas and resources for teachers to incorporate the Winter Games into their lesson plans. Here are some ways that you could have utilized these resources during the 2018 Olympics:
1.Olympic Data Tracking: Educators were encouraged to have students follow specific events or athletes and collect data on medal counts or scores. This was a great way to teach mathematics and statistics in a real-world context.
2.Country Research Projects: Students could be assigned a participating country to research, learning about its culture, geography, and history – transforming the games into an engaging geography lesson.
3.Opening Ceremonies Viewing: By watching the grand spectacle of the opening ceremonies, students could be introduced to South Korean culture and traditions, sparking conversations about world cultures and ceremonies.
4.Sports Science Discussions: The physics behind winter sports like skiing, bobsleighing, and ice skating offered perfect talking points for science teachers looking to explain concepts like friction, velocity, and force.
5.Creative Writing Prompts: Teachers could use various Olympic scenarios as writing prompts for students – from winning a gold medal to training as an Olympic athlete – fostering creativity and narrative writing skills.
6.Artistic Interpretations: Incorporating art projects such as making flags or creating mascots for the games enabled students to express their creativity while learning about symbolism and design.
7.Social Studies Integration: Discussions around the history of the Olympics could lead into broader lessons on global politics and economics, tying in closely with social studies curricula.
Teach Starter’s blog post “2018 Winter Olympics – Classroom Activities and Resources” was not only practical for those particular games but inspirational for educators looking at how to connect large scale international events with engaging pedagogical practices. This approach helped build global awareness among students while using the captivating context of competitive sports as a learning vehicle across subjects like math, science, social studies, and language arts.
