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Olympics
2002: Olympic Learning
 Salt
Lake City, Utah, is the place to be this month as more than
2,000 athletes from about 80 countries participate in the XIX
Olympic Winter Games. Join the world's greatest athletes as
they put their strength and agility to the test in this
ultimate athletic competition. As you celebrate their
victories and applaud their efforts, encourage your children
to learn from the experience by completing the activities in
these Olympic Learning lessons.
Although some evidence exists that
Olympic Games were held as early as the tenth century BC, most
historians believe that the first organized Olympic contest
occurred in 776 BC, nearly 3,000 years ago. That event lasted
one day and consisted of a single foot race. Only free men who
spoke Greek were allowed to participate in the contest, which
was scheduled for the first full moon after the summer
solstice. Women were forbidden to participate in-or to
attend-the Games.
Like most early Greek festivals, the Olympic contest was
primarily a religious event. Held to honor the Greek god Zeus,
the Games were marked by a 3-month cessation of the
hostilities that frequently existed among the Greek states.
Before the Games began, heralds wearing crowns of olive
branches traveled to all Greek cities to announce the truce.
The journey of the Olympic torch before the modern Games is a
symbol of that ancient message of peace.
After that first Olympic contest, Olympic Games were held
every four years, in accordance with the 8-year Greek
calendar, for 12 centuries. During that time, the Olympiad
grew in size and importance. New events, including chariot and
horse racing, boxing, wrestling, armed combat, discus,
archery, and javelin, were gradually added and the duration of
the event increased to three days, and then to five days. The
popularity of the Games began to decline, however, after
Greece was conquered by the Roman Empire in the first century
BC. The Roman Emperor Theodosius I finally put an end to the
ancient Olympic Games in 393 AD.
 In
the nineteenth century, Pierre de Fredy, the Baron de
Coubertin, a French aristocrat, formulated a plan to revive
the Olympic Games. Coubertin believed that such an athletic
competition would promote the health and emotional well being
of the world's youth, encourage understanding among nations,
and promote peace throughout the world. His efforts and his
financial support resulted in a meeting in 1894, in which
delegates from 34 nations voted to hold the first modern
Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, in 1896.
The move toward separate Olympic Games featuring winter
sports began in 1908, when figure skating was added to the
list of Olympic events. The movement was opposed, however, by
Baron de Coubertin, as well as by a number of Scandinavian
countries, which were already holding their own winter Games.
Although the idea for winter Games was approved in 1911, the
start of those Games was delayed by World War I. Finally, the
International Olympic Committee approved the staging of an
"International Winter Sports Week," which was held
at Chamonix, France, in 1924. Nearly 300 competitors took part
in the 11-day event, which included skiing, speed skating,
figure skating, ice hockey and bobsledding. The contest was
such a huge success that it was retroactively called the first
Olympic Winter Games.
For 68 years, the Olympic Winter Games and the Games of the
Olympiad (the summer Games) were held at different times and
in different cities, but during the same year. In 1994,
however, the increasing popularity of the Games, and the heavy
television coverage that resulted, convinced Olympic
organizers that the summer and winter Games should be held in
different years. Consequently, the XVII Olympic Winter Games
took place in Lillehammer, Norway, in 1994, just two years
after the 1992 Games in Albertville, France. That event began
the current schedule, in which the two Olympic Games alternate
every two years.
Salt Lake City, Utah, is the host city for the 2002 Winter
Olympic Games, which are taking place from February 8-24. The
XIX Olympic Winter Games are expected to cost almost $1
billion. More than 2,000 competitors from about 80 countries
are participating in15 sports, including speed skating and
figure skating; cross country, freestyle, and downhill skiing;
bobsledding, snowboarding, and luge.
The theme for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games is "Light
the Fire Within." In keeping with that theme, we invite
you to use the lessons in this unit to light the fire of
knowledge within your children.
Learn
More!
General Resources about The Olympics
Online Resources
- Salt Lake City
2002
The official site of the 2002 Olympic Games provides
specific information about the current Olympic Games,
including the events, athletes, schedules, history, news
and more.
- The Education Site for
the 2002 Winter Olympics
Utah Education Network offers Olympic- and Paralympic-related
geographic, scientific, and current events resources for
kids, as well as lessons, activities, projects, and other
curricular resources for parents.
- International Olympic
Committee
The official IOC site provides information about sports
and Olympic organizations, as well as links to the Olympic
Museum and current and future Olympic Games Web sites.
- Learning
Tasks
Brigham Young University provides several excellent
WebQuests relevant to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
- Amateur
Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles Olympic Primer
The Amateur Athletic Foundation site offers an overview of
the history of the Olympic Games, as well as clear
descriptions of most Olympics sports. Also included are
historical documents, oral histories, Web games, and an
excellent curriculum unit.
- A Tour
of Ancient Olympia
The Classics Department at Tufts University, using its
digital library on ancient Greece, created this site as a
resource for the 1996 Olympic Games. Information about the
locations, spirit, athletes, and sporting events of both
ancient and modern Games are included.
- United States Olympic
Committee
The site offers athlete biographies and Olympic Game
information about the U.S. Team. The Ask an Expert feature
allows visitors to email questions to former Olympians!
- Bookmarks
for SLC 2002 Olympics
The Salt Lake City School District provides this list of
links to resources on the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
- KidZone
Created for the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano,
Japan, this updated site includes lots of terrific
information for kids about Olympic winter sports.
Books
- Wallechinsky, David. The Complete Book of the Winter
Olympics 2002.
Overlook Press. ISBN: 1585671851 (Adult)
Facts, figures, and trivia pack this complete resource on
"every Olympics event ever contested."
- Brimner, Larry Dane. The Winter Olympics.
Children's Press. ISBN: 0516262076 (Ages 9-12)
Learn the history, rules, and judging criteria for every
sport played in the Winter Olympics and relive some
fascinating moments from past Winter Olympics Games.
- Osborne, Mary Pope. Hour of the Olympics.
Random House. ISBN: 0679890629 (Ages 6-9)
Jack and Annie experience the very first Olympics Games in
ancient Greece in this book from the Magic Tree House
series.
- Nixon, Joan Lowery. Gus & Gertie and The Lucky
Charms.
Seastar Books. ISBN: 158717099X (Ages 4-8)
Two Antarctic penguins try to solve a mystery at the
Animal Olympics.
LESSON 1:
History and the Olympic Winter Games
Concepts:
You will learn about world history as you explore the history
of the Olympic Winter Games.
Lesson:
The first modern international Olympic Games were held in 1896
in Athens, Greece. For more than a quarter of a century after
that, all Olympic events were held at the same time, sharing
the same arena. Eventually, the Games were separated into two
separate competitions, the Games of the Olympiad (Summer
Games) and the Olympic Winter Games, although both events
continued to be held in the same years and often in the same
countries. Late in the twentieth century, as the Olympic Games
became more profitable and planning grew more involved,
organizers decided to hold the Games of the Olympiad (the
summer games) and the Olympic Winter Games in different years.
Now, the Games alternate every two years. In 2002, the Olympic
Winter Games are being held in Salt Lake City, Utah, from
February 8-24.
Your children can learn more about the historical
highlights of individual Olympic Winter Games at the
CNN/Sports Illustrated 2002
Winter Olympics site. (Scroll to "Facts and
Figures" and click "Olympic Timeline.") Have
them explore the site and complete our History
and the Olympic Winter Games worksheet. The answers can be
found on this
answer sheet
Additional Resources:
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LESSON 2:
The Road to the 2002 Winter Olympics
Concepts:
Your children will learn the locations and capitals of each
U.S. state.
Lesson:
The Flame of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games was lit in Olympia,
Greece, on November 19, 2001. After a stopover in Athens,
Greece, the Flame arrived in the United States on December 4,
2001. In the course of its 13,500-mile cross-country journey
from Atlanta, Georgia, to Salt Lake City, Utah, the Flame
passed through 46 U.S. states and 250 U.S. cities. On February
8, 2002, the Flame arrived at Salt Lake City's Olympic
Stadium, signaling the official start of the 2002 Olympic
Winter Games. The Flame will be extinguished on February 24,
2002, during the closing ceremonies of the 2002 Games.
Have your children visit the official Web site for the Salt
Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games. (Click "Torch
Relay" and "Interactive map.") and trace the
torch's route across the United States. Print a United
States Outline Map and ask your children to label each
state on the map. Older children can label Capital
Cities as well.
Additional Resources:
LESSON 3:
Symbols of the Olympics
Concepts:
Your children will learn about the symbols of the Olympic
Games and the flags of the countries participating in the
Olympic Winter Games.
Lesson:
Explain to your children that a symbol is an image that
represents a thought or idea. Have them read about the Symbols
of the Olympic Games. Ask: How many of the Olympic symbols
are symbols of peace? (Answer: Three: the white background of
the Olympic flag, the Olympic Flame, and the doves released at
the opening ceremonies)
Tell your children that athletes from about 80 countries
will participate in this year's Olympic Winter Games in Salt
Lake City and that those countries are represented by symbols
too. One of the most important symbols of a country is its
flag. Have your children explore Flags
of All Countries to learn what each country's flag looks
like. Then ask them to complete the Flags
of the Olympics worksheet, matching some of the countries
competing in the Winter Games with their flags. Have your
children check their answers on our answer
sheet.
Additional Resources:
More
Free Olympics Lessons...
Click
here to view more Olympics lessons, or browse
the Homeschool Learning Network's daily themes archives.
LESSON 4:
Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner of Champions
Your children will learn
how nutrition affects an athlete's health and performance.
LESSON 5:
Bodies and Minds Working Together
Your children will learn
how friction affects the performance of Olympic athletes.
LESSON 6:
And the Winner Is…
Your children will learn
how to create a spreadsheet and calculate percentages.
LESSON 7:
Meet the Athletes
Your children will explore
the qualities that make an athlete special and create a
digital presentation about one of the most memorable athletes
participating in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
LESSON 8:
Future Olympics
Your children will explore
the criteria used to select an Olympic host city.
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