Olympics Day

What did you enjoy?

What was difficult?

What did you work hard at?

What would you like to get better at?

Who helped you?

Who was  a good leader?

What did you learn?

Olympic Review

Here are the two videos we made today showing our thinking about our Olympics learning.

What do you think now?

Make a comment at the bottom of the blog posting

NB.  The boys and girls groups both started with the same outline plan and then added items, pictures, words and ideas of their own.

Watch closely and you might notice a little runner going across the page!

Now start thinking!
You've worked with this process twice now.
What ideas are you starting to get about how you could use this process to show your ideas, learning and thinking?

Olympic History Animation

Here is a short history of the Olympics and some significant events in its modern history.

Why am I showing you this animated film?

Get any ideas about anything?

What did you find out or learn from watching ?

Being an Olympian

What does it take to get to the Olympics?

What does it take to be an Olympian?

What does it take to compete?

What does it take to win?

What does it feel like to reach your goal?

What does it feel like when you fail?

Make notes

Jot down your ideas into your learning journal as you watch this film

We will use these ideas to help us plan our podium sculpture.

All About Gold

The pictures and designs on the Olympic medals are symbolic of some big ideas.

Read the information below and take a close look at the medals.

The story behind the medal

The Olympic medals’ circular shape is a metaphor for the world. 

The front of the medal always has the same imagery at the Summer Games – the Greek Goddess of Victory, Nike, stepping out from the Parthenon to arrive in the Host City.

The design for the reverse features five symbolic elements:

- The curved background implies a bowl similar to the design of an amphitheatre. 
- The core emblem is an architectural expression, a metaphor for the modern city, and is deliberately jewel-like.   
- The grid suggests both a pulling together and a sense of outreach – an image of radiating energy that represents the athletes’ efforts.  
- The River Thames in the background is a symbol for London and also suggests a fluttering baroque ribbon, adding a sense of celebration.  
- The square is the final balancing motif of the design, opposing the overall circularity of the design, emphasising its focus on the centre and reinforcing the sense of ‘place’ as in a map inset.

Medal specification

- The London 2012 Olympic medals weigh 375-400g, are 85mm in diameter and 7mm thick.
- The gold medal is made up of 92.5% silver and 1.34% gold, with the remainder copper (a minimum of 6g of gold).
- The silver medal is made up of 92.5% silver, with the remainder copper.
- The bronze medal is made up of 97.0% copper, 2.5% zinc and 0.5% tin.

The precious ore for the medals has been supplied by London 2012 sponsor Rio Tinto and was mined at Kennecott Utah Copper Mine near Salt Lake City in America, as well as from the Oyu Tolgoi project in Mongolia. For the small amount of non-precious elements that make up the bronze medals, the zinc was sourced from a mine in Australia as well as from recycled stock, while the tin originates from a mine in Cornwall.

Thinking

• How does knowing about the meaning of the medal design help us with our class projects?
• What does it take to earn gold?
• What does it mean to win gold?
• What does it mean to the athlete? the country? other people?
• We will brainstorm words and ideas to help us with our medal and Olympic podium construction

Medal Results

Here are the medals we have earned so far.

Can you read this table?

If you work out the medal tally based on number of medals for the number of people in each country - New Zealand's results are impressive.


Take a look at this table.

Olympic Cauldron

What was the meaning behind the design of the Olympic Cauldron?

What was different about the lighting of the cauldron to the way it is usually done?

Who normally lights the cauldron?

The London Olympic cauldron is an elaborate creation involving 204 moving pieces, each representing the coming together of the competing countries.

Petal-shaped heat elements made from hammered copper were created for each country and then carried into the stadium by children during the parade of countries.

Normally, one person significant to the host country does the honor. This time, with the unique design, seven youngsters held torches to light it simultaneously, something no one could have predicted.

Unlike other recent Olympic host cities, which traditionally have displayed the flame atop the main stadium, the London cauldron will remain inside the stadium in keeping with the 1948 London Olympic games.

From the time the torch was placed on the first petal, it took 45 seconds for each copper element to ignite, prompting the cauldron to rise from the ground, ultimately drawing each of the petals together at a height of about 28 feet.

What's you opinion about how this was done?

All Time Strongest

Who would win an all time strongest animal competition?


Before you watch the film make a prediction about the strongest creatures on the planet.  Who do you think?  Come up with five ideas.


If you think about size vs how many times their own weight they can lift - just who is the strongest?

Olympic Animals

How far could this frog jump if it was the same size as you?


Listen carefully to the information in the video to work out the answer.

Talk with a buddy about some other animals and the sports that they would be good at.

Which animals would be good at:

• sprinting
• long distance running
• diving
• high jump
• weight lifting
• rugby
• hurdles

Try and explain why you think your animal would be good at a particular sport.


Try this one
True or False?

Animal Olympics

If animals had an Olympic Games what sports would they do?


Watch this video then talk with your buddy.


Think of five different animals and the sports that they would be good at.


What sports would these animals be good at? Give a reason (justify your thinking).


meerkat, elephant, ants, cheetah

True or False?

I found this on youtube last night and thought you'd like to check out these old Olympic Sports.


What do you think.


True or False?
Were these sports really in the Olympics?


What rules should we have about including or not including a sport?


Which of these sports should we still have?  Why? Why not?


Which of these sports shouldn't we have?  Why? Why not?

The Olympic Dream

For one man this race does not go as planned, but he still competes and completes the race.


What words come to mind that best describe the qualities of this athlete?


What qualities is he showing?

Classification

Look at these pictures and decide what title you would give to each image.

Your grouping title should identify a way of classifying (grouping) these things.

Transport

Weather

Bugs or Insects

Sports

Use this thinking to write the introduction to a report

What is the Olympics?

Write three or four sentences to say what the Olympics is.  Think about: who, what, when, why

Spot the Difference

Look at these two pictures of world champion cyclists.

How many differences can you spot between these pictures?

Can you guess how old this first picture is?

From the picture 

what changes have there been in cycling in this time?

Have these developments also changed the sport?

Just for Fun

What's funny about these Olympic Pictures?

What's the joke?

What is really happening? (explain)

Are these pictures TRUE or FALSE

For more fun

Follow the link to these Olympic Guinea Pigs!

The First Modern Olympics

The First Modern Olympics: Athens, 1896

The birth of the modern Olympic Games

by John Gettings

"I hereby proclaim the opening of the first International Olympic Games at Athens." With these words on April 6, 1896, King George I of Greece welcomed the crowd that had gathered in the newly reconstructed Panathenean Stadium to the modern-day Olympic Summer Games.


The event was the idea of Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France who traveled the world to gather support for his dream to have nations come together and overcome national disputes, all in the name of sport.


If not for the generous private donations of Greek businessmen like George Averoff, these first Olympics might have been moved to Budapest, Hungary. 


Averoff generously offered to pay for the reconstruction of Athens' Panathenean Stadium which had been built in 330 B.C.E. This left the Greek government with enough money to build a venue for the shooting competition and a pier for the swimming events.


The program for the Games included track and field, fencing, weightlifting, rifle and pistol shooting, tennis, cycling, swimming, gymnastics, and wrestling. Although 14 nations participated, most of the athletes were Greek.


The Games reached their high point on Day 11 with the first modern-day marathon. The idea to hold an event to commemorate the Ancient Olympic games was suggested by a friend of de Coubertin and was met with great anticipation. The race was run from Marathon to Athens (estimated at 22–26 miles), watched by more than 100,000 people and won by a Greek runner, Spiridon Louis.


From the moment Louis entered the stadium for the final leg of the race the home crowd roared with pride. The thrill and excitement reverberated through to the Games' finale-the ceremonial march of nations.


De Coubertin was pleased with the first games and stressed to organizers the importance of moving the Games all around the world. This was disappointing to Athens, which wanted to be a permanent host, but set into motion the international festival we know today as the Olympic Summer Games.