Olympic Activities
By Caroline Wyman
Here are some fun and informative lessons based around the Olympics. They can be used during the Olympics or after they are complete.
Olympic Graphing
Grades 1-5
Have your students create a large graph that represents all of the countries that participated in the Olympics or you can select a specific set of countries. Then have them graph the number of bronze, silver, and gold medals won by each country. They can also graph the number of Olympians that represent each country, the number of overall medals won, and the population of each country. Think of other possible graphs that you students can make. When making the graphs, have your students use colors that are specific to each country. You can make this project as simple or as complicated as you wish, depending on your students skill level. This lesson can also be taught after the Olympics have been completed. Now have fun with this Olympic idea!
Olympic Flags
Grades 1-5
Have the class make flags for a select group or all the countries that participated in the Olympics. Have them research the flags before making them and explain to the class what each flag represents. After creating the Olympic flags, have your students create their own flag. Make sure they have a symbol on their flag that represents something special to them. Afterwards you can decorate your classroom with the flags or see if they can be hang up in a hallway where everyone can enjoy them.
Olympic Research
Grades 3-5
This is a fun and creative lesson which has many possible extensions. Split your class into groups of four and explain that they will be researching countries that have participated in the Olympics. Choose which countries you would like your students to research and have each group take on about four countries. Each group should research the number of Olympic athletes competing, what events they are competing in, the population of the country, where the country is located and any other Olympic related information they can find. Once everyone has completed their research, the groups can bring in or create something that represents each country. For example, the groups that are researching China might want to bring in a Chinese menu or the group that is researching Australia can bring in a toy kangaroo. It is up to you to decide on how extensive or simple the research projects should be. For more advanced groups, you may want to have them write-up an informative packet that allows them to use other research skills and methods of collecting data besides the internet, newspapers, magazine articles, etc. Have each group present their countries to the class, make sure to have them include their special object for each country.
For more Olympic extensions visit http://www.edhelper.com/olympics.htm.
Caroline Wyman has a degree in Sociology and a Masters in Elementary Education and is the administrator for TeacherNet.com.