Year 4 week 12 Reading
Monday
Watch the video about the mascot for the 2020 Olympic Games. https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/42715495 Which one would you pick?
Read some facts afterwards about Olympic Mascots. https://kids.kiddle.co/Olympic_mascot (The beginning of the text is written in simplified form below as well)
Write 3 facts about Olympic mascots. What is your favourite mascot? Why?
Tuesday
Read a text
Read the text about the Ancient Greek Olympics. What kind of language does it use? (Is it written like a storybook or does it tell facts?) Who is the text meant for? (Children like yourselves, adults, toddlers)
Wednesday
Answer some questions
Answer questions 1 to 5 about the Ancient Greek Olympics. Think carefully about your answers. Write your answers as clear sentences.
Thursday
Answer some questions
Answer questions 6 to 10 about the Ancient Greek Olympics. Think carefully about your answers. Write your answers as clear sentences.
Friday
Design a mini fact file
Design a mini fact file to tell someone about the Ancient Olympic Games. You should include at least one picture and four facts. You may use the mini fact file template to help.
Olympic mascot facts for kids
The Olympic mascots are fictional characters, usually an animal that lives in an area, or a person, who represent the culture of the place where the Olympic and Paralympic Games are taking place. The mascots are often used to help sell the Olympic Games to a younger audience, such as children. Ever since the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, the Olympic Games have always had a mascot. The first major mascot in the Summer Olympic Games was Misha in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Starting with the 2010 Vancouver mascots, the Olympic and Paralympic mascots have been presented together.
History
The first Olympic mascot was born at the Grenoble Olympic Games in 1968. It was named "Schuss" and it was a little man on skis, painted in the colors of France: blue, red and white. However, the first official Olympic mascot appeared in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. It was Waldi, a Dachshund dog, a popular breed in Bavaria, Germany, and it represented the skills needed for athletes – resistance, tenacity and agility. On it we can see three of the colours of the Olympic flag (blue, yellow, green).
The success of those first mascots helped the idea of a mascot become a symbol of the Olympic Games. Mascots are very popular! Despite the importance of the message they convey, they are designed in a simple manner with bright, happy colours appropriate for the ‘festive’ atmosphere of the Olympic Games.
The mascots for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, were Phevos and Athena, two dolls inspired by a bell-shaped sculpture that is on display in Athens, Greece. In ancient times, these dolls, the ‘daidala’, as they were called, were also items of worship as well as toys. Phevos and Athena are brother and sister and so they represent the joy of play and the values of the Olympics. The choice of a brother and sister was made to show the values of equality and brotherhood.
Resistance – The act of opposing
Tenacity – Someone who is determined to continue and not give up.
Agility – To move quickly and easily.
Official Mascots
Misha – Moscow 1980
Neve and Gliz – Turin 2006
Miga and Quatchi – Vancouver 2010
Wenlock – London 2012
Snow Leopard, Bely Mishka, Zaika – Sochi 2014
Soohorang – Pyeongchang 2018 Ancient Greek Olympics
The Olympic Games are thought to have started in 776BC in Greece, almost three thousand years ago. The Games were part of a very important religious festival to honour Zeus. He was the god of the sky and the leader of the Greek gods who lived on Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece.
The Greek Olympics inspired the modern Olympic Games which began in 1896. The Games were held every four years at Olympia, a valley in southwest Greece.
The land there was beautiful and rich with olive trees. People from all over the Greek world travelled to watch and take part.
Events at the Games
The first Olympic Games lasted a day and only men who spoke Greek were allowed to take part in the events. The only event was a short running race from one end of the stadium to the other. It was called the stadion. Men ran the races without any clothes on. Gradually, more events were added to make four days of competitions. The events included boxing, chariot racing, discus, javelin, long jump, running races, wrestling and the pentathlon. The pentathlon combined the total scores of five events: long jump, discus throw, javelin throw, a stadion race, and wrestling. One of the toughest events was the race for the hoplites, with men wearing armour and carrying heavy shields. Some of the events had similar names to events we have today, but had different rules and requirements. For example, in the long jump, jumpers used hand weights to help propel their bodies forward.
Chariot race Javelin
Olympic events Race of the hoplites Prizes
There were no medals like the gold, silver, and bronze medals we have today.
There was only one winner and he was given a wreath of olive leaves as a prize.
But these weren’t just any olive leaves. These olive leaves were taken from a sacred tree that was located at Olympia behind the temple dedicated to Zeus. To reward his mastery of the events, a statue was built in the winner’s honour. Winners might have been allowed to marry rich women, and enjoy invitations to parties, free meals and the best seats in theatres.
Olive Leaves
A Special Truce
At the height of the games over 20,000-40,000 people attended. But before this time Greek city-states were constantly at war with each other. The Olympics became so important to Greek culture that the city-states stopped all their battles and observed a special truce for a full month before the games started.
During this time, men could train for the events and participants could travel to the games without fear. Merchants also travelled to the games to sell food and other items.
The Ancient Olympic games were held for over a thousand years and ended in 393 AD when the Roman emperor Theodosius banned them.
Ancient Olympia Running race
Were Women Allowed to Participate?
Married women were not allowed to attend the Olympics and women weren’t allowed to compete in any of the events. Only men, boys and unmarried girls were allowed to attend. Any women caught sneaking in were punished!
There was a separate women’s festival every four years that was called Heraia, and was held to honour Hera, the wife of Zeus. Unmarried young women could compete in races, which were much like the stadion for men. The winners were awarded crowns of sacred olive branches.
Ruins of the Temple of Hera at Olympia Statue of girl running at Heraia
Glossary
Armour – a suit made of leather, metal, or other strong material, worn to protect the body during battle.
Chariot racing – a popular type of race between small, two-wheeled vehicles pulled by horses.
City-state – an independent city with its own government and own way of doing things.
Merchant – a person who buys and sells goods to make money.
Propel – to cause to move forward: thrust, push or drive.
Sacred – to show great respect; having to do with religion.
Stadion - an ancient running event, part of the ancient Olympic Games.
Statue - a piece of art that is shaped or put together out of stone, metal or other material.
Truce – a stop or end of war that is agreed upon by all groups that participate.
Wreath - a band of flowers or leaves woven or twisted together in the shape of a circle.
Ancient Greek Olympics Questions
1. When and where were the first Olympic Games held? 2. Why were the games established? 3. What was a stadion? 4. What did people in the long jump use to help ‘propel’ their bodies forwards? 5. What would it have been like to have to run in the ‘race of the hoplites’? 6. What was the ‘pentathlon’? 7. What prizes were given to winners of events? 8. What evidence from the text shows that the ancient Olympics were important to the Greeks? 9. In what ways was the women’s festival of Heraia similar to the Olympics?
10.How did the ancient Olympic Games end in 393AD? Why might this have happened?
Ancient Greek Olympics Questions (Answers)
1. When and where were the first Olympic Games held? The first Olympic Games started in 776BC at Olympia, a valley in southwest Greece. 2. Why were the games established? The Games were established as part of an important religious festival to honour Zeus. 3. What was a stadion? It was a short running race from one end of the stadium to the other. Or a running event in the ancient Olympic Games. 4. What did people in the long jump use to help ‘propel’ their bodies forwards? People used hand weights to help propel their bodies forward. 5. What would it have been like to have to run in the ‘race of the hoplites’? Answers will vary. Possible answers are: Extremely tiring and difficult. Very competitive and exciting. Stressful and worrying. 6. What was the ‘pentathlon’? The pentathlon combined the total scores of five events. (You can name the events) 7. What prizes were given to winners of events? Winners were given a wreath of olive leaves as a prize. 8. What evidence from the text shows that the ancient Olympics were important to the Greeks? The city-states stopped all their battles and observed a special truce, so that participants could travel to the games without fear; At the height of the games over 20,000-40,000 people attended. 9. In what ways was the women’s festival of Heraia similar to the Olympics? There were running races and winners were awarded crowns of sacred olive branches. 10. How did the ancient Olympic Games end in 393AD? The Roman emperor Theodosius banned them. Why might this have happened? Answers will vary. Possible answers are: The emperor was a Roman and didn’t like the Olympics; He didn’t want the Greeks to have their own sports competition; The Romans didn’t have the same gods, and so didn’t believe in Zeus; The Roman empire believed in Christianity at this time, so couldn’t support an event honouring Greek gods.