THE ANCIENT AND MODERN OLYMPICS

Make use of me in:

GRADES 3 & 6: Geography: differences

between countries YEAR 7: Ancient Greece Your secret weapon for: YEAR 8: The Asia-Pacific World (Japan under the Shoguns)

HISTORICOOL ISSUE 22 1 Compiled by: THE HISTORY OF THE OLYMPICS Catherine Gordon | Education Creations

Know the Curriculum Build your Resource Bank

Use this article to promote interest in The resources provided in relation to this study a study of: can be found on the following pages. They include: • The Olympic Games • Ancient Greece 1. ‘The Fall & Rise of the Olympics’ in • South America and other Olympic plain-text format (page 6) nations 2. ‘The Bizarre History of Olympic Events’ HISTORY LINKS in plain-text format (page 7) 3. Pre- and Post- Reading Quiz (page 9) Year 7: The Ancient World (Ancient Greece) 4. KW Chart worsheet (page 10) 5. South America Map (page 11) 6. Ancient Olympics vs. Modern Olympics GEOGRAPHY LINKS worksheet (page 12) Grade 3: The similarities and differences 7. Olympic Symbol Profile worksheet between places (page 13) 8. Brazil and Australia Comparison Grade 6: The world’s cultural diversity and worksheet (page 14) economic, social and demographic 9. Olympic Impact PNQ Chart (page 15) differences 10. ‘It’s All Greek to Me’ Study List (page 16) 11. Design a Medal worksheet (page 17) 12. Spot the Difference (page 18) ENGLISH LINKS 13. Teacher Answer Keys (page 19) All levels: Literacy - Creating Texts

Know your Stuff!

If students are to become historically literate it is important that they have a thorough knowledge of the vocabulary, people and places they will encounter during their study of the Olympics:

VOCABULARY PEOPLE PLACES

Chariots Brazilians Brazil Duelling Nike Greece Mountaineering Romans Rio de Janeiro Synchronised Constantine Brasilia Controversy Theodosius I Mount Olympus Christianity Baron Pierre de Couberton Paralympics Sportsmanship

HISTORICOOL ISSUE 22 2 Introduce the Topic

HISTORY FOCUS (YEAR 7)

Complete the pre-reading quiz (Resource 3, page 9)

Read the article ‘The Fall & Rise of the Olympics’ by Yusef Ahmed (Resource 1, page 6) or in full colour in HistoriCool Issue 22, page 22.

Use a KW chart to determine what students know and want to know about the Olympics and its ancient origins (Resource 4, page 10). Use their answers to develop inquiry questions.

Watch the TED Talk ‘The Ancient Origins of the Olympics’ and complete its associated activities here: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-ancient-origins-of-the-olympics-armand-d-angour#watch

GEOGRAPHY FOCUS (GRADES 3 & 6)

Have a giggle and read the article ‘A Bizarre History of Olympic Events’ by Arran Gerrard (Resource 2, page 7) or in full colour in HistoriCool Issue 22, page 18.

Get to know South America. On a blank map (Resource 5, page 11) have students mark the following: Country names, Equator, Tropic of Capricorn, Oceans (Atlantic, Pacific) Amazon River, cities of Brasilia, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Cape Horn, Tierra del Fuego.

Use a KW chart to determine what students know and want to know about the Olympics and its 2016 host nation (Resource 4, page 10). Use their answers to develop inquiry questions.

Go Deeper

HISTORY FOCUS (YEAR 7)

Discuss the significance of the ancient Olympic Games.

Consider the differences and similarities between the ancient and modern Olympics. These resources will help you: • http://www.edgate.com/summergames/lesson_plans/pdf/griffinactivity1.pdf • http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-18611638 Have students write their findings on a comparison chart (Resource 6, page 12).

Investigate the history behind some symbols of the Olympic Games. Have students pick one symbol or tradition and display their research using Resource 7 (page 13). Symbols that students may like to research include:

• The Olympic rings • The Olympic Oath • The Olympic flame and torch • The Olympic Anthem • Doves • The Olympic Motto • The olive wreath/Kotinos • Olympic mascots • Nike (Greek Goddess)

HISTORICOOL ISSUE 22 3 GEOGRAPHY FOCUS (GRADES 3 & 6)

Explore the environment of South America including its vegetation, geography, animals, climate and resources. Here’s a website to help: http://www.brazilintheschool.org/p/brazil-in-primary-school.html

Research the population of South America including its demographic characteristics, culture, wellbeing and lifestyle. Here’s a website to help: http://www.brazilintheschool.org/p/brazil-in-primary-school.html

Compare Brazil and Australia (Resource 8, page 14).

Examine favelas (Brazilian slums) by watching this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af-O5T2e- 3VI&feature=player_embedded) and consider how the Rio Olympics will impact the wellbeing of its people by completing a PNQ chart (Resource 9, page 15).

USEFUL WEBSITES The following websites are useful for gathering background information and for introducing your students to the Olympics and its 2016 host nation.

• Australian Olympic Education: http://education.olympics.com.au/ • Rio Olympics Education Portal: https://www.rio2016.com/educacao/en • Olympics.org: https://www.olympic.org/ancient-olympic-games • BBC.co.uk: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/ancient_greeks/the_olympic_games/ • The Olympic Museum: http://assets.olympic.org/virtualexhibitions/expo-heroes-en.html • Arkive.org: http://www.arkive.org/c/discover-brazil?gclid=CP7IrOzp08sCFUORGwodbowBRg • Geography in the News: http://www.geographyinthenews.org.uk/issues/issue-20/road-to-rio-part-1/ks2/

Get Creative!

The following activities may be modified to suit different grades.

LITERACY ACTIVITIES

Investigative Media Report Thousands of media personnel attend the Olympics. Ask your students to imagine they are one of these reporters and to prepare a report on one of the following: An athlete, an Olympic sport, a past or present event associated with the Olympics.

Herogram Write a ‘herogram’ (a message of heartfelt appreciation or thanks) to an Olympic athlete.

Advertising Campaign Create a multimedia advertising campaign for the Brazilian tourist board to encourage people to visit Rio de Janeiro and other parts of Brazil during the Olympics.

Biography Write the biography of your favourite Olympian of all time.

HISTORICOOL ISSUE 22 4 OTHER ACTIVITIES

It’s All Greek to Me! Play the online game ‘It’s all Greek to Me’ to improve student vocabulary and knowlegde of how the Greek language has influenced English: http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/athens_games/game.htm# Resource 10 (page 17) has a list of Greek roots that students might like to brush up on first.

Adopt a Country Place the names of Olympic countries into a hat. Ask each member of your class to draw one out. For the duration of the Olympics they are to base all research activities around that country in an attempt to find out as much about it as they can. Draw up a class bar graph with the name of each country and add paper ‘medals’ to each country’s bar as they are awarded them.

Host a Mini Olympics Host a mini Olympics at your school based upon some of the activities described in ‘A Bizarre History of Olympic Events’ (Resource 2, page 7).

Medal Design Examine past Olympic gold medals at this website (https://www.olympic.org/olympic-medals) and have students design their own incorporating what they have learnt (Resource 11, page 17)

Spot-the-Difference Can your students find all the differences between the scenes of the ancient Olympics? (Resource 12, page 18)

HISTORICOOL ISSUE 22 5 The Fall & Rise of the Olympics

The Olympics are back! This year the Games will be held in Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. The excitement is building as athletes from across the globe prepare for the honour of participating in one of the oldest international competitions in history. But where did the Olympic Games start? With the ancient Greeks, almost 2,800 years ago! The Games were a way of celebrating the Greek gods, who were said to live on Mount Olympus, which is where the name ‘Olympics’ comes from. During the ancient Games, wars between cities would stop in the name of sport. Instead of fighting over territory, cities would fight for victory in the sports arena. From wrestling, running, to the javelin throw, the ancient Olympics focused on creating competition and celebrating the thing that united the cities: the worship of common gods. It went on this way for centuries and, even after the Romans conquered Greece in 146 BC, the Games continued. There were two reasons for this. The first was that, having already taken over Greece, the Romans were trying to avoid making the Greeks even more angry by taking away their Olympic Games too! But the second, more important, reason was that the Romans shared many of the same gods as their Greek neighbours. The Roman gods Mars, Jupiter and Saturn were very much like the Greeks’ Aries, Zeus, and Cronos; and the Romans also held sporting competitions in their honour. So, for a time, it made sense for the Olympics to stay. However, the Olympics weren’t safe forever… As the decades went by, the religion of Christianity began to spread across the Roman Empire. In AD 306 the first Christian emperor, Constantine I began his reign and, not too long after, Theodosius I came to power and made Christianity the official religion of the empire. You might be asking, “What does Christianity have to do with the Olympics?” Well, not much… In many ways, that was the problem. Remember, the Olympics were held to pay respect to the religion of the Greeks, not Christianity, and Theodosius wanted to make his empire more Christian. He banned all rituals and ordered the destruction of all shrines to the Greek Gods and, although we can’t exactly blame Theodosius (he had nothing against athletes or athletics at all), these laws indirectly led to the end of the Games in AD 393. Things stayed this way for a very long time. In fact, there would be no Olympic Games for over 1,500 years! (And a millennium and a half of no training led to some pretty out-of-shape athletes…!) During those years, the Roman Empire shrank and eventually no longer controlled Greece. However, even after Greece had gained independence from Rome, the Olympic Games failed to make a successful comeback. That is, until the late 1800s when a French school sports teacher by the name of Charles Louis de Fredy, (or by his more interesting name, Baron Pierre de Coubertin) decided to do something about it. The Baron begged and pleaded for the Olympics to return. As a physical education teacher, he wanted people to be motivated to get involved with sport again – and what better way than reviving the most important sporting competition of all time? It was a time in history when people could travel between countries with much more ease than before (if you call weeks on a ship ‘easy’!) and many international conventions and fairs were starting to take place around the world. The Baron argued that if people were being brought together to share new ideas in architecture, design and education, why couldn’t athletes be brought together too? Finally, the Baron was able to convince the world that the Olympics needed to be revived, and the first Games of the modern era were held in Athens in 1896. The Baron’s efforts are seen today as we continue to celebrate sport more than a hundred years after the Olympic Games made their triumphant, modern comeback. Will you be watching?

HISTORICOOL ISSUE 22 6 A Bizarre History of Olympic Events

The ancient Olympics and the modern games, while similar in spirit, are very different. Chariot racing is (unfortunately) no longer an event, athletes (fortunately) don’t compete in the nude any more and, while there is usually a glitzy opening ceremony, these days it doesn’t involve sacrificing one hundred cows to please the gods… And whilst some events like boxing, sprinting and javelin are rooted in the ancient games, there are some like tennis, basketball and soccer, which reflect modern sport. And then there are these bizarre events that just leave us scratching our heads…

POETRY & THE ARTS On your marks, get set, quote! It’s hard to believe, but between 1912 and 1948 poetry was a competitive Olympic event! The founder of the International Olympic Committee and so-called ‘father’ of the modern Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin, had a dream that the modern games would combine both art and sport. Early in the modern era’s Olympic games there were a number of artistic events including architecture, literature, music, painting and sculpture. In 1928 there was even a medal for town planning! In fact, Pierre won a gold medal himself at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics with a poem called “Ode to Sport” which included questionable verses like this: O Sport, pleasure of the Gods, essence of life, you appeared suddenly in the midst of the grey clearing which writhes with the drudgery of modern existence, like the radiant messenger of a past age, when mankind still smiled. And the glimmer of dawn lit up the mountain tops and flecks of light dotted the ground in the gloomy forests. Drudgery of modern existence? Honestly, with lines like that there should have been a medal for being forced to listen to it!

NEVER WORK WITH ANIMALS In many Olympic opening ceremonies, doves – the symbol of peace – are released into the air, taking with them their message of harmony and universal brotherhood (sorry, just practising in case they bring back the poetry event). But doves weren’t the only birds seen at earlier Olympic games, with both pigeon racing and live pigeon shooting featuring as events. Hopefully they didn’t use the same pigeons… Equestrian events (those with horses) have featured in most Olympic games, though not all have lasted. The 1928 St Moritz games included an event called skijoring, which involved a race between horses who pulled athletes wearing skis through the snow! And the 1900 Paris games included the events of equestrian high jump and long jump! The gold medal went to the Belgian horse ‘Extra-Dry’ with a jump of 6.10 metres, which is not very impressive when you consider that Myer Prinstein who won the (human) long jump gold medal in 1900 managed to jump more than a metre further than the horse…

WAR GAMES Olympic shooting is still a popular event today but, unlike the earliest modern games, shooters aim at clay bull’s eyes – not each other... Duelling, as it was then known, included firing wax bullets at human targets and people-shaped cut-outs! Funnily enough, in a poll taken just before the 2000 Sydney Olympics, duelling was the event that most people wanted to return. It’s unknown whether anyone voted to bring back town planning… Between 1924 and 1948 the Winter Olympics included the event of Military Patrol, which was a combination of cross-country skiing, mountaineering and rifle shooting. The International Olympic

HISTORICOOL ISSUE 22 7 Committee did not want it to be included in the 1936 Berlin Games in Germany but… it was hard to argue with the German ruler of the day – Adolf Hitler! Tug of War was also a popular event in the early Olympics. An early controversy occurred at the 1908 London Olympics when the winning British Tug of War team – all police officers – was accused of cheating by wearing spiked boots. A rematch was immediately ordered where the competitors just wore their socks. Britain still won.

WATER SPORTS The 1908 Olympics also featured the only occurrence of Motor Boating as an event. But, due to awful English weather, six out of nine races were cancelled and nobody bothered to turn up to watch the other three. Which makes you wonder – how did they know who won? Then there was the swimming obstacle course, which took place in the 1900 Paris Olympics when competitors had to climb over and swim under poles and rows of boats in the River Seine. An Australian – Frederick Lane – won the only gold medal ever awarded in that event, and even he probably agreed in hindsight that swimming in a straight line and in water that wasn’t highly polluted was a much better idea. Have you ever watched synchronised swimming, where a team of floating gymnasts performs moves in time with each other? It makes you wonder about the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, though, in which there was a solo synchronised swimming event. I think that’s just called ‘swimming’…? Technically, the solo swimmer was moving in time to the music of their routine but, even so, it didn’t last very long, clearly nobody else was in synch with it.

DEMONSTRATION SPORTS Often sports don’t make their way into the full competitive category and are just there for show in a single Olympics. These are called demonstration sports. If there was a gold medal for weirdest demonstration sports it would almost certainly go to the 1900 Paris Olympics, which included fire fighting, hot air ballooning and kite flying! Club throwing even made it into the 1904 St Louis games, and it sounds so fantastically cave-man-ish that to explain it would just ruin the image…

With events like poetry, horse long jump and solo synchronised swimming finding their places at Olympics gone by, there’s really no telling what crazy sports future games might have in store. Lawn mowing? Anti-gravity tennis? Treasure hunting? What wacky event would you like to compete in?

GLOSSARY

Chariot Ancient two-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle used in races and warfare Duelling Armed fighting Mountaineering The sport of climbing mountains Controversy Dispute or disagreement between two or more people or groups Synchronised In which actions happen at the same time

HISTORICOOL ISSUE 22 8 Name: ______Pre- & Post-Reading Quiz

The Olympic Games originates in ancient times and is one of the longest-running sporting competitions of all time. What else do you know about the Games?

Before reading the article, ‘The Fall and Rise of the Olympics,’ look at the following statements. If you think the statement is true write true in the column to the left. If you think the statement is false write false. Once you have read the article revisit the statements below. Check to see if you were right or wrong. In the column to the right either give yourself a tick or write the correct answer.

Before After True or False? Reading Reading 1. The ancient Olympic Games were held to honour the Greek Gods.

2. The rise of Christianity contributed to the demise of the ancient Olympic Games.

3. The Olympics are named after the Greek God, Olympus, the God of athletes.

4. The last ancient Olympic Games were held in 393AD.

5. A Greek sports teacher proposed the idea of bringing the Olympic games to the modern day.

6. Between the end of the ancient Games and the start of the modern Olympics, more than 2000 years passed.

7. Without global transport the modern Olympic Games could not exist.

HISTORICOOL ISSUE 22 9 Name: ______

KW Chart

Fill in the chart below. When you have finished, turn one of your responses in the second column into an inquiry question to research.

What I KNOW about What I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW about the Olympic Games the Olympic Games

HISTORICOOL ISSUE 22 10 Name: ______

South America Map

Using an atlas or Google Maps, mark the places and geographical features listed below onto the map of South America.

Things to Mark: • Country names • The Equator, • Tropic of Capricorn • Oceans (Atlantic, Pacific) • Amazon River, • Cape Horn • Tierra del Fuego • The cities of Brasilia, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro,

HISTORICOOL ISSUE 22 11 Name: ______

Ancient Olympics vs. Modern Olympics

How have the modern Olympic Games diverged from their ancient origins? How have they stayed the same? Write your thoughts into the spaces below. One difference has been filled in to get you started.

Similarities

Differences

Ancient Olympics Modern Olympics

• They were held in honour of the gods.

HISTORICOOL ISSUE 22 12 Name: ______

Olympic Symbol Profile

Research the history and significance of a symbol seen at the Olympic Games.

Symbol name

Year originated

Seen at both ancient AND modern Games?

Is this symbol used outside the Olympics?

Photo, drawing or excerpt of your symbol

Description of symbol History of symbol

Significance of, or meaning behind, symbol

HISTORICOOL ISSUE 22 13 Name: ______

Brazil and Australia Comparison

Compare Brazil and Australia based upon all the factors below. Discuss their differences and similarities.

BRAZIL AUSTRALIA & climate Temperature Temperature Vegetation & landscapes Animals Food - tion Popula - Lan guage gion Reli - & jobs Economy Economy Size Ethnic groups

HISTORICOOL ISSUE 22 14 Name: ______Olympic Impact PNQ Chart

What positive and negative impacts might the 2016 Olympics have on the people of Brazil? And what questions would the Brazilian government have considered before competing to host the Olympics in their country?

Consider these questions from several perspectives, including SOCIAL (pride, optimism, healthcare, education, law and order), ECONOMIC (employment, cost of goods, wages), POLITICAL (laws, taxes, system of government, freedom) and ENVIRONMENTAL_ (air, water and other natural resources). + ?

HISTORICOOL ISSUE 22 15 ‘It’s All Greek to Me’ Study List

A- or An- means without in Greek Aero- means air, mist or wind in Greek Andro-means man or male in Greek Ant- or Anti- means opposite in Greek Anthrop- means human in Greek Auto- means self or same in Greek Bio- means life or living in Greek -Chron- means time in Greek Crit- means to judge or a decision in Greek Cryo- means freezing cold in Greek Crypt- means hidden or secret in Greek Demo- means people in Greek Dogm- means belief or opinion in Greek Dys- means abnormal, difficult, or bad in Greek Eco- means home, resources, or environment in Greek Geo- means Earth in Greek Gero- or Geri- means old age or old people in Greek Gram- means written word in Greek Graph- means to write, record, or draw in Greek Gymn- means bare or uncovered in Greek Hetero- means other or different in Greek. Horo- means hour, time, or season in Greek Hyper- means excessive in Greek Logo- means reason in Greek -Mania- means mental disorder in Greek Meteoro- means high up in the air in Greek Metro- means mother in Greek Micro- means small in Greek Mis- means hatred of or disgust of in Greek Mono- means one, single, or alone in Greek Mythic- means imaginary story in Greek Narco- means numbness or sleep in Greek -Nosis means disease or sickness in Greek -Onym or –Onymous means name or word in Greek Organ- means body part, instrument, or tool in Greek Pan- means all, every, or entire in Greek Path- or –Pathy means feeling or sensation in Greek Pedi- means child in Greek Philo- or -Phil means have a strong love for in Greek -Phobia means fear in Greek Phon- or –Phony means sound in Greek Photo- means light in Greek Poly- means many in Greek Sauro- or –Saur means reptile in Greek Techno- means art or skill in Greek Tele- means far off in Greek Theo- or -theism means god in Greek

HISTORICOOL ISSUE 22 16 Name: ______

Design an Olympic Medal

Traditionally, one side of an Olympic medal features an image of Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory. The reverse side features a design which represents the city hosting the Games.

Imagine your state’s capital city is hosting the next Olympics in 2020. Design the medal which will be awarded to the athletes. Describe the key features of each side.

< FRONT

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

BACK >

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

HISTORICOOL ISSUE 22 17 Spot the Difference

Can you spot 8 differences between the scenes of the ancient Olympians trying to win gold in their events?

HISTORICOOL ISSUE 22 18 Teacher Answer Keys

Pre- & Post-Reading Quiz

True or False? After Reading 1. The ancient Olympic Games were held to honour the Greek True. Gods.

2. The rise of Christianity contributed to the demise of the True. ancient Olympic Games.

False. The Olympics are named 3. The Olympics are named after the Greek God, after Mount Olympus, the Olympus, the God of athletes. mountain where the Greek Gods were said to live.

4. The last ancient Olympic Games were held in 393AD. True.

False. He was a sports teacher 5. A Greek sports teacher proposed the idea of bringing the but he was from France, not Olympic games to the modern day. Greece.

6. Between the end of the ancient Games and the start of the False. 1,503 years passed in modern Olympics, more than 2000 years passed. between.

True. This is why they were not re-introduced until the 7. Without global transport the modern Olympic Games could late 1800s when transport had not exist. developed to the point where people could travel around the world.

Spot the Difference

HISTORICOOL ISSUE 22 19