Maggie's Activity Pack

Maggie’s Activity Pack

Name ______

Date ______

Let the Competition…Continue! The Olympics…Then What? It’s the end of February. Olympic athletes are packing their bags. They are heading to the airport for flights home. The sporting events are over. No! Wait! The second largest international competition will begin any day now. The Paralympic Olympic Games follow the closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games. March brings a new set of competitors to Torino, Italy. This time the athletes may bring wheelchairs or white canes. That’s because the Paralympics spotlight athletes with physical disabilities. People who have experienced brain injuries such as strokes or cerebral palsy compete. Those who have had spinal cord injuries or who have had limbs amputated take to the ice. Skiers, who are blind or visually impaired, race down the mountain. The Paralympic Games have been held since 1960. In 1976, the first Winter Games were held. Today, there are more sports and athletes who compete in alpine and cross country skiing, sledge hockey, wheelchair curling, and the biathlon. It’s exciting to watch and you can’t help but admire the determination of the competitors.

What Events Are Held? One of the most popular sports is Sledge Hockey. Six players take to the ice with small sleds often called sledges. They move themselves by using sticks with special spikes. During the last Paralympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, the United States won the gold medal in Sledge Hockey. Another ice event will see both men and women as competitors. They will take to the ice in wheelchairs to play in the first curling events held in the Paralympics. The players do not sweep the ice as in other curling events, rather they throw the stones. Some may use sticks to help throw the stones toward the spot called the house. When a team has played their six “ends,” the points are counted. Rules for international competition say there must be at least one woman on each team and one person who is a quadriplegic player. Imagine skiing down a course. You use sight to help you know where to go. Especially if you are skiing between those poles called gates on a race course. You need legs to help you travel on skis. But athletes in a Paralympic ski race may be blind. They may have lost the use of their legs. Sometimes skiers race down a course on mono-ski or with a guide. Skiers like Laurie Stephens from Massachusetts will race for the alpine gold.

Who Are the Paralympic Athletes? Paralympic athletes go on to “medal-winning” careers, too. Sarah Billmeier won gold and silver medals in the 2002 Salt Lake Paralympic Games. But, skiing isn’t her only passion. She graduated from Dartmouth College and went on to medical school at Harvard University. And athletes like Manuel Guerra, Jr. give back to the community by helping youth with physical disabilities see that the sports arena is still for them. This medal winning sledge hockey player coaches wheelchair sports and serves as an inspirational speaker at schools and hospitals. So remember, to stay tuned and watch as these athletes, who overcome great obstacles, take to the medal stand! © Maggie's Earth Adventures, LLC 2007. Teachers may reproduce for classroom use.

Does It Take A Medal Winner To Unscramble These Sentences? Put the words in the correct order to help you review the information about the Paralympics.

1. have a from skiers who down mono-ski race hill using suffered polio may the.

______

2. sleds sledge athletes little to called Paralympic a hockey game use hockey play.

______

3. will contest site Torino the the be first Paralympic wheelchair of Italy curling.

______

4. following Games Games take immediately place the the Paralympic Olympic.

______

Use Your Knowledge! Make a list of reasons why people should attend or watch the Paralympic Games.

Make a poster that encourages

people to attend

the Games!

Dear Colleague, It goes without saying that the athletes of the Paralympic Games stand as a shining example for our students! You may want to have children think about the obstacles these people have had to overcome to ski down a slope or take to the ice. You may want to have children research one of the athletes and write a personal letter to the person. Oh…the writing ideas are endless…ask children to reflect on a time (real or imagined) they couldn’t succeed. By allowing children to “enter” the imagination realm with this assignment, they may feel freer to express themselves. And, sometimes these “imaginary” assignments contain a grain of truth! Talk about how obstacles in life can not only be overcome, but we can grow from them. For your higher level thinkers (and philosophers!), ask them to look for media coverage of these games. Encourage a small group discussion about their observations. Perhaps you have studied the components of a news story. Use this opportunity to talk about editorials. Your older students can write an editorial about the Paralymopic Games news coverage. Remember to showcase your class posters on the hall bulletin board. They will serve as gold medal examples of courage! Happy teaching, Kathy

Answer Key: Scrambled Sentences – 1. Skiers who have suffered from polio may race down the hill using a mono-ski. 2. Paralympic athletes use little sleds to play a hockey game called Sledge Hockey. 3. Torino, Italy will be the site of the first Paralympic wheelchair curling contest. 4. The Paralympic Games take place immediately following the Olympic Games.

Goals: Students will read an article about the Paralympic Games. A scrambled sentence activity helps children recall details about the Games. Students write reasons why these Games should be attended or watched by others. They are encouraged to use these ideas to create a poster. Other writing ideas are presented to the teacher. This activity is available on the primary and intermediate levels. A companion emergent activity is also available. The activity correlates with the IRA/NCTE Standard, “Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.”