Winter Olympic History

Read the following story on your own and then explore the official International Olympic Committee’s website at: http://www.olympics.org/ioc. Next, re-read the text with your group utilizing Close Reading strategies and discuss what you discovered including the author’s purpose.

Olympic History by D. Jackson Maxwell

The Olympics began in Greece in 776 B.C.E. with a single running race. From this humble beginning, greater events developed. The popularity of the Olympics grew and new competitions were added. Eventually, athletes throughout the Greek city-states gathered at Olympia every four years to compete in a variety of sporting events. Spectators cheered their fellow citizens and favorite athletes in feats of strength, speed, agility, and skill. Some of these included wrestling, jumping, throwing, boxing, and running. The ancient games came to an end in 393 A.D. when the Christian Roman Emperor Theodosius I banned the Olympics because he believed they were pagan in nature.

Baron Pierre de Coubertin started the modern Olympics in Greece in 1896. He believed that the games would foster friendship and peaceful competition between nations. A 100-meter sprint was the first event. Beginning in 1901, the Nordic Games were held in Sweden every four years. These proved popular and events such as figure skating were premiered at the 1908 Summer Olympics. However, it was not until

1924 that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) hosted the First Winter Olympics.

The First Olympic Winter Games took place in Chamonix, France featuring 7 sports with 16 events in which medals were awarded. The Winter Olympics were held every four years except during World War

II. Between 1992 and 1994, the Summer and Winter Olympics were separated where each would alternately occur every two years.

The Olympics since 1936 have had a torch lighting ceremony where a torch is lit in Olympia, Greece and carried by relay runners to the destination of the games. The Olympic symbol is five connecting circles of different colors representing continents that participated in the early games. There have been many notable moments and athletes in the Winter Olympics. For example, Norway thrilled attendees by sweeping

Reprinted from Maxwell, D. Jackson. (2013). Developing Common Core Instructional Tools: The Winter Olympics. Tennessee Libraries, 63(4). May be used freely for non-commercial purposes. Contact the author for other uses. Olympic History

the ski jump in 1932 winning all of the medals. Dick Button in 1948 became the first Olympic figure skater to complete a double Axel and the first American to win a figure skating title. Jean-Claude Killy of France won three gold medals in the Alpine to become the star of the 1968 Winter Olympics. In 1980, the United

States gold medal win in Ice Hockey is considered one of the greatest sports upsets. A highlight in 1984 was

Jayne Torville and Christopher Dean of Great Britain earning 12 perfect scores in Ice Dancing. What will the next great Winter Olympic moment be?

The excitement for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia is building. Opening ceremonies are scheduled for February 7, 2014. Both children and adults are looking forward to seeing athletes compete in

98 events in 15 winter sports. The XXII Olympic Winter Games, as the IOC officially calls them, will end on February 23, 2014. From their modest Greek beginnings nearly 3000 years ago to their modern re- emergence, the Olympics have succeeded in getting different people and nations together for friendly competition. The 2014 Winter Olympics will once again ignite the international competitive spirit as men and women strive to earn medals as the best in their fields and to bring glory to their countries.

The Game:

Listed below are 10 keywords from the Winter Olympics story. The first letter of each word is revealed. Discover the rest of the word by using Close Reading strategies with the text and website. After identifying each word, locate these terms in the word search. As a bonus, there are ten additional terms from the Olympics article hidden in the word search. Award yourself a point for each word identify and find in the word search. For ten points, you have achieved a bronze medal. For 20 words about the Winter Olympics you earn a silver medal. For a gold medal, locate all 20 words plus research and answer each of the following questions posed about the Winter Olympics.

1. G_ _ _ _ _ Find this place on a globe and identify continent where it is located? Name 3 other countries that currently exist on this continent.

2. T______What impact did this ruler have on the Olympic Games?

3. P_ _ _ _ Research the meaning of this word and write down two antonyms.

4. O______Using an atlas, describe where this place is located and its surrounding topography.

5. B_ _ _ _ C______In your own words, explain the importance of this person in the context of the modern Olympics?

6. J_ _ _ -C_ _ _ _ _ K_ _ _ _ Write a biographical sketch on this athlete’s accomplishments as they pertain to the Olympics.

7. T_ _ _ _ Search online and write a brief explanation of the significance of this Olympic symbol.

8. F_ _ _ _ _ S______What do first place winners of this Olympic sport receive when they stand on the podium? How about the second and third place finishers?

9. D_ _ _ B_ _ _ _ _ Briefly explain how the answers to questions 8 and 9 are interconnected.

10. W_ _ _ _ _ O______Using the knowledge you acquired from this activity, analyze what you learned and write a summary describing your newly acquired knowledge.

Winter Olympics Word Search

Y Y S P V G A Y P L Y C D N S M L G N G A O I A A H J I O C G G L K O T N D P A G T G R I Y N Q I P W E C M M R A T D P E I I E K M B O O E Y H N I M K I H C D E N O B U E L E C Y C K T L N I D U A O V C O G L O S O Y X A O U D R E E L A O H G R R H C D O A E D U R M R E I C D N N S E R L G I R E E C P H O F I W G C E C P N S T I L R D U S O C H I L N R G N F A T S G G N I L R U C A Z I B N O T T U B K C I D Q V E W U F I G U R E S K A T I N G J

Bonus Words:

1.______; 2.______; 3.______; 4.______;

5.______; 6.______; 7.______; 8.______;

9.______; 10.______