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THE WINTER OLYMPICS: GO FOR THE GOLD IN PE
Contributed by the following West Chester, Pennsylvania K-5 PE Specialists: Joanie Lepage Hillsdale Elementary School; Cathy McGinley, Mary C. Howse Elementary School; Mike Yarosewick, East Bradford Elementary School; Mike Usilton, Fern Hill Elementary School

Go for the gold in Physical Education class. Teach your students all about the Winter Olympics. The Winter Olympics are coming to Vancouver, Canada, February 12, 2010. There is no better time than now to include the Olympics in your PE program.

Excite your students by having them participate in the skeleton, short track speed skating, figure skating, the biathlon, cross country skiing, 2-person bobsled, slalom and downhill skiing - even if you never have an ounce of snow. Bring the excitement to the gym using equipment you have in your closet. Carpet squares or paper plates as skis, pillo polo poles as ski poles, cones set up to make tracks, and scooters as sleds. The sky’s the limit.

To build excitement in your school, plan to do this Winter Olympics unit while the actual Olympics are taking place. Teach your students about the meaning of the Olympics, what the Olympics rings stand for, and the Olympic Motto. Have them take the Olympic Oath, participate in a torch relay, and represent a country that is prominent at the Winter Olympics. Your students will be sure to be talking about PE on the bus and around the dinner table.

Split your classes into 6 teams (4 students on a team). Assign them a country (Germany, Japan, United States, Italy, Canada, France for ex.). All classes in the school have the same 6 countries, so what takes place in one class effects other classes. Make a big poster to place in the cafeteria with the six countries labeled. Report how each country (your students) does each day of the Olympics. Watch your students start to follow the “real” Olympics at home to see how “their” country is doing. The excitement will be hard to contain!

Olympic Information to Help Prepare the Unit

The Olympic Rings: Represents the 5 continents of the world: Africa, America, Asia, Australia, and Europe.

Each color stands for a different quality we’d like to see in our students (athletes):

Green- Brotherhood
Red-Sportsmanship
Black- Integrity
Yellow- Excellence
Blue- Perseverence

The Olympic Creed: The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered, but to have fought well.

The Olympic Oath: In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams.

Olympic Motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius. Loosely translated, Swifter, Higher, Stronger.

With a little imagination, you can have your students going for the gold in PE class. What follows are the games we use.

SKELETON

NASPE Standard 1: Demonstrates competency in motor skills and movement patterns needed to perform a variety of physical activities. Standard 5: Exhibits responsible personal and social behavior that respects self and others in physical activity settings.

Equipment: 6 long scooter boards, enough wall space, gold, silver and bronze scoring lines

Directions: Player lays down on scooter board on his/her stomach, move feet close to the wall knees bent, push off the wall with feet (arms to the side of the body), NO using hands, see how far you go.

Set up: Place students in 6 teams (each team is a country). Run heats of this event where one player from each country is represented. On your go signal, all six players push off the wall. See how far they go. Award points to each team depending on how far they got (gold, silver or bronze line). Run 24 heats (each player gets 4 turns). Add up all the points from each heat. Highest placing country gets the Gold medal, next country gets silver medal, next gets bronze medal.

BIATHALON

NASPE Standard 5: Exhibits responsible personal and social behavior that respects self and others in physical activity settings. Standard 2: Demonstrates understanding of movement concepts, principles, strategies, and tactics as they apply to the learning and performance of physical activities.

Equipment: 12carpet squares, 12 poles (pillo pollo sticks), targets on wall, 6 buckets filled with beanbags

Directions: Player skis, on carpet squares, up to bucket of beanbags, puts ski poles down, grabs one beanbag and throws it at target. If target is hit, award that country 10 points. Country with the most points gets the gold medal, nest silver then bronze.

Set-up: Place players in 6 countries and line up at the start. Each line has 2 carpet squares and 2 poles. This event is done in a relay fashion. Ski up to bucket, put poles down, throw one beanbag (leave it there), return so the next person can go.

SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATING

Equipment: cones, starting line, paper plates as skates (optional)

Directions: Depending on the size of your track, 4-6 skaters line up on starting line. Try to have as many different countries represented as possible. On go, skaters race around the track going 4 laps. Top 2 skaters go to the next round.
Set-up: This event is done in heats. 4-6 skaters in each heat. Top 2 skaters from each heat moves on to next round. Play until gold, silver and bronze is awarded.

SKI JUMPING

NASPE Standard 5: Exhibits responsible personal and social behavior that respects self and others in physical activity settings. Standard 1: Demonstrates competency in motor skills and movement patterns needed to perform a variety of physical activities.

Equipment: 2 6X12X12 crash mats, spring board, cones at starting line, tape measure

Directions: One ski jumper goes at a time. The rest sit in the start house (any location you want). The jumper runs up to the spring board takes off on one foot landing on two feet on the mat. Tape measure is on the mat. Record landing. Each jumper gets 2 attempts.

Set-up: To record jump take distance and multiply by 10 for score.
Example: 12 feet = 120 feet

Each jumper represents their country. Furthest combined jump wins medal for their country. Modification is to add all jumpers jumps from a country together to get a total.

SLALOM

Equipment: (Skis) Two Frisbees, paper plates, or small carpet squares for each team (Depends on the type of floor) I use Frisbees and have the students turn them upside down and place one foot in each one. Two poles, Hockey sticks, pillo pollo sticks etc. to act as ski poles. Cones to set up salmon course and to mark start and finish line.

Directions: Have each country send one team member to the starting line. At the starting line the skier must place each foot into the Frisbees and hold one ski pole in each hand. On a “go” signal the skiers will race through the slalom course and cross the finish line. The winner moves to the final heat or to the next heat depending on how many heats you have.

Rules:

Athletes must have feet in the Frisbees at all times. If player steps out off the Frisbee the players must stop and step back into the Frisbee before moving forward.
Athletes must go through each gate or they will be disqualified.
Poles must be used just as a skier would use their ski poles
Winner of each heat moves on to the next heat until there is a bronze, silver and gold medalists.

CROSS COUNTRY SKIING

Equipment: (Skis) Two Frisbees, paper plates, or small carpet squares for each team (Depends on the type of floor) I use Frisbees and have the students turn them upside down and place one foot in each one. Two poles, pillo pollo sticks, Hockey sticks etc. to act as ski poles. Cones to designate your cross country skiing course. Course can be constructed in the gym or it can start in the gym go through the hallway and finish back in the gym. (Depends on your situation and space)

Directions: Have each country form a line at the starting line. I do this one as a relay. The first person in each line will step into the Frisbees (skis) and hold the ski poles. On a “go” signal, skiers will ski through the course and return to the finish line. The next person will immediately go. Once all team members have completed the course the race is over. First team finished receives the gold medal, second the silver and third place gets the bronze! Good Luck

Rules:

Athletes must have feet in the Frisbees at all times. If player steps out off the Frisbee the players must stop and step back into the Frisbee before moving forward.
Poles must be used just as a skier would use their ski poles
Each player must go once. The entire team will earn the medal!

CURLING IN THE GYM

NASPE Standard 2: Demonstrates understanding of movement concepts, principles, strategies, and tactics as they apply to the learning and performance of physical activities. Standard 5: Exhibits responsible personal and social behavior that respects self and others in physical activity settings.

History:

Curling began in 16th century Scotland during the long cold winters out on the frozen ponds or lakes (lochs).
All that was needed were naturally formed stones that would curve or “curl” as they slid across the ice and a broom that would be used to clear the snow from the path of the sliding stone.

Equipment: Domes, Floor Tape, Optional: Scooters

Terminology:
   Stone: In this case, a dome
   Back line: The starting line
   Tee line: The line where the stone (dome) gets released
   End: In team play, when each of 4 players has delivered 2 stones each, alternating with the opponents
   Rink: The playing area
   Button: The targeted area where the stone is to stay
   Hit and Stay: The played stone stays where it touches the stationary stone
   Hit and Roll: The played stone removes the opponent’s stone and then continues to slide
   Takeout: Removing a stone from the playing area by striking with another stone

Set-Up:

Can be anything that works for you: 1 vs. 1, 2 vs. 2, or 4 vs. 4 (Team Curling).
In the case of 1 vs. 1, each player should have 4 domes of contrasting color from that of his/her opponent. In any other case, each player should have 2 domes of contrasting color from opponent.
This activity is “adjustable” in that you can make it fit the dimensions of your work area and can be made longer or shorter to accommodate the needs of your students.

Playing:

The first player steps up to the Back line with his/her stone takes a running start and may slide on knees, or hands and knees and deliver the stone down the rink, releasing it at the Tee line and hoping it will stop on the Button.
Dome must stay right side up. All “Turtles” (Stones that flip over) must be removed before any other action occurs.
Opponent gets the next turn. Players alternate until all stones have been delivered (an End). Determine how many ends you want them to play.
Accommodations: For students who cannot run or slide, they can be on a scooter with a classmate pushing them from the Back line to the Tee line. Wheelchair bound students may use a Shuffle Board cue to deliver the stone.

Scoring: The team or individual that has their stone closest to the Button is awarded a point for each of its (his/her) own stones that is closer than the opponent’s closest stone.

FIGURE SKATING IN THE GYM

Equipment:

Paper plates under feet -or- If you establish and administer strict safety rules, stocking feet
Music – Your choice. A perfect chance to coordinate with your Music professional(s) in selecting various musical genres
Terminology:
- Jumps: a leap into the air and completing a rotation
- Spins: Turning several times in one place
- Rotation: Turning
- Singles: Solo performance
- Pair Skating: Usually a boy and a girl, but for elementary education...any two classmates who help each other safely and creatively perform a “skating routine.” Can be side by side or facing each other. Do not have to be connected.
- Ice Dancing: Very similar to pairs, but should be connected by hands or wrists.
- Synchronized Skating: Involves more than 2 students

How to Proceed:

This is a very open/creative activity. Give students the safety parameters. Demonstrate the difference between a jump and a spin. Encourage artistic expression, balance collaboration and cooperation if doing Pairs or Synchronized Skating.
Leave time for Performance.

Contact Information: Joanie Lepage at jlepage@wcasd.k12.pa.us

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