5 Tips for Teaching the Winter Games!!!!!!

Tuesday, January 23, 2018
The closest thing to being there! Teach the Winter Games in your elementary and middle school classroom with 360° videos, Epic! Books, and more! #wintergames #wintersports #elementaryschool #middleschool

It is Olympic time!  I am a sucker for a special world wide event and the Olympics are no exception!  My daughter and I are already getting excited for figure skating and my boy and I. for some weird reason, love cheering on Canada in curling.  I have put together some fun activities that can be integrated into any classroom from kinders to middle schoolers.

#1 Collections on Epic! Books

I know I'm on the Epic! Books bandwagon but it really is an amazing tool!  I'm able to make collections of books and share them with teachers all over ny district.  It's like sharing a book bin for free and their collection is immense!    Click above and view texts on the Olympics and winter sports for kindergarten through middle school!

#2 Google Earth

I am a sucker for Google Maps and Google Earth.  I certainly would never be able to take my fabulous students all over the world, but I can give them a peek all over our planet!  Although we aren't able to take a google peek into the stadium at Pyeongchang, I've created a My Map that gives you 360° views insode the stadiums in Rio, Soschi, and more!!! Click on the picture above!




#3 360° Views of Sports

I would love to take all my kiddos on a luge ride but alas, I have never ecen been on one myself. Show your kids what winter sports are like but also give them a view into what it feels like to partake in these ports.  Click above to take a look at 360° videos of luge, skiing, bobsledding, and more!


#4 Science of the Olympics


Although athletes can look like magicians, there is science behind their performances. The national Science Foundation has cretaed a ton of videos on the science of sports with focuses on speed, velocity, friction and more.


#5 Green Screen

After the kiddos have read about the sports and researched them through video, it would be awesome to use an app like Green Screen by DoInk or software like Open Broadcaster Software to make green screen videos of them immersed in their sports. (Sorry, I don't have any winter sports green screen.... enjoy this beach theme!)
If you are looking for some prepared classroom activities, I have created one for the lower elementary grades and one for upper elementary and middle school.

The PyeongChang Winter Sports activity is great for kindergarten through second grade.  It comes with a five day presentation on the winter games, PyeongChang, figure skating, bobsledding, and skiing.  The presentation uses engaging pictures, 360° YouTube videos, and Google Earth to give students background knowledge.  Each day has a paper activity. Watch this video to take a good luck at the item.






If you teach older grades, I have created an activity that compares the ancient Olympics to the modern Olympics.  This would be great as a stand alone activity or one that integrates into your ancient Greece unit.  It includes two readings at 2 reading levels, I Have, Who Has? cards, Fake or Real? cards, interactive notebook foldable, and infographic project.


Have fun teaching the Olympics!!!!!!



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