Engage

You may choose to learn more about:

• the culture or geography of these two locations; or
• the math of the route by measuring physical steps; or
• the modes of transportation and barriers to surmount in "getting there".

The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games connects a huge number of communities (1020) via the longest torch route in history (45,000 kilometres). 

Find out more by viewing the official VANOC 2010 Interactive Torch Relay Map  http://tinyurl.com/6592u7.  Note: You can locate the day the torch comes closest to your community via the dropdown selections in the upper right of the map.  Subject/grade specific resources are included in this lesson plan.  Check out the Nortel LearniT Success Resources Toolkit for more information sources:  www.nortellearnit.org/LearniT/olympics/olympicsresources

Framing Questions for Subject Areas:

Geography: 

Do you wonder if the torch will pass near or through your community?   Use the Interactive Torch Relay Map to discover its path.  Can you tell how whether it will arrive in your community by air or land?

Math:

Can you tell how long will it take for the torch to travel between the (nearest) communities before and after yours? Use the Interactive Torch Relay Map to discover its path.  

Science:

How might the weather impact the running of the relay route?  If you were planning this event, what weather might you predict?   Or ... What are the mechanics of how the Olympic torch works today and how it has worked in the past?

History:

The Olympic Games and the torch relay have been taking place for centuries.  What do you know about the paths the Olympic Games and the torch have taken down through the years?  

Explore

It is also important that students identify materials that they use completely in your projects. This is called "making a citation" of someone else's work. This is the format that is typically used:

Last Name, First Name of Author (if known). "Title of work/article/page." Title of Complete Document (if applicable). Date last modified. URL (date visited).

Activities by Subject Areas:

Geography: 

What are the communities the torch reaches before and after yours?  How does the terrain influence the path?  How is the geography unique in your community?  What features does your community have in common with others on the route? (For a Canadian studies geography unit, a class might consider the full route.) 

Math: 

If you were running segments of that route, how long would it take you to run a specific distance?  Calculate how many times around your school's track or gym it would take to run the equivalent distance.  Through Internet research, determine speeds of some Olympic relay race winners and calculate how long it would take them to run the distance(s).   How can you compare and contrast or plot (represent) the variations?  

Find resources for collecting, listing, representing, and sorting the information you find, along with more advanced techniques for creating "what ifs" and scenarios and working with datasets in the Nortel LearniT K-12 Data Collection Toolkit: nortellearnit.org/LearniT/resources/datacollectiontoolkit/

Note: To introduce data collection and analysis to early elementary students, check out the Nortel LearniT lesson plan, Building Arrays at http://nortellearnit.org/lessons/Math/buildingarrays/ 

Science:

Check out the torch's path and the route dates on the map http://tinyurl.com/6592u7.  How much of the torch's trip will be during Winter; how much during meteorological Winter (and what is meteorological Winter?)  Find a valid scientific resource on the Internet that explains meteorological Winter.

History:

How can you discover more about past Olympic Torch routes and host countries?  You might begin by exploring:

1. http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/index_uk.asp or

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Flame

The Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games itself-its reasons for beginning and how it continued.  Research how the Olympics began and how it has changed since its beginning. Find out more about the first sports included in the games and how competitions have changed over time?  How have world events influenced the Olympic Games?  Visit http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Olympics/ for an interactive look at the Olympic Games.

Explain

1. Decide and list by groups the main topic or subtopics you are going to focus on in your subject area.

2. Organize your thoughts by discussing the questions you and your classmates developed during the Explore part of the lesson.

3. Use information gathering tools and resources to answer the questions. For each subject area, some research tools are listed below to help you begin your journeys. You will find more resources through your own Internet research.

Explain Activities by Subject Area

1.     Geography: 

• Use maps.google.com and/or earth.google.com to locate and map the two towns on the map of Canada (or the whole of Canada if you are doing a larger study).
• From these sources, add background information on the selected location
  1. http://www.kidzone.ws/geography/provinces.htm -Elementary and middle
  2. http://www.canadainfolink.ca/Clickmap.htm - Middle and High School
  3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_largest_cities_and_towns_in_Canada_by_area  then click to get more details on each city, e.g., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manitoba Middle and High School
  4. http://www.trailcanada.com/destinations/cities/ Middle and High School

2.     Math:

•  Use maps.google.com and/or earth.google.com to locate and map the two towns on the map of Canada (yours and another if that is your study selection)
• From the information you find using the mapping sources, complete the calculations needed to answer the questions you've been exploring.
• Use Excel to list, sort, and/or calculate your information.  Save those tables to put into your PowerPoint

3.     Science:

•  As you research Winter and meteorological winter, use these sites to see examples of the different kinds of images and tables you could use to record your information and to show it in PowerPoint to explain what you have found.  
• Be sure to explain how weather conditions and time of year affect how and when the torch is carried in your area.
• Include the differences between Winter and meteorological winter, and how the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games fits into these time frames. 
  1. http://www.tipztime.com/minicharts/weatherchartb.html (Elementary
  2. http://www.weathernotebook.org/features/winters.html) Middle and High School

4.     History:

 The history of the Olympic torch is an exciting story with much detail.  From your Explore discussions, select or narrow your study, based on grade level, time and how it fits into your current studies.  Topics to explain and include may be:

• Why did the ancient Greeks select the torch as a symbol and what did it mean to them?
• For a time, the Torch Relay (and the Games) discontinued. When did this happen? When and where did the Relay begin again-for Summer Olympics? For Winter Olympics?
• How has the appearance and the "engineering design" of the Torch stayed the same
• Who have been the torchbearers in ancient and modern times?
• What is unique about the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games torch?
• What is unique about 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games torch relay?

Elaborate

Use PowerPoint or MS Word to record the facts you gather in your project.  If you are doing a Math or Science project, record your information in a word processing tool like PowerPoint or MS Word and also in your Excel or Access tool.  If you are doing a Geography project, be sure to capture pictures of your maps.

Remember to cite references for ALL your information, including pictures.

1. Edit your notes and the data that you have collected. Discuss the material with your team members.

2. Create a PowerPoint presentation focusing on your topic. Begin by creating a storyboard to creatively organize your slides.

3. Using a storyboard, plan how you will display your digital images, research, graphics and other information, into a "virtual museum." This information can then be presented to your audience as either a PowerPoint presentation, or as web site content, or both.

Before you begin creating your own PowerPoint slides, you might want to review one of the Nortel LearniT PowerPoint video tutorials to get some good tips on making a great presentation. View these at the following URLs:

• http://nortellearnit.org/technology/PowerPoint_Presentations/
• http://www.nortellearnit.org/animotofeaturedcontent/

Find and use pictures and sounds to emphasize key points about your topic.  (Animoto will let you incorporate music from your computer or use the music provided at the animoto.com web site.)

• Use the digital pictures you've captured.
• Find additional local and regional pictures at Parks Canada                          www.pc.g.ca 

Include a descriptive title screen at the beginning of your PowerPoint presentation. Use multimedia techniques, e.g., images and sounds, throughout the presentation-to help communicate the key information to your audience. Finally, place your credits and references at the end of the presentation.

Slide #1                                Slide #2                      Slide #3

Main Idea:                             Main Idea:                    Main Idea:   

Slide #4                                Slide #5                       Slide #6

Text:                                    Text:                           Text:

Evaluate

Note: For younger students, where the efforts are evaluated differently, consider having students make their own gold medals to be awarded to all participants.  How to Make Gold Medals (Grades 1-3; teachers)

 Refer to the MS Word doc or http://nortellearnit.org/resources/Handouts/ for copies of pertinent rubrics.

Extend

School Multi-subject Exploration:  For each morning of the Olympic Torch relay race (October 30, 2009 to February 12, 2010) consider an all-school project based upon small teams from each class researching and sharing a single fun fact about the Relay Route to be shared over the school announcements in an "Olympic Torch Relay morning minute"  Include where the torch is that day and where it is going the next day. 

All: 

Create a School Games Day.  Here are some tips: http://www.olympics.org.uk/staffroom.aspx

1.     Geography: 

Expand the study to the full Canadian torch route, narrowing within that, as desired, a study of distance, land features, transportation, etc.  Use the same representation and presentation techniques and options as in the Geography sections above.

2.     Math:

Read about the special "Step-for-Step" activities. The classes at Tomsett Elementary School in Richmond, British Columbia, and Cusack Elementary School in Sydney, Nova Scotia are attempting to complete the distance covered by the Olympic Torch Relay Route - 45,000 kilometres - before the start of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

http://www.vancouver2010.com/en/news/feature-stories/-/66244/32574/3krxrd/step-for-step-canadian-schools.html

Calculate what kind of events your school might do, based on the number of students, the time available, and the track or gym or park location where you might do a relay event.  Use the same representation and presentation techniques as in the Math sections above.

3.     Science:

Explore how the Olympic torch works today and how it has worked in the past.  Or explore how they make it work in different temperatures, weather conditions, and environments (e.g., water).

Tie these principles into the science facts and premises you are learning.  For an overview of the torch mechanics, past and present, investigate: http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/olympic-torch3.htm, http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/olympic-torch4.htm, http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/olympic-torch5.htm  Explain how it has been made safer and more durable over the years. 

4.     History:

Broaden your study from the torch to selected aspects of the Olympic Games themselves, past and present.  Select from Nortel LearniT's Success-themed Resources http://nortellearnit.org/olympics/olympicsresources which cover topics from

• What is a Hero? Nortel LearniT lesson plan
• Heroes and their Characteristics - Past and Present Nortel LearniT lesson plan
• Ancient Greek Odyssey (Flash) - interactive--after introduction, select Victory and Conquest, then Ancient Athletics
• Interactive Virtual Museum of the Ancient Games
• Virtual visit to a museum in Lausanne, Switzerland: with displays including Beijing, The Mind Makes a Champion , Triathlon Passion and In Every Sense of Sport