Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. A newspaper-based study. A newspaper-in-education program brought to you by...

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1 A newspaper-in-education program brought to you by... A DIVISION OF CANWEST PUBLISHING INC. Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games A newspaper-based study

2 Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games A Newspaper-based Study Contents To the teacher... page i Activities about the newspaper... page 5 Activities to use before the Games... page 10 Activities to use during the Games.. page 27 Written by: Don Hale, NIE Consultant Hale & Associates

3 To the teacher

4 WELCOME TO THE VANCOUVER 2010 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES UNIT The in Vancouver, British Columbia will capture the attention of the world. As pre-games media coverage intensifies, Canadians will focus on the Canadian Olympic Team and Vancouver, the Host City. This newspaper-based unit is designed to study the. Activities in this unit can be used with both printed and electronic newspapers. Use the unit in conjunction with The Vancouver Sun to take advantage of your students interest in sports to teach curriculum skills in a way that will make learning fun. The unit will help meet curriculum guidelines in language arts, mathematics, social studies and media literacy. Ready-to-use newspaper-based activities can be copied for classroom use. Some activities can be completed in one class-period while others require more time. The unit provides students with opportunities to learn about other countries and cultures and become more aware of the global village in which they live. The unit promotes co-operative learning as many activities can be completed in a group setting. HOW TO USE THE VANCOUVER 2010 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES UNIT Student activities in this unit are divided into three sections: Section A: Student activities about the newspaper These activities are intended to help students learn about the newspaper. Activities in this section are not specifically related to the. It is best to use them prior to the events so that students are familiar with The Vancouver Sun before they start using it to learn about the Games. Section B: Student activities to use before the Games begin These activities can be used between now and the beginning of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Answers to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Sports Quiz appear on page 4. Section C: Student activities to use during the Games These activities should be used while the are in progress. i

5 WEBSITES TO VISIT The Canadian Olympic School Program The Canadian Olympic School Program presented by RBC, is an excellent program that offers downloadable Project Packs that can be used in conjunction with this newspaper-based unit. Please visit Newspaper websites Fact boxes Information for the Did you know boxes that are used throughout the unit were taken from a variety of online sources including: ii

6 GLOSSARY OF NEWSPAPER TERMS ADVERTISEMENT (AD) A message printed in a space paid for by either an individual or an organization. Ads aim to catch the readers' attention and urge them to act on the advertiser's message. Ads may be either classified, display or advertorial. Advertising accounts for most of a newspaper's revenue. ATTRIBUTION Identification of the source of information in a news story. BALLOON A cartoon device to make the words of a person in a picture appear as if coming from the character s mouth. BANNER A large headline running across the entire width of the page. BEAT The news topic area for which a reporter is responsible, such as: politics, police, courts, or sports. BROADSHEET A newspaper printed on full-size newsprint - roughly measuring 34 cm by 60 cm (as distinct from tabloid.) BYLINE The name of the writer, usually appearing above a news or feature story. CAPTION The information that accompanies a photo or illustration. It is sometimes called a cutline. CIRCULATION The number of copies a newspaper sells. CITY EDITOR The person responsible for organizing and directing the gathering of local news and pictures. CLASSIFIED ADS The small print advertisements usually grouped together and carrying listings of houses, automobiles and other such items for sale or rent. COLUMN Specialized or personal writing, written by the same writer(s), and appearing on a regular basis. COLUMNIST A writer who regularly has a column appearing in a newspaper or distributed by a newspaper syndicate. 1

7 CREDIT LINE A line acknowledging the source of a story or picture. CUTLINE Information that accompanies a photo or an illustration. Also called a caption. DATELINE A term for the line at the beginning of a story telling where the story originated; also known as a placeline. DISPLAY ADS Advertisements containing art and other information that tell the customer about a business, a product or a service. EDITOR A person responsible for the news, editorials, or general content of the newspaper. There are also copy editors, who revise and prepare copy for publication. The news, sports, lifestyles and entertainment editors who direct the operations of those sections of the newspaper. EDITORIAL An article (essay) that is written to express opinion. The opinions expressed may be those of the newspaper's editorial board, or those of a syndicated editorial columnist. Most editorials appear on the editorial page. When they appear elsewhere in the newspaper, they are labelled as opinion. EDITORIAL CARTOON A cartoon that expresses an opinion and appears on the editorial page. FEATURE A story written primarily to entertain readers, often expressing emotion. HEADLINE (HEAD) The title of a story usually printed in large type. A sub-head is a smaller headline inserted between paragraphs of copy. INDEX A table of contents, usually placed on page one. INVERTED PYRAMID The style of writing traditionally used in news stories. The lead contains the most important facts (who, what, when, where) in the story, with other details (why, how) arranged in order of descending importance. LEAD 1. The main story in a newspaper. 2. The introductory sentences or paragraph(s) of a news story giving the most important details - answers the questions who, what, where, why and when. 2

8 LIBEL Any published untrue words, pictures or cartoons, which, without just cause or excuse, expose someone to public disgrace. LOGO A symbol or trademark used in a stylized way for recognition of a company or business. MASTHEAD Information printed in a box in every issue of the newspaper stating the title, ownership and management of the newspaper. It usually appears on the editorial page. NAMEPLATE (FLAG) The newspaper's name (stylized signature) that appears on the front page. NEWSHOLE Ads are placed in the newspaper first; the remaining space left for news is called the newshole. NEWS SERVICE News gathering agencies such as Canwest News Service and Associated Press gather and distribute news to subscribing newspapers. It is also referred to as a wire service. PRESS RELEASE A story for publication submitted to the newspaper by a business, an institution or an organization. REVIEW An account of an artistic event such as a concert or a play that offers a critical evaluation or opinion of the writer. REUTER (pronounced royter) Reuters is the name of the British news agency, but Reuter (no S) is the agency credit used on news stories distributed by Reuters (in Canada by the Canadian Press.) SCOOP A scoop occurs when a newspaper, radio station or TV station gets a story that no one else has. SIDE BAR A short story related to a major story and run near it in the newspaper. SYNDICATE An organization that provides stories, comics, editorials, columns, and special items for its subscribers. TABLOID A page that is half the size of a broadsheet. A name usually applied to newspapers with this page size. 3

9 VANCOUVER 2010 OLYMPIC WINTER SPORTS QUIZ (ANSWERS) 1. Name three events that use skis. Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, freestyle skiing and biathlon 2. Which skating event uses skates with the longest blades? Speed skating 3. Which sport requires a target? Biathlon 4. Which sport has an off-side rule? Ice hockey 5. Name a sport that uses artistic impression. Figure skating, freestyle skiing 6. What new event was added to the? Skicross 7. Name a non-skating event that uses skating techniques. Cross-country skiing 8. Which event is won through tournament play? Ice hockey 9. Which skiing event uses the longest and widest skis? Freestyle skiing 10. Which sport uses an oval track? Speed skating 11. Which sport has compulsories? Figure skating, freestyle skiing 12. Which sport uses gates? Alpine skiing 13. Which is the longest and fastest of the alpine events? Alpine skiing 14. Which sport uses brakes? Bobsleigh, luge 15. In which sport do competitors throw rocks? Curling 16. In what events at the international level do women not compete? Freestyle skiing and nordic combined 17. In which event do men and women compete together? Figure skating 18. In which type of skiing is the pole the longest? Cross-country skiing 19. Which events use the most energy and burn the most calories? Biathlon, cross-country skiing, speed skating, ice hockey 20. Which sport has either two-man or four-man teams? Bobsleigh 4

10 Student activities about the newspaper

11 1. SCANNING THE SPORTS NEWS In your newspaper, find an example of each of the following and make a note of the page number where you find each item. Be prepared to discuss your findings. a list of sports scores the name of a sports reporter the name of a sports columnist a headline about a Canadian athlete competing at a story about the business of sport an item about a World Cup event a reference to the found on the front page an advertisement for sports equipment an item about fair play a story describing a game played yesterday a reference to a coach a comic strip character who you think is physically fit the name of a sport played in Canada that originated in another country an opinion about the a reference to the business of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games a nutritious food item for an athlete a story about the A full-sized roll of newsprint weighs between 907 and 997 kilos and when unrolled would stretch for more than 10 kilometres. 5

12 2. QUESTIONS IN THE NEWS Find a news article in your newspaper that is of interest to you. Read it carefully and answer the questions below. Who is the most important person in this newspaper article? What is the main idea of the story? Where does this story take place? Why is this news story of interest? How did this story develop? How did it become news? Why does this story matter to you? The Halifax Daily News in 1994 became Canada's first daily to launch an online edition on the World Wide Web. 6

13 3. COMMENTING ON THE COLUMNIST Choose a Vancouver Sun sports columnist and evaluate three of his or her columns. Examine the same factors for each column. Make a chart like the one below. Choose your own headings for the areas to be evaluated. Heading Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Is the writing interesting? Is the writer s opinion supported by facts? Is the writer s style consistent? Is the writer objective? Generally, is the wording moderate, neutral or extreme? Are the writer's conclusions logical? The Kingston Whig Standard is the oldest continuouslypublished daily newspaper in Canada. The Hartford Courant, founded in 1764, is the oldest continuously-published newspaper in the United States. 7

14 4. FEATURING FACTS A feature story is not about breaking news, but it contains useful and interesting information about current events. It can be about many different topics, such as entertainment, trends and hobbies. It also can be an interview with someone in the news. Find a feature story that interests you. Underline the facts in the story. Look at the facts that you have identified and highlight the ones that you think are the most important. What is the main idea in this story? The content of a daily newspaper is approximately equal to that of an average-size paperback novel. 5. HEADLINING THE STORY A headline draws a reader's attention to the story below. It summarizes the story, but also piques the reader s interest and makes the page more attractive. A glance at the headlines on a page indicates an editor's judgment of newsworthiness. The number of columns that the headline stretches across, the size of type, the placement on the page all of these tell a reader how the story ranks in importance. The headline is written to fit the space available. An editor, not the reporter who wrote the story, writes the headline. Record what you think are the three best headlines in today s newspaper. Give the reasons for your selections. Headlines are written by editors and not by the reporters who write the stories. The headlines are written to fit the space available. 8

15 6. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Newspaper readers are invited to express their opinion in letters to the editor. Read several letters to the editor in your newspaper. Select one that is written on a topic that interests you. Re-read it carefully. Clip the letter from The Vancouver Sun and attach it to a sheet of paper. Answer these questions: What is the subject of the letter? What is the writer's stand on the issue under discussion? Is the letter well written? Why or why not? Do you agree with the letter writer's point of view? What are your views on the subject? Write a letter to the editor in response to the one that you have been studying. The first radio facsimile daily newspaper was transmitted December 7, 1938, by the Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Mo., over station W9XZY on an ultra-high frequency. It consisted of nine pages, each 8 1/2 inches long and was issued from a receiving set. About 15 minutes was required to transmit each page. 7. REWRITE THE CUTLINE Newspaper photographs usually have cutlines beneath them. A cutline is a short description of what is happening in the photograph. It includes some or all of the 5Ws and How. Find three cutlines in your Vancouver Sun and see how many of the 5Ws each one includes. Cut out an interesting photograph and have a partner do the same. Remove the cutline and exchange photos with your partner. Write a cutline to go with your partner s photographs. Compare your cutline with the original one from The Vancouver Sun. The first "Dear Abby" advice column was published on January 9,

16 Student activities to use before the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games

17 8. VANCOUVER 2010 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES SPORTS QUIZ 1. Name three disciplines that use skis. 2. Which skating discipline uses skates with the longest blades? 3. Which sport requires a target? 4. Which sport has an off-side rule? 5. Name a sport that uses artistic abilities. 6. What new event was added to the? 7. Name a non-skating discipline that uses skating techniques. 8. Which sport competition event is won through tournament play? 9. Which skiing discipline uses the longest and widest skis? 10. Which winter sport uses an oval track? 11. Which discipline has compulsories? 12. Which sport competition event uses gates? 13. Which is the longest and fastest of the alpine events? 14. Which sport uses brakes? 15. In which competition do competitors throw rocks? 16. In what sports at the international level do women not compete? 17. In which international winter sports event do men and women compete together? 18. In which type of skiing is the pole the longest? 19. Which sport uses the most energy and burns the most calories? 20. Which sport competition event has either two-man or four-man teams? Ice hockey made its Olympic Games debut at the 1920 Olympic Summer Games in Antwerp, Belgium. The first Olympic Winter Games didn't take place until

18 9. CHARTING THE COUNTRIES Use The Vancouver Sun to find names of 15 countries that are participating in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. On a chart like the one below, list each country, its capital city, and its continent. Locate each country on a world map. Find one fact about each country Country Capital Continent Fact Norway has won more gold medals at the Olympic Winter Games than any other country. 11

19 10. VANCOUVER GEOGRAPHY The are being held in Vancouver, BC. While it is important to learn about all the countries participating in the Games, the Host Country is a special case. Use the newspaper and any other reference material available to complete a chart like the one below. Location Absolute location Longitude Latitude Relative location (borders, neighbours, landmarks) Time Zone Topography The Vancouver 2010 Winter Games officially begin at the Opening Ceremonies on February 12, 2010 with winter sports competitions taking place for two weeks, wrapping up at the evening Closing Ceremonies scheduled for February 28,

20 Vegetation 10. VANCOUVER GEOGRAPHY (CONTINUED) Climate Winter Spring Summer Autumn Predicted weather during the competitions Political Features (cities, towns, venues of the events) Vancouver, which will be the most populous city ever to hold the Olympic Winter Games, will also be the warmest. In February when the Games will be held, Vancouver has an average temperature of 4.8 C. 13

21 11. SPORTSMANSHIP CHECKLIST Beside each statement write the number from 1 to 5 that indicates your opinion. 1. Strongly Agree; 2. Agree; 3. Partly Agree; 4. Disagree; 5. Strongly Disagree 1. Winning isn t everything; it s the only thing. 2. Nice guys finish last. 3. It s not whether you win or lose, it s how you play the game. 4. If you play your best, you re a winner every time. 5. In order for someone to win, someone else must lose. 6. Winning needs no excuse. Losing has all the excuses in the world. 7. Success is not in never failing, but rising every time you fall. 8. The reward of a thing well done, is to have done it. Write a sentence or two telling why you agree or disagree with two of the above statements. A hockey puck is made of vulcanized rubber, weighing in at six ounces and is three inches in diameter. Pucks are frozen before entering play to make them bounce resistant. 14

22 12. HOW DOES CANADA COMPARE? Compare Canada with another country that is participating in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Use the Internet and newspaper coverage prior to the Games, along with any other information you can locate to help you discover the similarities and differences between the countries. Make a chart like the one below to help organize your information. Use headings such as language, educational system, political system, industry, transportation, employment, food, housing, recreation, entertainment, money and media. Point of Comparison Canada Another competing country In 2014 the Olympic Winter Games will be held in Sochi, Russia. 15

23 13. A WINNING DIET Locate a copy of the food pyramid. ( Look in The Vancouver Sun for foods that fit into the different groups that you see on the food pyramid. Choose a sport and list the kinds of foods that an athlete competing in this event should eat. Use The Vancouver Sun and reference materials to help make your choices. In a chart like the one below, plan a day s worth of balanced meals for the athlete during training. What might the athlete have for breakfast, lunch and dinner during training, on the day before the competition and on the day of the competition? Breakfast Lunch Dinner During training Day before competition Day of competition Only two countries south of the equator have ever won medals at the Olympic Winter Games Australia and New Zealand. 16

24 14. FUNNY THAT YOU SHOULD ASK What do you think would happen if comic strip characters were athletes competing in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games? Scan the comic strips in The Vancouver Sun. Which characters do you think would be good athletes and in which sports would they participate? Explain your choices. Draw a comic strip about this event. Remember to include the dialogue. For tips on drawing comic characters visit The word "mogul" comes from the Austrian word "mugel," which means "small hill" or "mound." 15. DATELINE SPORTS The word dateline is a newspaper term referring to the line (usually at the beginning of a news story) indicating where the story originated. In The Vancouver Sun, find datelines for articles from different countries that are participating in the. Highlight the dateline and note the page where the story is located. How many can you find in 10 minutes? Compare your results with others in your class. Canada won its first ice hockey gold medal in 50 years at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City with a 5-2 victory over the United States in the gold medal game. 17

25 16. PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS Collect newspaper articles about the use of drugs by athletes. Explain what is meant by performance enhancing drugs. Discuss and list reasons that you think some athletes take steroids. Think about the desire to win versus the long-term effects of taking drugs. What is your opinion about the use of drugs by athletes? Should athletes using drugs be suspended or banned for life? Why or why not? NHL players made their Olympic Winter Gmes debut at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. 17. TIME, TIME, EVERYONE HAS TIME A 1500 m speed skating race of great interest to people all over the world takes place in Vancouver at 2:00 pm in the afternoon. At what time will people in the following cities be able to watch the race live on television? Beijing, China Helsinki, Finland Washington D.C., USA Nagano, Japan Grenoble, France The first Olympic Winter Games were held in Chamonix, France in

26 18. MAKING A MASCOT The mascots are fun characters. Who are the mascots for the? Find old newspapers and use them to make a papier-mâché figure. No country in the Southern Hemisphere has ever hosted an Olympic Winter Games. 19. CARRYING THE TORCH Clip articles about the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay. Thousands of runners will bring the Torch to Vancouver. Clip articles to follow the Olympic Torch Relay from Greece to Vancouver. List all the different modes of travel used to transport it to the site. Keep a record of any delay in delivering the Torch on time due to inclement weather or other problems. Mark the route on an outline map of the world. Only four athletes have ever won medals at both the Winter and Olympic Summer Games: Eddie Eagan (United States), Jacob Tullin Thams (Norway), Christa Luding-Rothenburger (East Germany), and Clara Hughes (Canada). 19

27 20. OLYMPIC GAMES RINGS Search the newspaper for a picture of the Olympic Games rings. These rings represent the five continents participating in the. On a world map locate the Americas, Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia. On an outline map of the world, colour each of the continents one of the colours from the Olympic Games rings. Label it with the name of the appropriate continent. Biathlon (an Olympic sport since 1960) originates from the Greek word for "two contests"; today, it is interpreted as a joining of two sports: cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. 21. THE OLYMPIC GAMES 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. In your opinion does the Olympic Creed apply to sports today? Use information found in The Vancouver Sun to support your answer. International calibre cross-country skiers have larger, more powerful hearts that are capable of expelling more blood per contraction than the heart of the average person. During exhaustive exercise, these cross-country skiers have cardiac output of 35 litres per minute; the average person has slightly more than 20 litres per minute. 20

28 22. PAYING FOR THE GAMES When the modern competition began in Athens in 1896 funding was a problem. The government of Greece really did not see how it could afford to pay for the Games. Public fund-raising brought in 300,000 drachmas and a commemorative stamp raised another 400,000 drachmas. This was not enough to cover the costs and additional donations were sought. During the, locate and clip newspaper articles and editorials that indicate how the funds were raised for the Games in Vancouver. Present your findings to a group of classmates. A 10-time Stanley Cup champion who never had the opportunity to play for his country, Montreal Canadiens legend Jean Béliveau, was named the honourary captain of Canada s Men s Olympic Team for Vancouver. 23. ATHLETE S 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 honour of our teams. How do you think this oath would bring out the best in human beings? How does this oath help establish world peace? What would you add to the oath? Use the newspaper to find examples of how the ideals of the Athlete s Oath are found in everyday life. The most medals won by any athlete at the Olympic Winter Games was 12 by cross-country skier Bjorn Dählie of Norway. 21

29 24. THE ROAD TO GOLD Success does not come easily to members of the Canadian Olympic Team. Success demands hours of training and personal sacrifices to accomplish goals. Discuss what is meant by the term "success." Select a Canadian Olympic Team athlete and list characteristics she/he has that made her/him a champion. Identify any problems that the athlete has had to overcome on the road to success. Women s ice hockey made its Olympic Winter Games debut in 1998 in Nagano, Japan. 25. IS IT REALLY WORTH IT? Discuss the effect of training and competing at the level. Consider the impact on the family unit as a whole and on individual members as well as the expectations on the athlete by the media and the general public. What are some of the effects of notoriety and loss of privacy associated with fame? Note some changes that might occur in a gold medal winner's life. At the 1932 Lake Placid Games, snow had to be brought by the truckload from other states to help repair the cross-country trails. Artificial snow making equipment did not exist in

30 26. WHO S COMING TO VANCOUVER? Use The Vancouver Sun to find the names of countries participating in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Make a list of all participating countries. Mount a world map on a bulletin board. Leave a wide border around it. Locate each participating country on a world map. Each day, clip newspaper articles and photographs about the countries and their athletes. Place these clippings in the free space around the map. Use coloured string to connect each newspaper item to the appropriate location on the map. 12,000 Torchbearers will carry the Torch through 1,020 communities across Canada. The City of North Vancouver will welcome the Torch on February 10, HOW MUCH WILL THAT BE? Find the world currency chart in your newspaper. Compare the value of the currency from five other countries that are competing in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games to the currency of Canada. Convert the equivalent of $1,000 CDN, into currency for each of five participating countries. Share your findings. Look at the advertisements in The Vancouver Sun and locate two items that a Canadian Olympic Team athlete might be able to use. What is the total cost of the two items in Canadian dollars? Calculate the cost of the item in all five currencies. Miga and Quatchi are mascots for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, while Sumi is the mascot for the Paralympic Games. 23

31 28. SPORTS INJURIES Identify two sports that you think could be dangerous. What are the risks? What do athletes do to minimize these risks? Find an article about an athlete who has been injured. How was he/she injured? Could the injury have been prevented? If so, how? What is the athlete doing to recover from the injury? Curling is one of four Olympic Winter Games sports contested indoors. The other three are hockey, figure skating, and speed skating. 29. THAT S TROUBLE Look for an article in today s Vancouver Sun that discusses a problem in the international sporting community. Some examples might be: use of performance enhancing drugs or the funding for international athletes. Identify the problem. What are the effects of the problem? Suggest possible solutions to the problem. Evaluate each of your solutions and write a paragraph explaining which of your options would be the best. Nordic combined is one of three current Olympic Winter Games events in which the United States has never won a medal. (Biathlon and curling are the others.) 24

32 30. $PONSORING CANADIAN OLYMPIC TEAM ATHLETES Sponsorship and product endorsement are worth big money to some Canadian Olympic Team athletes. Without financial backing, some athletes probably would not be able to compete in international events. What do you think about commercial sponsorship and sports? What are the positives? What are the negatives? Do you think that the Canadian Olympic Team should be paid for their performances? Compare the status of the Canadian Olympic Team with professional athletes. In your newspaper, find examples of sponsorship at local, provincial, national and international sports events. For the first time in Olympic history the Olympic Flame will be lit indoors, as BC Place is a covered stadium. 31. TAKING A TRIP You have decided to fly to Vancouver to take in the. Figure out how far you will travel when making the round trip to Vancouver. Look in the newspaper for the cost of airfare from the airport closest to you to Vancouver. What is the cost of the flight in Canadian dollars? Perhaps the most famous instance of a warm weather nation at the Winter Games was the Jamaican Bobsleigh team, which first competed in the 1988 Calgary Games and made several subsequent Olympic appearances. 25

33 32. TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES The world is experiencing tough economic times. Look in The Vancouver Sun for examples of people suffering through difficult economic times. List three ways that you think the economy might affect the. Nine competition sites include: Vancouver's Canada Hockey Place, the Vancouver Olympic Centre, Pacific Coliseum and UBC Thunderbird Arena, the Whistler Sliding Centre, Whistler Creekside, Whistler Olympic Park, Richmond Olympic Oval and, in West Vancouver, Cypress Mountain. 33. FUNDING FOR CANADA S ATHLETES Canadian Olympic Team athletes require funds to finance their training and participation in the international events. There are many ways of raising funds to support them. Should governments give full funding to the Canadian Olympic Team from tax dollars? Should all funds be raised by citizens in the athletes communities? Should the athletes be expected to pay half of their expenses? Should there be a mix of the above? Support your answer with evidence found in The Vancouver Sun. Discuss this with others in your class who have completed this activity. Canadian women won its second consecutive ice hockey gold medal at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy with a 4-1 win over Sweden in the gold medal game. 26

34 Student activities to use during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games

35 34. A NOSE FOR VANCOUVER 2010 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES NEWS In The Vancouver Sun, find an example of each of the following. Make a note of the page number where you found each item. Be prepared to discuss your findings. an example of courage in sports the name of the first event at the the name of the first person to win a gold medal at the a story about an athlete from Canada competing in the an important achievement at an international winter sports event a synonym for the word lost a list of sports scores tourism information about Vancouver a story about the setting of a new world record at the a story about security at the a story about Canada s past performance at previous Winter Games an article about fund-raising programs for the Canadian Olympic Team a story about the physical training of a Canadian Olympic Team athlete a story describing disappointment for a Canadian Olympic Team competitor an article about weather conditions influencing an event a story about an injury suffered by an athlete an item about a sponsor a story about a National Sport Federation an item about drug testing of athletes the name of a sports reporter a story about the accommodation available for athletes at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games a story about the business of sport a reference to the found on the front page an advertisement for sports equipment an item about fair play the name of a coach an important achievement an opinion about international sports a nutritious food item for a Canadian Olympic Team athlete The Jamaicans are not the only Caribbean islanders to have a bobsleigh team. Puerto Rico sent teams to the 1992, 1994, and 1998 Olympic Winter Games, but dropped out of the 2002 Salt Lake City Games due to an eligibility issue. 27

36 35. WRITING THE NEWS You have been assigned to write a news story about the most exciting thing that has happened at the so far. The lead or first paragraph of the news story should answer most of the 5Ws. Read some news stories in The Vancouver Sun and use one of them as a model for your writing. Answer these questions before writing your news story. Who? What? Where? When? Why? Write the lead paragraph for your story in the space below. Make sure it includes the 5Ws and is not more than 30 words in length. Write the rest of the story. Include all of the important details. If you need more space, finish your story on the back of this page. The sport of bobsleigh (an Olympic Games sport since 1924) didn't begin until the late 19th century when the Swiss attached a steering mechanism to a toboggan. 28

37 36. SPOILED BY THE WEATHER Weather can have an adverse effect on a event. Chose a event that is in the news today and imagine that it was going to be held in your area tomorrow. Using the weather section of The Vancouver Sun, look at the predicted weather and list ways that the weather could impact the event. Luge (an Olympic Games sport since 1964) is the French word. for "sled" The sport as we know it today first occurred on an artificial track in Oslo in NO GO WITHOUT A LOGO Look in The Vancouver Sun for pictures of logos worn on the clothing or equipment of Canadian Olympic Team athletes. Which logos are most recognizable? Why? Cut out ten different logos and place each on an index card with the name of the company on the back. Survey your friends to see which ones are most recognizable. Make a chart to show your results. Using these logos as samples, design an emblem or logo for your classroom, school or family. The estimated number of media who will attend the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games is 10,

38 38. EMOTIONS TO THE FOREFRONT With a partner, study newspaper photographs of athletes at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Locate photographs depicting the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Pretend you are a sculptor. Move your partner(s) into poses that clearly illustrate the contrast of the two situations (victory and defeat). Change roles. Use a new pose each time. Select your most effective poses and share them with your class. 1,350 Paralympic athletes and officials will attend the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Games. 39. ZONKED BY TIME ZONE CHANGES When competing in the, some athletes will need to overcome changes in time, climate, altitude, food and air quality. Use The Vancouver Sun to find examples of athletes who will be travelling from a different climate or time zone to compete in the. List changes that these athletes will have to make to adjust and the effects these changes may have on their performance. Read The Vancouver Sun and do some research to find out what athletes have done to overcome these problems. The will be the first OlympicWinter Games in which both men's and women's hockey will be played on a narrower, NHL-sized ice rink, measuring 200 ft 85 ft (61 m 26 m), instead of the international size of 200 ft 98.5 ft (61 m 30 m). 30

39 40. COVERING THE EVENT Watch a event on television. Assume that you are a newspaper reporter at the event. Take notes or record your comments. Write a news story about the event. Be sure to answer the 5Ws and H (who, what, where, when, why and how.) Ask a classmate to edit your story. Display your story in your classroom for others to read. The average luge run has a vertical drop of 30 stories (300 feet). Speeds in luge can exceed 95 mph. 41. MY ADVICE TO YOU IS Read several advice columns in The Vancouver Sun to see how they are written. Notice how advice columnists often summarize a problem, and then they give their own views, suggesting a course of action or a solution. In The Vancouver Sun, locate an article about an athlete who is having a problem. Pretend you are an advice columnist. Write a newspaper advice column providing the athlete some constructive suggestions. Study a few examples of advice columns to see how they are written. What is the problem? 25,000 volunteers are estimated to be taking part in the. 31

40 42. WELL-EQUIPPED FOR THE JOB Imagine that you are the skis, skates, bobsleigh or any other piece of equipment of a competitor at the. Write, from the point of view of the equipment, your thoughts and feelings before, during and after the event. The oldest man to win an Olympic Winter Games medal is 83-year-old Anders Haugen. The Norwegian-American actually received his ski jump bronze medal 50 years after he competed in the 1924 Games in Chamonix, France when a scoring error was discovered in WHO ARE CANADA S BEST ATHLETES? Using information from The Vancouver Sun, rate Canada s top three contenders for medals at the. Explain your ratings. MY FAVOURITES List your three favourite sports in order of preference. Use the newspaper to find the name of a Canadian Olympic Team athlete participating in each sport. In your opinion, which athlete has the best chance for a medal this year? Why? The five Olympic Games rings represent the five major regions of the world Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceana, and every national flag in the world includes one of the five colors, which are blue, yellow, black, green, and red. 32

41 44. OUT OF SPORTS Clip out a story or photo about the that is found in a part of The Vancouver Sun other than in the sports section. In what part of the newspaper is the story located? Why do you think that this item is set apart from the sports section? Vancouver and Whistler are the host cities for the XXI Olympic Winter Games, beating out seven other cities including Andorra la Vella, Andorra; Bern, Switzerland; Harbin, China; Jaca, Spain; PyeongChang, Korea; Salzberg, Austria; and Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. 45. DRAWING AN AUDIENCE Design a newspaper display advertisement for a event. Make sure that you: decide who is your target market think of ways to convince people to attend the event select words that will motivate readers design a display ad that will grab the reader s attention Make a sketch of your advertisement. Produce the final copy of your advertisement on a larger sheet of paper. The Olympic Winter Games were first held in 1924, beginning a tradition of holding them a few months earlier and in a different city than the Summer Olympic Games. Beginning in 1994, the Olympic Winter Games were held in completely different years (two years apart) than the Summer Games. 33

42 46. TIMING IS EVERYTHING In The Vancouver Sun, find the results for a winter sports event for which the winner is declared by the best time. List the times for the five fastest finishers. Calculate the differences in the times among the top five finishers in the event. State the difference in numbers (minutes and/or seconds) and in percentages of time. Anne Heggtveit was the first Canadian to win an Olympic Games gold medal in alpine skiing. She captured the women's slalom crown at the 1960 Games in Squaw Valley, Calif., finishing 3.3 seconds ahead of her nearest rival. 47. POETRY IN MOTION Compose a five-line poem, like the example below, about an international winter sports competition in which each line answers one of the questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? Graceful skier Speeding recklessly Down the mogul-dotted hill As snow flutters to the ground Striving for glory. Illustrate your poem with pictures from The Vancouver Sun. Share it with others. 5,500 athletes and officials will attend the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. 34

43 48. TWO SIDES TO EVERY ISSUE Collect evidence from The Vancouver Sun about an important issue affecting international sports. Things such as: drug testing, business in sports, and nationalism vs. professionalism. Select an issue. Consider both sides of the issue and write a paragraph explaining your views on the issue. Read your paragraph to a classmate. Choose another issue and with a partner write a point-counter-point column, with each of you taking a different side of the issue. More than 80 countries will participate in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. 49. COMMERCIAL ENDORSEMENTS List names of some Canadian Olympic Team members who appear in commercials. Comment on facts such as the product and the athlete s personal involvement with the product. Discuss what you think about athletes being involved in product promotions. Complete a chart with headings such as: advertisement product athlete comments More than 40 countries are participating in the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. 35

44 50. FOREIGN FLAVOURS List several countries mentioned in the newspaper that are competing in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Look through The Vancouver Sun for ads, recipes, photos, or articles about foods from these countries. Use other resources to identify foods from these countries. Are there some foods you have never heard of? Are some foods more popular in your area than others? Why do you think that this may be the case? In 1921, Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, borrowed a Latin phrase from his friend, Father Henri Didon, for the Olympic motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius ("Swifter, Higher, Stronger"). 51. COMPARING ELECTRONIC EDITIONS Look in five online newspapers for coverage of the same event. How are the stories similar? How are they different? How can you explain the similarities and the differences? In your opinion, was the coverage fair or was there a bias in some of the newspapers? Discuss your findings with someone. The Olympic Creed reads: "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." 36

45 52. DIGITAL FRONT PAGES Do a search or click on a link that takes you to the front page of the digital edition of The Vancouver Sun. Answer the following questions about the content of your front page: How many stories are there on the front page? How many photos are there on the front page? What is the subject of each of the photographs? What is the main story in The Vancouver Sun? How do you know that this is the most important story on the page? Go to an Internet site such as: to find three other digital newspapers. Answer the same questions for each newspaper s front page. Make and complete a table to show your results. When choosing locations for the Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) specifically gives the honor of holding the Games to a city rather than a country. 53. WIRED FOR SPORTS Work with two other students and count the number of stories about the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games appearing in the sports pages of three online newspapers. How many of these stories are written by the newspaper s own reporters? How many stories in the sports section are accredited to news agencies? Calculate the percentage of stories about the that are written by the local newspaper reporters and the percentage written by news agencies. What have you discovered about the source of sports stories in the newspaper? Write a paragraph to explain your conclusions? The Royal Canadian Mint produced a series of commemorative coins for the. 37

46 54. THEN AND NOW Use the Internet to look for examples of sports that have changed over the past 20 years or that weren't around 20 years ago. Make a chart showing the changes that have occurred, such as changes in equipment, rules, athletes themselves, and the popularity of the sport. Which sport has changed the most? Which sport has changed the least? Why? In your opinion, have the changes been good or bad? Explain. What changes do you foresee in these sports in the future? Approximately 2,500 athletes will compete at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games in seven sports and over 90 separate medal events,. 55. NATIONAL PRIDE In The Vancouver Sun, find examples of how Canadian athletes competing at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games can help to boost the pride of Canadians? Write an editorial explaining the importance of national spirit. Share your editorial with your teacher and a friend. The Olympic medals are designed especially for each individual Olympic Games by the host city's organizing committee. Each medal must be at least three millimeters thick and 60 millimeters in diameter. Also, the gold and silver Olympic medals must be made out of 92.5 percent silver, with the gold medal covered in six grams of gold. 38

47 56. AEROBIC ATHLETICS Make a list of all of the sport competition events. Which sports require the most aerobic activity? Which ones require the least aerobic activity? Do some research to learn how the training techniques differ for each sport. GM Place will play host to ice hockey events, but because corporate sponsorship is not allowed for an Olympic venue, it will be renamed Canada Hockey Place for the duration of the Games. 57. ATHLETIC MUSCLE Collect photographs from the newspaper, of athletes in action. Use the photos to create a bulletin-board display. Label the muscles and joints that athletes use to complete each action. Athletes from every country parade into the main Olympic stadium in alphabetical order according to the host country's language with two exceptions: Greece, which hosted the first modern Games in 1896, always leads the parade, and the host country's team is always last. 39

48 58. HOW FAR IS THAT? Use newspaper articles to find distances jumped in a ski jumping event. What was the total distance covered by the top five competitors? How long was the longest jump? How long was the shortest jump? What was the difference between the two? In ski jumping events, shredded pine boughs are scattered in the landing area so that jumpers have a good view of the landing area. 59. LITTLE GUYS BIG SURPRISE There may be some very small countries participating in the. Some of them may be surprising. Use The Vancouver Sun to find out which events these countries have entered. Which entry is the most surprising? Why? Ghana, Bahamas, Gabon and the Cayman Islands will make their Olympic Winter Games débuts in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. 40

49 60. MEDAL COUNT GROWS DAILY Use your computer to make a spreadsheet showing the top 20 medal winning countries from the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games. Note the number of gold, silver and bronze medals for the top 15 medal winning countries from Predict this year s totals. Look for support in The Vancouver Sun. As the Games progress, chart the daily number of medals won by each country. 1.8 million tickets were available for all Olympic sporting events at Vancouver and Whistler sites. 61. EQUALITY IN SPORTS Do male and female athletes play all sports equally? Use The Vancouver Sun to make a list of the sports at the. Make a chart noting all events. Indicate which sports male athletes play and which female athletes play. How do you account for sports that are played by only male or only female athletes? Do you think this is fair? Why or why not. Participate in a discussion with your classmates on this issue. The first known biathlon competition took place between two Norwegian guard companies in

50 62. AD-VICE Look in your digital newspaper and elsewhere online for examples of advertising in conjunction with the. Make a list of the advertisers. Why would companies in foreign countries advertise in Canada during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. In your opinion, is advertising making the too commercial? 900,000 tickets were available for Opening and Closing Ceremonies, festivals and medal presentations at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. 63. REJECTED A number of events proposed to be included in the were rejected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Events up for inclusion but were ultimately rejected included: biathlon mixed relay, mixed doubles curling, team alpine skiing, team luge and skeleton, team bobsleigh and women s ski jumping. If you were a member of the IOC would you have voted to include any of the rejected sports? Give reasons for your answer. For the, the Flame was lit in Olympia in late It will then travel from Greece, over the North Pole to Canada's High Arctic and on to the West Coast to Vancouver. 42

51 64. KNOW THE SPORT Choose one sport. Collect information about this sport from your digital newspaper and other online sources. Write a how-to column to explain the rules of the sport to readers. Speed skaters hold their hands behind their backs in order to be more aerodynamic. 65. PRESSURE TO WIN Look in your newspaper for examples of situations where athletes are under great pressure to win. Do you think that there is too much emphasis placed on winning in non-professional sports? Express your opinion in an editorial. Ski jumpers reach take-off speeds of 62 mph. Jumping skis have three grooves along the bottom to prevent skiers from wobbling when they land. 42