ANCIENT SPORTS-QUEST
By:
Cory Payson
INTRODUCTION||TASKS||PROCESS||RESOURCES||
LEARNING ADVICE||VERMONT STANDARDS||ASSESSMENT||CONCLUSION||
This physical education lesson was developed as part of the Milton School District 's Technology Literacy Challenge Grant Program.
Welcome to the Ancient Sports-Quest where you will embark on a journey through time. On this trek you will be visiting three of the grandest civilizations, the Egyptian, Roman, and Greek empires. During your research, you will be in charge of discovering what people of ancient times did to improve their physical fitness. Many are surprised that organized sports are not just a modern phenomenon and that they have been around for over 5,000 years. You will find out that people of all periods of time have been concerned with keeping their body in top physical condition. Many of these sports have evolved into popular sports that are played everyday around the modern world. Also, sporting events of the past have drawn large crowds of fans much like the Superbowl or World Series does today. Have a fun trip exploring the games that have been played throughout history.
You have just been named to an archeological team as a cultural specialist and will concentrate your studies on the sports that ancient cultures played. Your job will be to compile a report by researching sports that were a part of the Ancient Egyptian, Roman, and Greek civilizations. Your report will consist of descriptions of three sports, one from each empire. To finish the report, you need to form a group of three to perform the research. Once your group is formed, you must each choose one of the three cultures that the archaelogical team is researching. This means one person will research an Egyptian Sport, one group member will learn about a Greek Sport, and the remaining team member will discover information on a Roman Sport.
You will need to record some basic information for each game that you discover. First, some background on the importance that sports played in people's lives. Second, how the game was played. The rules, playing field, and equipment would be a great place to start. Finally, you will need to match the ancient game to a sport that is played today. Once your report is complete, your group is going to teach the remainder of your team (class) one of the sports that you researched. After this explanation, you will be in charge of leading the group in a properly played modern version of the ancient game.
Your first step in completing your research will be to explore the web, using the Resource Section of this quest, to find the information necessary to finish your report. Please fill out the following fact sheet for each sport to help you organize your final paper. Remember one sport for each culture (Egypt, Rome, Greece). Each person in your group does one. This means three different fact sheets!!!
ANCIENT SPORTS QUEST FACT SHEET
1) Name of sport: _______________________________________________
2) Civilization sport was played in: _________________________________
3) What role did sports play in this culture:___________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
4) Equipment needed to play the sport:________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
5) Where was this game played (for example: on a field):_________________
______________________________________________________________
6) What rules were followed to play this game:_________________________
_______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
7) What modern sport is most similiar to this:__________________________
GROUP PRESENTATION
Your three fact sheets make up your report. Once your report is finished, you need to get ready to teach a game to your group. Work cooperatively to choose a game and to decide who has the following jobs in your presentation. Make sure you all are familiar with how the game is played, the rules, what equipment is needed, how many players take part in the game, and how to declare a winner.
Presentation Jobs:
* Check out the Learning Advice Section of this web page before starting your group presentation!!!
When choosing the sport that you will teach the class, ask the following questions:
1. Is the activity appropriate (Gladiator Fights are not appropriate)?
2. Is the space available similiar to where the ancient game was played?
3. Is there equipment available similiar to what was used in ancient times?
4. Is there enough equipment so the whole class can participate at the same time?
1. Plan out who will have which jobs.
2. Decide who is going to say what, what are you going to say to your classmates, how are you going to get the class into groups or teams to do the activities.
3. Meet with the teacher and talk them through your presentation. Listen to any feedback they give.
4. Make any changes you need.
5. Practice the presentation from start to finish.
1. Research (1.19):
- Students use organizational systems to obtain information from the internet.
2. Teamwork (3.10):
- Students perform effictively on teams that set and achieve goals,conduct investigations, solve problems, and create solutions.
3. Planning/Organization (2.14):
- Students plan and organize all aspects of an activity.
|
Assessment #1 - Final Report Standard Assessed - Research (1.19)
|
||
|---|---|---|
|
STILL WORKING |
MEETS STANDARD |
|
|
Students were not able to navigate the web to find the necessary information to complete the report. Students did not complete all three factsheets. More than half of the fact sheets were left empty. Students provided inaccurate information in their report. Report was not legible. |
Students were able to navigate the web to find the necessary information with limitted help to complete the report. Students completed all three factsheets. Students provided no more than two answers which were inaccurate. Students left no more than one space blank. Report was legible. |
Students were able to successfully navigate the web on their own to complete the report. Students fully completed all three factsheets. All the information provided by the students was completely accurate. Report was completely legible. |
|
TEACHER COMMENTS:
|
||
|
Assessment #2 - Group Presentation Standards Assessed - Planning/Organization (2.14) & Teamwork (3.10)
|
||
|
STILL WORKING |
|
EXCEEDS STANDARD |
|
Presentation was incomplete. Students did not show they fully understood how the sport was played. Students did not fully explain the sport, rules, have the correct equipment, or referee the game. Not every student had a clear job within the group. The presentation stopped and started or never was completed. The presenters did not demonstrate that they worked cooperatively to solve the task. Students did not discuss their presentation with the teacher before presenting it. |
Presentation was complete. Students showed that had enough understanding of the sport to lead the class through playing it. The students lead the class through the event, although their were some pauses in the presentation. The group showed they worked cooperatively while solving the task. Every group member demonstrated their job within the group. Students discussed their presentation with the teacher before presenting it to the class. |
Presentation was of the highest caliber. Students demonstrated a thorough understanding of all aspects of the sport. The students lead their clas through the event without ever stopping. The group showed they worked cooperatively to solve the task. Every group member clearly demonstrated their job within the group. Students discussed their presentation with the teacher before presenting it and made the necessary changes to strengthen their presentation. |
|
TEACHER COMMENTS:
|
||
Now that you have discovered that sports were a major part of ancient life, I hope you look at things a little differently. Have you performed some of the same sports in Physical Education that the Egyptians were playing 5,000 years ago? Is the Super Bowl or World Series that different from the spectacles that the Romans watched in the Colusieum? How much have the Olympic events changed or stayed the same since Greece first introduced them?
Also, compare the athletes of the past with today's stars. Why did they compete in the past? Why do they compete now? What has changed with them? What has stayed the same?
