January 2014 January 2014 LESSON PLAN The Souper Bowl
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January 2014 January 2014 LESSON PLAN The Souper Bowl Challenge January is a special month – it gives us National Book Month, New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and lots and lots of football! The National Football League was formed in 1920 under the leadership of Native American Jim Thorpe – considered by many to be the greatest athlete of the 20 th century. The League started off with 14 teams and of those 14 only two remain – the Chicago Bears (nee Decatur Stanleys) and the Arizona Cardinals. Frustrated by the NFL’s restrictions on forming new team franchises, an upstart league named the American Football League arose in 1960. It quickly began to challenge the popularity of the NFL in draft picks, television coverage and fan base. Because of the intense competition, player salaries went through the roof, prompting the two leagues to merge into one National Football League. In 1970, the original NFL teams formed the National Football Conference and the original AFL teams formed the American Football Conference. The merger agreement called for one common draft for players and a championship game to be played by the best teams of each conference … known as the Super Bowl. This year, the 48 th Super Bowl will be played at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey in front of 80,000 fans. With ticket prices exceeding $3,200, most of us will be watching the game at home with family and friends. The Super Bowl party is a treasured annual tradition, with party guests pitching in for a potluck feast including chili, chicken wings, chips and dips, nachos and snacks galore! CLASS DISCUSSION
Transcript of January 2014 January 2014 LESSON PLAN The Souper Bowl
January 2014
January 2014
L E S S O N P L A N The Souper Bowl Challenge
January is a special month – it gives us National Book Month, New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and lots and lots of football! The National Football League was formed in 1920 under the leadership of Native American Jim Thorpe – considered by many to be the greatest athlete of the 20th century. The League started off with 14 teams and of those 14 only two remain – the Chicago Bears (nee Decatur Stanleys) and the Arizona Cardinals. Frustrated by the NFL’s restrictions on forming new team franchises, an upstart league named the American Football League arose in 1960. It quickly began to challenge the popularity of the NFL in draft picks, television coverage and fan base. Because of the intense competition, player salaries went through the roof, prompting the two leagues to merge into one National Football League. In 1970, the original NFL teams formed the National Football Conference and the original AFL teams formed the American Football Conference. The merger agreement called for one common draft for players and a championship game to be played by the best teams of each conference … known as the Super Bowl. This year, the 48th Super Bowl will be played at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey in front of 80,000 fans. With ticket prices exceeding $3,200, most of us will be watching the game at home with family and friends. The Super Bowl party is a treasured annual tradition, with party guests pitching in for a potluck feast including chili, chicken wings, chips and dips, nachos and snacks galore!
CLASS DISCUSSION
ACTIVITY In this activity, students will participate in a Souper Bowl, the ultimate goal being the donation of food to local soup kitchens and shelters. Contact the shelters and soup kitchens in your area and tell them about your upcoming class Souper Bowl. Learn from the managers what contributions they seek the most. Their needs may extend beyond canned goods to include warm coats, clothing, toiletries, sheets and towels. They may also benefit from the contribution of paper goods and office supplies. Discuss with students the concept behind the Souper Bowl. Explain that although we are just coming off the season of giving, the needs of so many people span all seasons. Talk about the shelters and the organizations in your area that exist solely to help meet the needs of the hungry and the homeless. Create a Souper Bowl Playbook that includes all the items requested by your local shelter and distribute the list to all students. Divide your students into two groups: The National Souper Bowl Conference – NSBC and the American Souper Bowl Conference – the ASBC. You may choose to have students design a team logo and/or mascot. Challenge each team to bring in as many items in the Playbook as possible. Create a team “bench” for each Conference to place their collected contributions in the classroom. At the end of the month, or on February 3rd, after the NFL Super Bowl, count up each Conference’s donations to determine which team collected the greatest amount of contributions. Prizes can be up to you!
DESIRED OUTCOME In this activity, your students will be challenged to work as a team toward an altruistic goal. Encourage students to cooperate with and motivate one another, while at the same time endorsing a spirit of healthy competition. Through this challenge your students will begin to understand some aspects inherent to the spirit of democracy, including civic participation and the common good. They’ll also learn the history behind what is fast becoming an important American tradition! CURRICULUM STANDARDS I. Production, Distribution, and Consumption
a.) How communities deal with scarcity of resources b.) The difference between needs and wants
II. Civic Ideals and Practices a.) How we can have influence on how people live and act together b.) Concepts such as the common good, rights, and responsibilities c.) Civic participation based on studying community issues, planning, decision making, and cooperating
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USPS COMMUNITY CONNECTION January 2014 Lesson Plan • The Souper Bowl Challenge
