Diane L. HeilemanJune 1, 2014

The Early Olympics – Athletes that Cheat

CCSS

English Language Arts Standards - Writing

Research to Build and Present Knowledge:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.7Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.8Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.

Estimated Time: 2 sessions

Background Information:

The Olympic Games have existed for thousands of years. The sacred grove of Olympia was formed around 10th – 9th century BC. The Olympics as we know it date back to 776 BC. Although there are many positive characteristics about the Olympics, one characteristic was not so positive and is still an issue with today’s athletes – Cheating. This unit will discuss the positive aspects of the Olympics and the purpose of the games. It will also discuss the factors of cheating and the effect on the athletes and society.

Purpose:

The purpose of this unit is for students to learn about the original, early Olympics. Our focus will be to understand the goals of the Olympics and to learn about those athletes who attempted to cheat. Students will learn about the impact of cheating on the early Olympic society and the effects on the athletes. Students will select and research a modern day athlete

who has been accused of cheating and determine if those accusations have been proven or are simply conjecture, and will provide supporting statements in their conclusion.

Materials:

The materials will be provided by the teacher.

1. PowerPoint presentation of the Early Olympics and Cheating in sports. (attached)

2. Excerpts from “A Passion for Victory: The story of the Olympics in Ancient and Early Modern Times” by Benson Bobrick.

3. Excerpts from “The Victor’s Crown: A History of Ancient Sport from Homer to Byzantium”, by David Potter.

4. View website “Cheating at the Ancient Olympics” http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Post/1273461

5. Fox News Slide Show “Biggest cheaters in sports history” http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/lists/biggest-cheaters-in-sports-history-081211#photo-title=Stealing+signs%253F+That%2527s+so+minor+league&photo=30078058

6. Youtube video: “Top 10 Worst Cheaters in Sports”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOlYFq_Cd14

Concepts:

1. The fundamentals of competing fairly.

2. Ancient society’s views of cheating

3. Current society and our view of cheating.

4. Factual statements vs. accusations.

5. Summarization with supportive statements.

Lessons (2 Sessions):

To do this we will do each of the following:

a. Students will view the prepared PowerPoint presentation on Ancient Olympics

b. Students will view the website about ancient Olympic Games and cheating.

c. Students will view the slide show and the youtube video about present day athletes accused of cheating and engage in a classroom discussion.

d. Students will select a modern day athlete who has been accused of cheating in his/her sport.

e. Students will research the facts and rumors surrounding that athlete and gather information about those cheating charges.

f. Students will write a narrative describing those accusations.

g. Students will also write a conclusion using supporting statements whether the accusations were fact or rumor.

h. Students will research and write about the effect on the athlete’s affect on society, the sport or the athlete’s life.

Assessment Tools

1. Research and writing rubric for review.

2. Participation is classroom discussions.

3. Writing rubric for distinguishing and supporting fact or fiction.