Learning Sequence
Social Studies Guiding Question: To what extent should the Olympics be a place to push political agendas?
Students are given the provocation followed by a discussion on why a country/city might want to host the Olympics and what benefit does the Olympics have in modern day. Students are then given the 4 week task sheet with the critical question and explained their group interdisciplinary task for the next 4 weeks. In this week, students will understand the concept of nationalism. In addition, a local olympic athlete would be invited to talk to them in one class about the meaning of the Olympics from the perspective of the athlete.
Tasks:
- Inquiry into the historical meaning of the Olympics, each group given one topic to present on - history (ancient and modern),
- Symbols (meaning and controversy), women in the Olympics, Berlin Olympics, Black salute, other controversies. Using historical thinking lens (what does it say about the time, how is it different now?). Leading into a discussion on nationalism, expression of nationalism, how national identities are shaped, as a lens for viewing the Olympics.
Science Guiding Question: How do humans impact the environment? How might the human impact on the local environment change during the Olympics?
Understand the significance of habitat destruction on an ecosystem. Understand how human intervention effects the environment.
Tasks:
- Students will be tasked with researching, in their groups, some of the human activities that affect the environment and ecosystems most heavily, and which of these activities may increase during the Olympics
- Students will be guided to consider local industries, specifically cement production in Exshaw
- An expert from Lafarge will be brought into the classroom to discuss the manufacturing process and associated environmental concerns, if possible s/he will also provide students with data (or where to find it) on carbon emissions, reduction technologies, and other reclamation and reduction efforts
- Students will compile what they feel is the most important information that may serve as evidence to their greater investigation into the Olympics
- Guided class discussion/debate will serve as a means to ensure all students in agreement on key concepts such as habitat destruction, reclamation, and the use of hydrocarbons in cement production.
Mathematics Guiding Question: What types of relationships/patterns exist in data collected regarding the Olympics?
Understand the purpose of using quadratic functions to better relate variables than a linear function can. Provide students with an entry slip and ask them to graph the table of values provided.
Tasks:
- Discuss their findings, what kind of relationship exists - this will be linear to help students recall prior learning.
- Through group discussions get students to think of situations where a linear relationship would not be appropriate.
- Activity: Graph throwing of tennis balls, what pattern do you find?
- Introduce functions of graphing calculator, how to insert table of values and the resulting graph.
- Explore different variables related to the Olympics. This will help them form appropriate models. Discuss findings, which relationships were linear and which ones were quadratic.
- Students will manipulate variables and find if relationships exist within data. E.g., (Amount of Concrete vs. Emissions), (Country medal wins vs. GDP). (Bid price vs. actual price), (Indigenous Athletes vs Year), (Carbon Emissions vs. Mass - Sci outcome 20–A3.2sts), (Bid Price vs Infrastructure amount), (Women in Olympics vs Time)
- Using previous knowledge of absolute values, get students to inquire how their graphs would change to be absolute value linear and or quadratic functions.
Art Guiding Question: What do previous Olympic symbols tell us about national identity?
Building upon understandings in Social Studies about nationalism and national identity, students will learn skills and vocabulary of artistic critique and apply them to a critical analysis of previous Olympic symbols.
Tasks:
- Examples of previous Olympic artworks, designs, and coat of arms will be shown at the beginning of class. It is expected and assumed that students will already have basic art criticism skills from art 10. Students will be tasked to discuss these Olympic artworks and designs, taking the imageries and symbolisms into consideration. Teacher will begin the critique with questions such as: “Aside from aesthetic choices, what other choices did the artist/designer make that further communicated or enhanced their statement?” “What do you think that statement is?” “Would you have changed anything about the design and why?”
- Briefly address the environmental and economical pros and cons that students are already discussing in their science and math classes. Let students know that they will be basing one of their own designs off of their knowledge and thoughts derived from the two disciplines.
- Teacher will also lead the discussions toward symbolisms and cultural identities to make way for what is to come in social studies during Week 2.
- Teacher will mention on the last class that there will be an Indigenous guest artist the following week, with whom the students may wish to collaborate on their designs.
- Throughout the week, students will start their research on various symbolisms, especially ones that gear toward Canada/Calgary and their own ethnic backgrounds. They should have their list of findings (and if possible, one initial design) completed at the beginning of Week 2.