The 2014 Winter Olympics begin in Sochi with the Opening
Ceremony on February 7. The games are exciting not only for the athletes, but
also for people who watch them. Capitalize on this excitement with a unit on
the Olympics!
Start off with a Torch Relay - have your students take turns
running around the playground or gym, passing the torch to each other. Have an
Opening Ceremony - let students design a flag, then march around the room. As
the days continue, play math and reading games featuring Olympic sports, read a
guided reading book about the Olympics, write about winter sports, make an
Olympic windsock, and design a medal. To complete the Olympic experience,
sponsor an Olympic game day. Gather beanbags or pucks for hockey and curling,
make skis and skates with paper plates and laminated paper, and round up some
scooters or carts for bobsled races.
The Winter Olympics last for 2 weeks. Capture the
imagination of your students and the spirit of the Olympics with Olympic-themed
games and activities! For ideas, check out our Olympic unit: It’s Time for
Winter Sports. Lessons and activities include the following:
Literacy
Games
Bobsled
Raceway: Reading Sight Word Sentences (or Alphabet Letters)
At
the Olympics: Naming Sounds or Reading Nonsense Words
Hockey
Shot: Segmenting Words into Phonemes
Winter
Sports: Writing Sight Words (or Alphabet Letters)
Literacy
Worksheets
Winter
Sports: Reading and Matching Color Words
Olympic
Medal Match: Distinguishing Between Two Similar Words
Math
Games
Ski
Jump Addition: Adding Two Numbers
Olympic
Medal Count: Graphing Medals
Olympic
Sports: Decomposing Numbers
Going
For the Gold: Teen Numbers
Math
Worksheets
Roll
To Color: Creating Sums
Half
Pipe Hype: Comparing Two Written Numerals
Writing
Olympic/Winter
Sports Word Wall
Writing
Prompts: Winter Sports
Label
the Sports
My
List of Winter Sports
Guided
Reading Book
The
Olympics (Level B and Level D versions)
Art
Activities
Olympic
Windsock
Olympic
Medal
Olympic
Torch
Gym
or PE Activity
Olympic
Challenge
