Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Visualising sports and places

15 minutes

Find Out: The games, the athletes, the spectators

20 minutes

Take Action: Supporting and inspiring athletes

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

explore short narratives in written and video form
make lists of words used to encourage someone
create signs to encourage athletes.

Success criteria

Students can:

identify some of the text structures of a short informative text
explain some ways that images and words combine to add meaning to a text
create short texts with images or colours that add meaning.

Tune In: Visualising sports and places

Step 1

Use the Visual Explainer to showcase some of the sports in the Commonwealth Games and display it on a device for all students. Invite students to discuss what they see in 1 or 2 photos of the sports on slides 2 and 3. Use the discussion questions to prompt student thinking:

What is happening in these images?
What sport are they competing in? What clues can you get from uniforms, equipment, etc?
Where are they (on a field, pool, or stadium)?
Do you think the athlete is working hard to do their best at the sport? What clues show you this (eg their facial expression, body language, muscles or that they are moving fast)?
What does it feel like to play a sport?
What does it feel and sound like to be a spectator?

Literacy extension: Use this as an opportunity to introduce vocabulary such as ‘athlete’, ‘competitor’, ‘spectator’, ‘medal’ and ‘para-sports’ as required.

Step 2

On slides 4 and 5 of the Visual Explainer, invite students to reflect on what they can see in the images. You can prompt students to think about their personal experiences and imagination as they discuss what it would look and feel like to be in the place shown in the pictures. Use the suggested questions to assist you:

Is it hot or cold? Would you need a warm coat?
If you were there, could you smell sweet flowers, the ocean, or the desert?
What could you hear?
If you could walk into this picture, which thing would you like to look closely at? What would you like to do next?

Step 3

To summarise what students have learnt, read the explanation below to students:

The Commonwealth Games is a major world sports event. Athletes from many nations around the world come together every 4 years. They compete for 11 days to win medals in many different sports chosen by the host city such as boxing, netball, rugby 7s, judo, swimming, table tennis and weightlifting. Many of the Commonwealth Games sports are para-sports, such as 3x3 wheelchair basketball. The medals are gold in first place, silver in second place, and bronze in third place. This competition officially started in 1930. Australia has taken part since the beginning of the official Games – that’s nearly 100 years! The Commonwealth Games aims to spread goodwill and acceptance between people from many different world nations. The nickname for the Commonwealth Games is ‘The Friendly Games’.

Learning support: Provide a hard copy of the explanation to students who may need longer to process and comprehend the information.

Find Out: The games, the athletes, the spectators

Step 1

Watch the following video with your class of Australian artistic gymnast Georgia Godwin. In the video, students will learn what representing Australia at the Commonwealth Games means.

Georgia Godwin - CGA Athlete (vimeo.com/967297978/1e9424b132)

Step 2

After viewing, prompt students to discuss what they learnt in the video using the following prompts:

What did you see in the video?
Do you think Georgia is happy to be at the Commonwealth Games?
Do you think medals are the only reason she wants to compete? (She talks about this at 0:19-0:24)
What are some of the other reasons you think she competes?
How do you think she feels at the end of the video?
How does the video make you feel?

Step 3

As a class, read through the Georgia Godwin Biography Factsheet. Pause during reading to point out text features to students, such as the title, the photo, and the headers.

Step 4

After reading, invite students to share 1 fact from the biography with the class. Once students have shared their facts, ask them to share 1 thought from Georgia that she shared in the biography.

Step 5

As a class, guide students to determine what is a fact about Georgia and what is a thought from Georgia using the text features.

Take Action: Supporting and inspiring athletes

Step 1

Ask the students to turn to the person next to them and share words or phrases of encouragement that they would share with Georgia. Invite them to share their words of encouragement and record these on a whiteboard. Finally, you should have a class list of encouraging words and phrases that could be used for an athlete or a team.

Suggested responses:

Go for it!
You can do it!
Keep going!
Well done!
You’re doing great!
I believe in you!
You’re the best!

Step 2

Invite students to close their eyes and imagine they are in a stadium at their favourite sporting event OR at the gymnastics competition at the Commonwealth Games, watching Georgia and the whole Australian Team of gymnastics competitors.

Invite students to quietly think about what this environment would sound like, feel, and look like as a spectator.

Step 3

Your students’ task is to create a sign to cheer on their favourite athlete or team. Provide students with the resources and art materials to create and decorate their sign.

Guide your students to consider:

What encouraging words will you use on the sign?
How will you decorate the sign or use images to strengthen your encouraging words so that your sporting hero feels your support?
What else will you do to show your support for your sporting heroes? (eg sing a cheer, clap and cheer, wave your scarf, wear their colours, etc)?

Literacy extension: Students write a short handwritten letter to their favourite athlete or team, outlining their support and encouragement.

Reflection

Invite your students to discuss how they think athletes feel when they hear encouraging words and see support through signs and posters.

Cheering on our Heroes

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Lesson Guides and Printables

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Cheering on our Heroes

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Lesson Guides and Printables

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