HOLIDAYS, CELEBRATIONS, LESSON PLANS & ACTIVITIES: London 2012 Olympic Games

London 2012 Olympics Opened (28th July, 2012)

The opening ceremony of the London Olympic Games took place on Friday night. The event started with Britain's first ever Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins ringing a huge bell. After that came songs and images from the four countries of Great Britain – England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. There followed images of British history from Shakespeare's times to the industrial revolution to punk, Harry Potter and digital Britain. There was a special tribute to inventor of the worldwide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee.

The three-hour event was officially opened by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, who said: "I declare open the Games of London, celebrating the 30th Olympiad of the modern era." The Olympic flame arrived by a boat steered by English soccer player David Beckham. Seven young athletes lit the Olympic Cauldron, made from 204 copper petals carried in by teams from across the world. Then the fireworks lit up the sky around the Olympic Park. The ceremony ended with Sir Paul McCartney and the audience singing Hey Jude.

PHRASE MATCH

Match the following phrases from the article.

Paragraph 1

1. Britain's first ever a. huge bell

2 ringing a b. British history

3. the four countries c. revolution

4. images of d. of the worldwide web

5. the industrial e. of Great Britain

6. a special tribute to inventor f. Tour de France winner

Paragraph 2

1. The three- a. era

2 I declare open the b. the Olympic Cauldron

3. the modern c. Games of London

4. The Olympic flame arrived d. hour event

5. Seven young athletes lit up e. the sky

6. the fireworks lit f. by a boat

Listen to the following video and complete the paragraph below filling in the gaps.

LISTENING / GAP FILL

The opening ceremony of the London Olympic Games (1) _____________________ Friday night. The event started with Britain's first ever Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins ringing a huge bell. After that (2) _____________________ from (3) _____________________ Great Britain – England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. There followed images of British history (4) _____________________ to the industrial revolution to punk, Harry Potter (5) _____________________. There was a special (6) _____________________ of the worldwide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee.

The three-hour event (7) _____________________ by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, who said: "I declare open the Games of London, celebrating the 30th Olympiad (8) _____________________." The Olympic flame arrived by a (9) _____________________ English soccer player David Beckham. Seven (10) _____________________ the Olympic Cauldron, made from 204 copper petals (11) _____________________ from across the world. Then the fireworks lit up the sky around the Olympic Park. The ceremony ended with Sir Paul McCartney (12) _____________________ Hey Jude.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

The opening ceremony of the London Olympic Games (1) ____ place on Friday night. The event started with Britain's first (2) ____ Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins ringing a (3) ____ bell. After that came songs and images from the four countries of Great Britain – England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. There (4) ____ images of British history from Shakespeare's times to the industrial revolution to punk, Harry Potter and (5) ____ Britain. There was a special tribute (6) ____ inventor of the worldwide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee.

The three-hour event was (7) ____ opened by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, who said: "I declare open the Games of London, celebrating the 30th Olympiad of the modern (8) ____." The Olympic flame arrived by a boat steered by English soccer player David Beckham. Seven young (9) ____ lit the Olympic Cauldron, made from 204 copper petals carried in (10) ____ teams from across the world. Then the fireworks lit (11) ____ the sky around the Olympic Park. The ceremony ended with Sir Paul McCartney and the (12) ____ singing Hey Jude.

Put the correct words from this table into the article.

1. (a) gave (b) did (c) took

2. (a) ever (b) even (c) never

3. (a) hug (b) huge (c) refuge

4. (a) followed (b) after (c) then

5. (a) digit (b) digitally (c) digital

6. (a) at (b) to (c) on

7. (a) officially (b) office (c) offered

8. (a) near (b) era (c) are

9. (a) competes (b) trains (c) athletes

10. (a) of (b) by (c) at

11. (a) up (b) down (c) inside

12 (a) audio (b) audition (c) audience

SPELLING

Spell the jumbled words (from the text) correctly.

Paragraph 1

1. took laecp

2. gnigrin a huge bell

3. the industrial ieuvtlorno

4. ltagdii Britain

5. a special etbiutr

6. nretvino of the worldwide web

Paragraph 2

7. ofylfaciil opened

8. "I eecalrd open the Games of London"

9. the oemnrd era

10. young eattsehl

11. ersfirowk lit up the sky

12. the eacineud singing

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( ) on Friday night. The event started with Britain's first ever Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins ringing

( ) flame arrived by a boat steered by English soccer player David Beckham. Seven young

( ) ended with Sir Paul McCartney and the audience singing Hey Jude.

( ) The three-hour event was officially opened by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, who said:

( ) athletes lit the Olympic Cauldron, made from 204 copper petals carried in by teams from
( ) across the world. Then the fireworks lit up the sky around the Olympic Park. The ceremony

( ) "I declare open the Games of London, celebrating the 30th Olympiad of the modern era." The Olympic

( 1 ) The opening ceremony of the London Olympic Games took place

( ) Shakespeare's times to the industrial revolution to punk, Harry Potter and

( ) a huge bell. After that came songs and images from the four countries of Great Britain –

( ) England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. There followed images of British history from

( ) digital Britain. There was a special tribute to inventor of the worldwide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee.

UNSCRAMBLE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES.

1. Games of the The London opening Olympic ceremony.

2. four the from images and Songs countries.

3. history There images British followed of.

4. revolution industrial the to times Shakespeare's From.

5. worldwide web A special tribute to the inventor of the.

6. officially - opened hour event The was three.

7. the the modern 30th era Olympiad of Celebrating.

8. by arrived flame Olympic The boat a.

9. lit athletes young Seven Cauldron Olympic the.

10. fireworks the Then sky the up lit.

WRITING

Write about the Olympics Opening Ceremony for 10 minutes. Show your partner your paper. Correct each other's work.

_________________________________________________________

MORE ACTIVITIES

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google's search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY: Search the Internet and find more information about the Olympics Opening Ceremony. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about the Olympics Opening Ceremony. Include an imaginary interview with the organizers. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

4. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

5. LETTER: Write a letter to an Olympics Opening Ceremony expert. Ask him/her three questions about London's Olympics Opening Ceremony. Give him/her three of your opinions on it. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Your partner will answer the questions you asked.

INTERESTING FACTS

10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Summer Olympics

The opening ceremonies of the Games of the XXX Olympiad, which runs through August 12, will take place today. As more than 10,000 athletes from 205 countries gather in London, explore 10 odd and surprising facts about the Summer Olympics.

1. Figure skating was initially part of the Summer Olympics. Before the advent of the Winter Olympics in 1924, men’s, women’s and pairs figure skating events were part of the programs for the 1908 and 1920 Summer Olympics. Ice hockey also made its Olympic debut at the 1920 Summer Games. Anna Hubler and Heinrich Burger, who captured the pairs figure skating competition at the 1908 Summer Olympics. (The Fourth Olympiad London 1908 Official Report)

2. Olympic champions last received solid gold medals in 1912. Olympic runners-up can take some consolation in the fact that there isn’t much difference between their silver medals and the gold medals awarded to winners. Medals made with pure gold were last awarded in 1912, and winners today receive medals that are 93 percent silver and 6 percent copper, with just 6 grams of gold. (Champions in the first modern Olympics in 1896 received silver, not gold, medals. The traditional awarding of gold, silver and bronze medals to the top three finishers began in 1904.)

3. The Summer Games used to span months, starting in the spring and ending in the fall. Think the 17 days scheduled for the 2012 Summer Games is too long? It’s nothing compared to the first Summer Olympics staged in London in 1908, which spanned 188 days, or more than half of the year. Although the formal opening ceremonies were not until July 13, the 1908 Games opened on April 27 with the racquets competition and ended October 31 with the field hockey final. The 1900 Paris Games spanned more than five months, and the 1904 St. Louis Games and the 1920 Antwerp Games also lasted nearly as long.

4. The first Olympian to fail a drug test was busted for drinking beer. Olympic drug testing debuted in 1968, and Swedish pentathlete Hans-Gunnar Liljenwall was first to test positive for a banned substance. His drug? Two beers he said he downed to “calm his nerves” before the pistol shoot. The disqualified Liljenwall and his teammates were forced to return their bronze medals. (Fellow pentathlete Hans-Jurgen Todt could have used something to calm down as well. The West German attacked his horse after it balked three times at jumping obstacles.) The Philippines and Mexico compete in an outdoor basketball game during the 1936 Berlin Olympics. A deluge would muddy the gold medal game between the United States and Canada. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

5. The 1936 basketball final was a literal quagmire. When basketball officially debuted at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, games were played on outdoor tennis courts made of clay and sand. During the gold medal game between the United States and Canada, a second-half deluge turned the court into a muddy mess that would have stymied even the Dream Team. With dribbling in the mire an impossible task, the waterlogged Americans spent most of the half simply playing catch with the slippery ball to protect their lead. Final score: United States 19, Canada 8.

6. For nearly 40 years, artists also competed for gold medals. French Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founding father of the modern Olympic Games, sought to incorporate art and culture into the Olympic movement. So beginning with the 1912 Stockholm Games, gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded in painting, sculpture, architecture, literature and music. Works entered in the juried competitions were required to be original pieces inspired by sports. In perhaps a not-so-strange coincidence, Coubertin himself won the first gold medal for literature. Following the 1948 London Games, artists were deemed to be professionals who violated the amateur ideals of the Olympics, and the present-day Cultural Olympiad replaced the medal competitions.

7. A gymnast with a wooden leg won six medals, including three gold, in the 1904 Olympics. If South African runner Oscar Pistorius, a double amputee nicknamed the “Blade Runner,” wins the 400 meters this year, he won’t be the first man with prosthetic legs to capture Olympic gold. In the 1904 St. Louis Games, hometown boy George Eyser, who lost his left leg as a youth after it was run over by a train, won gold in the parallel bar, long horse and rope climbing events. He also won silver in the side horse and all-around competitions and bronze on the horizontal bar. George Eyser (center), the gymnast with a wooden leg who won six gold medals in 1904.

8. America’s first female Olympic champion had no idea she was even competing in the Summer Games. While studying art under Edgar Degas and Auguste Rodin in Paris in 1900, 22-year-old American Margaret Abbott saw an advertisement for a golf tournament and decided to enter. After shooting a 47 on the nine-hole course, she won the tourney and took home a porcelain bowl. Unbeknownst to Abbott, the tournament she had entered was part of the poorly organized Paris Games, and she had just become the first American woman to win an Olympic event.

9. The equestrian events at the 1956 Melbourne Games were held on the other side of the world. While most of the athletes traveled down under for the 1956 Summer Games, the horses and riders in the equestrian events did not. Due to Australia’s strict quarantine rules, the equestrian competitions were moved to Stockholm, Sweden—nearly 9,700 miles away—and held five months before the rest of the XVI Olympiad.

10. When the Americans refused to dip their flag to King Edward VII in 1908, it started a tradition. Upset that the U.S. flag was missing from those fluttering above the Olympic stadium during the opening ceremonies of the 1908 London Games, American flag bearer Ralph Rose refused to follow protocol and dip the Stars and Stripes as he passed the royal box. Although the story that Rose or fellow shot putter Martin Sheridan said, “This flag dips for no earthly king” is likely apocryphal, the snub set off a royal row. “From the very first day,” Coubertin wrote in his memoirs, “King Edward had taken exception to the American athletes because of their behavior and their barbaric shouts that resounded through the stadium.” American flag bearers dipped their banners to national leaders on several occasions after 1908, but it hasn’t happened since 1932—not even for U.S. President Ronald Reagan during the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

MORE ACTIVITIES

Olympic Verbs: Events

What do you do in each of the events below?

EXAMPLE:

Baseball: hit the ball, throw the ball, catch the ball

Archery: __________________________________________________

Boxing: __________________________________________________

Cycling: __________________________________________________

Gymnastics: __________________________________________________

Hurdles: __________________________________________________

Pole vault: __________________________________________________

Relay Race: __________________________________________________

Soccer: __________________________________________________

Marathon: __________________________________________________

Tennis: __________________________________________________

Triathlon: __________________________________________________

Volleyball: __________________________________________________

Weightlifting: __________________________________________________

Wrestling: __________________________________________________

Listen and enjoy the song SURVIVAL by Muse. This is the Official 2012 Olympic Song.

Now, after listening and enjoying the video, underline the verbs that you can find and make sentences with them. You may write simple Present & Past oother verb tense sentences. Then share them with the rest of your class.

Muse – Survival Lyrics

Race, life’s a race

And I am gonna win

Yes, I am gonna win

And I’ll light the fuse

And I’ll never lose

And I choose to survive

Whatever it takes

You won’t pull ahead

I’ll keep up the pace

And I’ll reveal my strength

To the whole human race

Yes I am prepared

To stay alive

I won’t forgive, the vengeance is mine

And I won’t give in

Because I choose to thrive

I’m gonna win

Race, it’s a race

But I’m gonna win

Yes I’m gonna win

And will light the fuse

I’ll never lose

And I choose to survive

Whatever it takes

You won’t ṗull ahead

I’ll keep up the pace

And I’ll reveal my strength

To the whole human race

Yes I’m gonna win

Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!

Win! Win! Win! Win!

Yes I’m gonna win

Across

2 A team sport with eleven players per team. (6)

6 Swimming pool event. (6)

8 City of 2004 Summer Olympics. (6)

14 Fastest time in the ever. (6)

15 An event where athletes try to lift the most weight. (13)

16 An event where athletes throw a flat circle. (6)

17 An event where athletes throw a heavy ball. (7)

18 City of 1900 Summer Olympics (5)

Down

1 A race where runners jump an obstacle. (7)

2 Second place in the Olympics. (6)

3 A race where runners pass a baton. (5)

4 An event where athletes shoot a bow and arrow. (7)

5 A racket sport. (6)

7 Rings or mat event. (10)

9 A very long running race. (8)

10 City of 2000 Summer Olympics. (6)

11 An event where athletes throw a spear. (7)

12 An event where athletes try to jump the highest. (8)

13 An event where athletes try to jump the farthest. (8)

The Olympic Games

Reading Comprehension Activity

"As in the daytime there is no star in the sky warmer and brighter than the sun, likewise there is no competition greater than the Olympic Games." Pindar, Greek lyric poet, 5th century BC

Origins

The ancient Greeks first had the idea of getting men together every four years to hold and witness sporting events (in those days women did not participate, though they had their own, independent, events). The idea was to have the best athletes from all over Greece gather in one field and compete every four years. All wars and fighting had to stop while the athletes and their supporters came together in the town of Olympia for a few days to compete in a few events, mostly related to warfare (throwing the javelin, running, wrestling, boxing and chariot racing).

The first written reference to the Games is 776 BC. They lasted until 389 AD. The idea of having the modern Games was suggested in the mid 19th century but they weren't a world event until 1896. Besides being postponed because of wars, they have been held since then every four years in different cities around the world.

Symbols

The Olympic Games have many important symbols that most people recognize. The five rings that appear on the Olympic flag (colored yellow, green, blue, black and red) were introduced in 1914. They represent the five continents of Africa, the Americas, Australia, Asia and Europe. The flag is raised in the host city and then flown to the next one where it is kept until the next Games. The Olympic torch, a major part of the ancient Games, was brought back in 1928 and is carried with great fanfare and publicity to the host city where it lights the burning flame of the Games. It is kept burning until the close of the Games. The torch symbolizes purity, the drive for perfection and the struggle for victory.

Music

The rousing Olympic anthem is the simply named "Olympic Music" by John Williams, who wrote it for the 1984 Olympics, held in Los Angeles. What you hear first are the forty or so notes played on horns which form the "Bugler's Dream" (also called "Olympic Fanfare") by Leo Arnaud, first played in the 1968 Games.

The torch, fanfare and flag are clearly evident in the Opening Ceremony, when everyone formally welcomes the participants and the Games can begin. Here we find the dramatic and colourful March of Nations, in which all the athletes from each country go into the venue to the sound of their country's anthem and march behind their flags, thus becoming representatives of their countries.

Athlete's Oath

One part of the Opening Ceremony that tries to keep the spirit of the Games and sportsmanship alive is when one athlete, representing all those participating, takes the Athlete's Oath:

"In the name of all the competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport, and the honour of our teams."

Medals

In the ancient Games, only the winner was celebrated. Each winner was given a simple crown of olive leaves to wear on his head. This was the only reward for his victory. Those who came in second or third got nothing. Interestingly, when the Games started again in 1896, silver medals were given to the first place winners. Later in 1904 in the St. Louis Games, gold was the top prize. Now, of course we have gold for first place, silver for second and bronze for third.

Motto

The Olympics' official motto is "Citius, Altius, Fortius". This is Latin for "Swifter, Higher, Stronger". This is said to represent the Olympic spirit, supposed to be present throughout the Games and generally held to be a celebration of brotherhood, competition, sportsmanship, goodwill and peace. The Games help us see how similar we are, and help us celebrate our humanity.

People

As in ancient times, those who participate in the Games are famous for the rest of their lives. Today, it's estimated that some 100,000 people have competed in the Games. These athletes, all supposed to be amateurs (people who play and get no money for their play), have to qualify or win regional and national events. They often play on their countries' national teams. If they are ill or can't make it for an event, they have substitutes. When they start playing, they become competitors or opponents on the playing field.

Officials, referees, scorekeepers and umpires monitor their play, and judges score their performances. Spectators watch the events, and fans cheer the athletes on.

Helping the athletes in their chosen sports are their trainers and coaches. Helping the athletes in their business affairs are their agents and managers. Sometimes athletes have sponsors and after the Games are over the athletes become spokesmen for companies.

The Olympic Games also require people to take on the jobs of announcers, commentators and broadcasters. These people comment on, report and describe the events that are happening and tell us about the standings of the countries and the athletes who play the Games.

Unfortunate events in world history (the 1972 Munich Olympics and 9/11) mean that security is a major concern for the Games. Thus the Olympics also employs those who are responsible for the safe-being of the athletes and spectators, including police (city, provincial and federal) and even national troops or soldiers. They are pitted against 'common' criminals (thieves, pickpockets, vandals...) and terrorists.

In addition, the support staff get the fields, grounds and arenas ready and help to maintain the equipment and facilities.

The nationalities you hear of in the Olympics fall mostly into certain suffix groups, for example:

ish (mostly European)	ese (mostly Asian)	i (mostly Middle Eastern)	an/ian	ch	other
British	Burmese	Bahraini	American	Czech	Filipino
Finnish	Chinese	Iraqi	Australian	Dutch	Greek
Irish	Japanese	Israeli	Canadian	French	Icelandic
Polish	Portuguese	Kuwaiti	German	-	Swiss
Spanish	Taiwanese	Pakistani	Indonesian	-	Thai
Turkish	Vietnamese	Saudi	Korean	-	Malagasy

Events

The ancient Games had only a few events. Foot racing was in every game and each race had a variety of lengths - the longest being the marathon named after the Greek city and famous battle. The pentathlon, supposedly developed by Jason of Golden Fleece fame, had five events (running, jumping, wrestling, discus throwing and javelin throwing) which were all scored together. Three pentathlon events were important and popular enough to have their own events. Wrestling, discus throwing and the javelin were all recorded in the Homeric poems and were seen as vital for all men to be skilled in. The javelin throw was separated into two categories: length and accuracy (aimed at a specific target). Boxing was one of the oldest events and was written about by Homer. Finally there was the pancration, a combination of boxing and wrestling and various events with horse racing.

Today, of course, there are many more events. The chart below lists the most popular modern events in the Summer and Winter Olympics.

Summer		Winter
kayaking	boxing	downhill skiing	snowboarding
swimming	diving	hockey	speed skating
equestrian	hurdles	Curling	bobsledding
gymnastics	track & field	figure skating	luge
volleyball	basketball	biathlon	ski jumping
tennis	wrestling	skeleton	cross country skiing

NB. The following summer sports have been recently recognized and are now legitimate events: air sports; automobile; bandy; billiards; boules; bowling; bridge; chess; dance sport; golf; karate; korfball; life saving; motorcycle racing; mountaineering and climbing; netball; orienteering; pelote basque; polo; racquetball; roller sports; rugby; squash; surfing; tug of war; underwater sports; water skiing; wushu.

Competition

Athletes compete or play against each other in hopes of winning. That might mean crossing the finish line first or putting on a perfect performance. Throughout the Games, the contestants are supposed to play with a spirit of sportsmanship, which can be defined as the character and conduct worthy of a sportsman. This means that they are to play with honor, seeking only to do their very best in their sport, and not specifically to defeat the other players.

When the playing begins, the events have preliminaries, or official trials or contests, in which athletes have to meet specified minimum requirements. This is for the setting of standards and for athletes to gain the right to compete in the final contest.

Sometimes it seems that the spirit and the joy of the Games have been lost to commercialism and the overpowering desire to focus only on victory. When controversy and partisanship take over, it's good to remember what a churchman once said during the 1908 London Games, which is still true today:

"The important thing is not so much winning as taking part."

Unfortunately, some athletes and coaches have taken to cheating or doping, in an attempt to gain an unfair advantage. Steroids, drugs that encourage muscle strength and stamina, are one of the banned substances that give athletes an extra, and illegal, advantage.

In spite of the problems of cheating and doping, and nationalism which can be divisive, the Games carry on and remain popular. This is possibly because the Games show us what we as humans are capable of and that humanity is capable of engaging in friendly competition. We should keep in mind what the father of the modern Games, Baron Pierre de Courbertin, once said:

"Olympism is not a system, it is a state of mind."

The Olympic Games – Complete the sentences from this Vocabulary Quiz. Use the words from the box.

Anthem - Hosting - Sponsor - Broadcaster - Spectator

Postponed - Spokesman - Medals - Substitute - Symbols

1 Nike is Tiger Woods' _______________.

2 If a relay runner breaks his leg the team uses a _____________.

3 The torch and the five rings are ______________ of the Olympic Games.

4 Baseball games are often ______________ due to thunderstorms.

5 Athens is ________________ the 2004 Olympic Games.

6 A person who watches a sport is called a _________________.

7 A country's song is called its national ________________.

8 A person who talks about sports on television is a ________________.

9 An athlete who helps advertise a product is a ___________ for that product.

10 In the Olympics the competitors who come first, second and third win _______________.

The Olympic Games - Reading Comprehension Quiz

1 When did the Olympic Games originate?

2 Which was not an original sport in the Olympic Games?

3 What do the colored rings on the Olympic flag represent?

4 Which things does the Olympic torch NOT represent?

5 What is a part of the Opening Ceremonies?

6 In the Athletes Oath, what do the competitors promise to do?

7 What did the winner receive in the ancient Games?

8 What do the Games mean to teach humanity?

9 According to the spirit of the Games, a sportsman ought to play with wh

10 Why are steroids banned substances?

HOLIDAYS, CELEBRATIONS, LESSON PLANS & ACTIVITIES

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

London 2012 Olympic Games

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