June 20, 2007: Sensational Team Swimmers

The Mini Page is a syndicated, four-page tabloid written for young children found each Wednesday in the Rocky Mountain News. This issue of The Mini Page is available through the eEdition Archive to registered eEdition subscribers. Click here to learn about subscribing to the eEdition at no cost to you (for Colorado teachers).

Activities:

1. Select a comic strip character you think would make a good coach. Paste the character's picture on a piece of paper and write a sentence telling why you chose that character.

2. Interview family members and friends about what qualities they think a good athlete needs. Collect the answers. Then divide the qualities into physical (such as strength or speed) and mental (such as determination). Which qualities were more important in your survey -physical or mental? Put a star by the three qualities you think are most important.

3. Draw a line down the center of a piece of paper to make two columns. Label one column "individual" and the other "team." Look at the stories in the sports pages. List the sports that are reported in your paper by putting the name of the sport under the correct column. For example, swimming is an individual sport, while baseball is a team sport. Which sports are most popular at this time of year according to your lists?

4. Why are each of these important if you want to become a major athlete: (a) a coach, (b) officials at meets or events, and (c) supportive family members?

5. Use resource books and the Internet to identify another Olympic athlete.
Use these questions to guide your research:

• What is his/her sport?
• When did this athlete first become interested in the sport?
• How does he/she train?
• What special foods are needed during training?
• How does this athlete prepare physically and mentally for a big event?

Write a paragraph discussing your research.

This week's standard:

• Students understand that physical activity provides opportunities for enjoyment, challenge, self-expression and social interaction. (Physical Education)
  
  

(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)