Ideas for the classroom: Olympics 2004

GEOGRAPHY

Predict a winner

For sporting events such as the Olympics, teachers can develop an activity based upon development indicators to try to work out which country has the best chance of winning the most gold medals. 

Ask pupils to analyse the social and economic characteristics of each country competing. They can look at the country's demographics, its Gross National Product and a health indicator, such as life expectancy. Having examined these indicators, pupils could predict how many gold medals each country would win. They could present their predictions to the class, explaining how they reached their final total.

Once the Games have taken place, pupils can revisit their predictions to see how accurate they were. The class could look at any 'surprise winners' and think about the factors that might have contributed to that country's triumph.

TEXTILE DESIGN AND RESISTANT MATERIALS

Make a medal

The Olympics are the perfect opportunity for textile design and resistant materials students to design products for a real-life situation while also supporting their GCSE courses.

Textile design students can develop a range of sportswear targeted at young sportspeople. A designer can be invited to talk to the class, giving pupils first-hand guidance. A local sportsperson could act as the target consumer, looking at the design needs that will influence the end products.

For resistant materials lessons, students will look at the range of jewellery medals and badges that can be designed for each Olympic event. A jeweller could advise students on how to design and manufacture badges. Pupils can work on a day-long project, design in the morning and manufacture in the afternoon.

By the end of the day, each student should have finished making a badge or medal. 

FOOD TECHNOLOGY

Making an energy bar

We are holding an Industrial Awareness Day for all Year 9 students to help them focus on their D&T option choice for Key Stage 4.

This year, our design theme will be the Olympics, and food technology students will be asked to create an energy bar for a specific type of sportsperson, such as a sprinter or a marathon runner.

We are showing a video on nutrition and are planning to invite a local sportsperson to give a talk on the importance of diet in relation to performance. Product analysis of energy bars will present pupils with the opportunity to develop sensory testing techniques and nutritional analysis with the use of ICT software.

The pupils will then make their energy bars in the afternoon. 

Further information

Find out more about the Olympics and nutrition

www.ncaction.org.uk

www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes

www.nc.uk.net/gt

This content was published in July 2004 and may not reflect current policy